Radical rock - Page 3

Salman Ahmad — one of Lahore's greatest exports

By Shaiba Rizwan

Lahore deserves to be called Pakistan's cultural capital. The city keeps churning out more than its fair share of musicians, actors, poets and writers. Musicians from Lahore dominate the popular music scene. One such Lahori individual is the multi talented Salman Ahmed, a pioneer of pop music.

It was Lahore that gave Pakistan the band that started the popular music revolution in the late eighties and early nineties, the Vital Signs, with three boys from University of Engineering and Technology and one from King Edward Medical College, Salman Ahmad. The band went on to change urban Pakistan's musical tastes.

Salman Ahmad's story is that of dedication and hard work. He has spent the last 14 years giving Pakistani audiences enthralling music and new trends. Whether it is singing Sufi poetry or mixing Led Zeppelin-style riffs with galloping tabla beats, Salman Ahmed can claim to be the only contemporary Pakistani musician to create a sound of his own.

It was after the success of his composition 'Saeen' that the spiritual rock/pop trend caught on. All the other artists tried to cash in on the trend by singing religiously inclined numbers (Jawad Ahmed's Rabba, Shehzad Roy's Ya Rab and Abrarul Haq's Rung Rung are a few examples).

However, success has not come easy for Salman Ahmed. He left Vital Signs at the height of its success and made Junoon, the country's only 'mega band'.

Junoon's first five or six years were marked with failures or moderate success. Their first album was a miserable flop and the audience did not like Salman's heavy rock. Their second album 'Talash' fared better and Salman had different lyrcis. Junoon were the first to sing about serious issues like politics and corruption. Certain songs in the second album almost had an anti establishment feel to them. Salman did this when all the others sang romantic or patriotic numbers.

Junoon's third album, 'Inquilab', was a smashing success and propelled Salman's band to number one. 'Jazba Junoon' that became the official Cricket World Cup 1996 song was penned and composed by Salman himself. By now, Salman had begun sporting a curious appearance; long hair, mascara-lined eyes, a strange east-meets-west wardrobe and a knack for performing at all his concerts barefoot!! The public had started noticing his exceptional guitar skills and Salman and his band members including the mercurial Ali Azmat became Pakistan's first bona fide rock stars.

Salman became more ambitious with the type of music he wanted to do and this made Junoon's next album, 'Azadi', the most unique album ever produced in Pakistan. One of the tracks in the album, 'Sayoni', took India by storm, making Junoon an overnight success in India. Salman could suddenly be seen on all Indian channels. Azadi's sales rocketed and it seemed like no one could get enough of Salman's firebrand rock. 1998 was Salman's most successful year.

However, what followed it was not so pretty. Junoon and Salman were banned in Pakistan for allegedly making anti-patriotic statements. The accusations went as far as saying that Salman and Ali Azmat had negated the two nation theory. Salman then spent a harrowing time going from office to office trying to get the ban lifted, which he did ultimately.

Since then Salman's band Junoon has become smaller in stature but he as an artist has grown. Junoon has released numerous albums after the ground breaking Azadi but none have matched its success. Their latest album 'Deewar' fell flat on its face. Salman, on the other hand, has presented himself as a man of diverse talents. In 2002, he was nominated a UN Goodwill ambassador for AIDS, sharing the forum with other celebrities like Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo. He has become an active peace campaigner and a documentary maker. His latest documentary, 'Mullahs and the Rockstar', has earned critical acclaim in America's literary circles. The documentary has been featured on many American TV stations and screened at seminars in American universities.

Salman has done Pakistanis proud with his mesmerizing guitar work. He has performed for the royal families of Norway and Jordan, has played his Sufi rock in the United Nations building, entertained thousands of fans from New York to Dhaka and his compositions have delighted listeners all over the world.

Salman recently turned forty but there is no stopping the man. He has released a solo album titled 'Infiniti' through an independent international record label. Recently, he has been actively participating in earthquake relief efforts. He is a truly talented individual who has all the attributes of a great personality. One of Lahore's greatest exports, Salman Ahmed is and will always be one of the favourite sons of this city.

Salman Ahmad

Salman Ahmed is doctor by training and a rock musician by profession. Salman went to school in his birth place of Lahore, Pakistan and then moved with his family to New York where he went to Tappan Zee high school in Tappan, NY.

New York: Former President Bill Clinton invited Salman Ahmad who is the UN Goodwill Ambassador for AIDS, to speak to the Clinton Global Initiative Panel. Salman's music and award winning documentaries "The Rock Star and The Mullahs" and "It's My Country Too" were also screened at the 3-day event which looks to find solutions to the growing polarization between Muslims and the West, as well as other global issues.

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Salman Ahmad & Farid Ayaz Bring Sufi Music to Stanford
By Ras H. Siddiqui

L to R: Salman Ahmad, Farid Ayaz, Jay Dittamo and John Alec

Stanford University is amongst the elite centers of learning in the world. It is well known for its centers of excellence in the sciences, business, and the humanities and can boast of alumni that have certainly made their mark throughout the world. Its Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace has impacted or influenced US domestic and foreign policy for decades. And as the recent week-long Pan-Asian Music Festival 2006 South Asia (Jingdong Cai Artistic Director) running from February 11th through the 18th concludes, one is convinced as to why the International outreach potential of Stanford campus programs (in this case the Department of Music and the Asian Religions & Cultures (ARC) Initiative) can never be underestimated.

One of the co-sponsors of this event was the Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, a source of pride for the Pakistani-American community here, as some of its members came from as far away as Sacramento to participate in this presentation of South Asian Sufi music with Qawwali (a Muslim Gospel) sung by Farid Ayaz (and ensemble) and a fusion of South Asian mysticism and good old fashioned western Rock and Roll presented by Junooni Salman Ahmad and his band.
The series of events that highlighted South Asian culture started off with a four hour long program on Sufi Music on February 11th which discussed at length the South Asian Qawwali art form at the Braun Music Center. It was followed by the showing of the movie "The Rock Star and the Mullahs" and a discussion on it with Pakistani-New Yorker and Rock musician, Salman Ahmad who makes a serious attempt to explain the place of music in Islamic culture in the film.

Stanford's Linda Hess and Professor Robert Gregg with Salman

Salman Ahmad with Sohaib and Sara Abbasi

On Sunday the debate on Music and Islam continued at the Stanford Humanities Center, in Levinthal Hall which was followed by a Qawwali Concert by Farid Ayaz and Ensemble from Pakistan at the Dinkelspiel Auditorium on campus. Farid Ayaz is currently amongst some of the best practitioners of the Qawwali art form, one which concentrates a great deal of its energy on appreciating the one God and his Prophet. Few musical instruments are used, as the main medium is the singer's voice, a harmonium, tabla and the rhythmic clapping of the hands in the background. For those that have had a chance to experience the fallout from a well-done Qawwali performance, a feeling of abandonment to God or ecstasy has often described. The Server of the Spirits or "Saqi" is often called upon in the South Asian Qawwalis and one can only speculate as to how many people experienced the sight, the sounds and the potent elixir combination poured by the Saqi at this performance by Farid Ayaz and his group at Stanford.

The Monday night Sufi Rock Performance of Salman Ahmad and Junooni was more than moving. Salman is one of the best-known Pakistani-South Asian Rockers in the world. Not only did his band "Junoon" or "Passion" (bordering on craziness) start a friendship movement between the youth of India and Pakistan long before it gained today's acceptance, but the band in general and Salman in particular have always stayed close to societal issues that few others in Pakistan would touch, such as AIDS awareness, people with special needs and raising a musical voice against corruption. "Junooni" is the closest thing to the band Junoon's American reincarnation. The first CD produced from Salman's New York based effort is called "Infiniti" which was released recently and received some good reviews (Please visit http://junoon.com/home2.htm for details).
Not unlike Qawwali, Rock too is best experienced by listening to it live. It is the aura of the performer, the stage magic if you will, that adds to the joy. In Salman Ahmad's case, the Dinkelspiel Auditorium's fine acoustics, his calm confidence and humor along with his closeness to the lead guitar strings brought the mystical East and the wild West close together. Assisted on Bass by John Alec and Jay Dittamo on drums, this was a fan of mystical Rock's dream concert. The audience was superb. Establishing the mood with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's famous "Allah Hoo" and the Punjabi "Heeray," Salman went into the ballad that conquered Indian hearts in 1998 called "Sayonee."

Two groups of the audience in a visible state of ecstasy

He talked about Junoon's collection/album "Azadi" (Freedom) and their first visit to India while not knowing what to expect. He recalled the sendoff they received in Pakistan where a large number of friends and family members of the band came armed with autograph books and requests for autographs of Indian actors and actresses. He also recalled the warm welcome that India's performers gave the band and shared the humor of the time when they felt that it was proper to pull out those autograph books, it was some famous Indians who pulled out their own books and started asking for their (Junoon's) autographs.
The theme of peace between people and countries was ever present in Salman's performance. In a tribute to the late John Lennon, Salman and company presented a beautiful "Imagine" for the audience to reflect upon. And following John Lennon's work, Salman presented the words of Punjabi saint and poet Baba Bulleh Shah that essentially echoed the same message, in a different language and more than a century earlier.
The words of Baba Bulleh Shah and an invitation from Salman brought Qawwal Farid Ayaz to the stage. In praise of the talents of the "Young Man" as he referred to Salman, he sang a couple of notes as Salman kept up with him musically on the guitar. It was certainly a sight to see. The old art of Qawwali and Rock and Roll sharing the same stage produced a moment that would have made the Sufi musicians of South Asia proud as some in the Stanford audience by now were close to "haal" (ecstasy).

Farid Ayaz and Ras Siddiqui

The song "Mast Qalandar" is the epitome of the Sufic influence in Pakistani music. Just about everyone has sung it with his own twist. Salman gave it his Rock addition, a New York meets Pakistan version as those hangers that had thus far refused to dance were also seen swaying to this music, including many that did not understand the words. It reminded this writer of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's last performance in Berkeley a number of years ago. Not since then have we witnessed such a successful Pakistani crossover effort as Asians, Caucasians, Indians, Pakistanis, Muslims and non-Muslims, young and old (even a few Stanford faculty members?) were moved enough to dance or sway together to the mystical Junooni music.
Three encores later with "Tu Lang Ja" (You move on), "Dosti" (Friendship) and once again "Sayonee," the satisfied crowd finally began to disperse. Sara and Sohaib Abbasi who provided the program in Islamic Studies endowment funding at Stanford, along with some members of the faculty stayed to greet Salman along with many autograph-seeking fans.
Those who could not attend Stanford University's Pan-Asian Music Festival South Asia 2006 missed a great deal. The tribute to A. R. Rahman on Valentines Day was a big event which was attended by a very diverse audience including Salman. The concerts later in the week concluding with a performance by the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jindong Cai which incorporated the work of Naresh Sohal in the North American Premiere of "Song of Five Rivers."
In conclusion one needs to congratulate Festival Associate Director Linda Hess and all the other organizers involved in making such a memorable week possible. In these frequent times of trouble in the world, it is good to note that music can still be a bridge between cultures and helps to promote better understanding between people. And if John Lennon and Baba Bulleh Shah could communicate the same message of universal brotherhood to us across a gap of cultures, continents and centuries, why can't we at least attempt to learn something about overcoming our differences from them today?

POP REVIEW; Moving the Spirit (and Feet) With Ancient Utterances Updated

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05EFDC163AF 932A2575BC0A96E958260

Originally posted by: Qwest

The Rock Star and the Mullahs ( listen)

Fundamentalist Mullahs (mul-LAHS) in Pakistan have banned music, claiming it's forbidden in the Qur'an (kor-RAHN). This hour on Here on Earth, join Jean Feraca as she talks with the Pakistani rock star who is fighting the ban and the extremist forces behind it.

why bring religion always into music. thanks babu and others who contributed.