Coke Studio – The great gig in the sky III

The first two episodes of Coke Studio celebrated individuality and harmony. This week as the show returns with artists Ali Zafar, Zeb and Haniya with Javed Bashir, Noori, Josh and Atif Aslam, the third episode is called equality. Instep gives you a sneak peak…

By Maheen Sabeeh

Yaar Dhadee
Ali Zafar with Ali Hamza on banjo and Baqir Abbas on flute

Ustaad M Jumman’s ‘Yaar Dhadee’, which reminds one of our rural deserts, gets a resurrection that is stunning and surprising. It brings together Ali Zafar with Baqir Abbas and, one part of the Noori brothers, Ali Hamza alongside the Coke Studio house band.

“I chose ‘Yaar Dhadee’ because I wanted to introduce our youth to the great treasures of our music. The music of this soil and its people and make them realize what they’ve been missing out on. It’s my tribute to Jumman Khan. I want them to know more about these people who gave us so much but left with very little,” says Ali Zafar about singing this ultimate classic.

His equation with Baqir Abbas is fluid. The two have worked together since the days of Huqa Pani and if ‘Dastaan-e-Ishq’ was tortuously beautiful, ‘Yaar Dhadee’ is celebratory and straight from the heart and this is why it will stay in your head.

Plus watching Ali Hamza strum banjo for one of the country’s biggest pop stars without hesitation – that is a reflection of the unified spirit behind Coke Studio.

Chal Diye
Zeb & Haniya and Javed Bashir

This song released over the Internet while Zeb and Haniya were still working on their debut Chup. It remains one of their most gorgeous tune. Zeb and Haniya brought their A-game and united with Javed Bashir whose passion and aggression as a singer mixed with Zeb’s tipsy vocals has made ‘Chal Diye’ stand out.

And Javed doesn’t just plug in alaaps in the song for the sake of ‘fusion’ but takes the song to another level.

“Javed introduces the song and sets the mood with an alaap in raag aimen and then participates very intelligently so that the essential meaning of the song is not lost. He joins in for some sargams and towards the end they conclude with a rather beautiful and short jugalbandi,” says producer Rohail Hyatt about the song. If ‘Paimona’ reminded one of green lakes and hills, ‘Chal Diye’ will set the mood on fire without little effort. And that kind of musicianship is extraordinary.

Jo Meray
Noori with Rakae Jamil on the sitar

One of the most underrated Noori songs, ‘Jo Meray’, the bluesy yet hopeful tune off Noori’s last record, Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jaani Ki Gol Dunya goes for a revamp. And brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza give it their best. With cousin Rakae Jamil on the sitar, ‘Jo Meray’ sounds more haunting, sharp and hypnotic.

“Noori brothers are family. Music runs in our family,” says Rakae to Instep. “They wanted someone to fuse this song with and that is how I came. I see ‘Jo Meray’ as a feel-good pleasant song with room for improvisation.” Indeed, it was improvisation at its finest.

The song gives Noori enough room to play around. And that was what Rohail Hyatt set out to do.

“This song – ‘Jo Meray’ – still doesn’t have any proper lyrics. I was not consciously avoiding completing this song by writing proper words to this melody, but now I get this feeling that the lyrics too will be completed with the completion of my own personal journey,” says Ali Hamza, who first wrote this song in 2000.

Bari Barsi
Josh with Gurpreet Channa on the dhol

If ‘Yaar Dhadee’ takes you away to the deserts, ‘Bari Barsi’ is the song that echoes the sound of Punjab with its meaty dhols and rustic feel that gets a slick and soulful makeover at Coke Studio.

“We were requested to sing a song that represented Punjab. We used to sing ‘Bari Barsi’ when Josh had first started out as a live cover band back in Montreal. For us, it not only represents a true Punjabi folk track, but also connects us with our humble beginnings,” says Rup of Josh while speaking

with Instep. “We had a blast singing it with the Coke Studio house band and I had a blast playing live dholki for the first time while singing.”
This song is truly a blast and when it comes to raw energy, Josh creates it magnificently with Gurpreet Channa who flew out with the band to be a part of Coke Studio.
“We wanted to add an element of fusion to our set. Gurpreet brings creative and innovative ways of playing tablas and dhols,” says Rup about Gurpreet.

For folk bhangra fun and nostalgia tied nicely together, keep an ear out for this tune.

Wasta e Pyar Da
Atif Aslam

Atif Aslam brought the house down with ‘Kinara’ in the second episode of Coke Studio. This week, he takes a swing and delivers a six again.

“‘Wasta e Pyar Da’ is fusion but it’s not random. There is a section where I improvised on the floor and came up with lyrics. It’s a blend of two cultures, varied sounds and at the same time, it’s a lot of fun. I wasn’t trying to be intentionally Western or otherwise. Just myself,” says Atif who also belts a cover of a very popular song in the middle and then lands back into ‘Wasta e Pyar Da’. Its musical experimentation and new horizons for Atif and Coke Studio is a platform where he is exploring it fully.

“We were just sitting around and goofing and next thing I see Atif is singing ‘Wasta e Pyar Da’ and it sounded good so I suggested we do it in a bluesy kind of way. Innovations are welcome and no idea is ever a bad idea!” says Rohail Hyatt about the song, which is a brand new composition from Atif Aslam.

Source: INSTEP Magzine