PAKISTAN Salamat and Nazakat Ali Khan – Rag Megh/ Rag Bairagi-Bhairav – Hannibal Records – HNBL 1332

PAKISTAN

Salamat and Nazakat Ali Khan – Rag Megh/ Rag Bairagi-Bhairav – Hannibal Records – HNBL 1332, recorded 1970, released 1988 (LP)

We now present a second album of the Sham Chaurasi Gharana vocalists, brothers Nazakat Ali Khan (1932-1983) and Salamat Ali Khan (1934-2001) from Punjab, whose family settled in Lahore, Pakistan, after the partition of British India in 1947. The two brothers were taught by their father Vilayat Ali Khan in both the Dhrupad and Khyal styles and were influenced by the great Khyal masters, Ashiq Ali Khan (?-1948), Rajab Ali Khan (1874-1959), and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902-1968). The brothers began performing in a Jugalbandi duo in Pakistan and India in the mid-1940s and quickly distinguished themselves as two of the most outstanding Hindustani Khyal vocalists on the Subcontinent. 

 

According to the music critic Amit Chaudhuri, “Nazakat’s role has to do with laying the groundwork and then cultivating increasing self-effacement to make possible Salamat’s miraculous phrases. (…) Salamat is, in a fundamental sense, an improviser. (…) He couldn’t do this without the older brother.”*  

 

This 1970 album features the brothers’ exquisite telepathic lyricism and Salamat’s rapturous flights and adventurous creativity. They are accompanied here by Ghulam Mohammed (1910-1974) on the bowed sarangi and Shaukat Hussain Khan (1930-1996) on tabla.

 

Nous présentons maintenant une deuxième album des frêres chanteurs Pendjabi du Sham Chaurasi Gharana, Nazakat Ali Khan (1932-1983) et Salamat Ali Khan (1934-2001), dont la famille s'installe à Lahore, au Pakistan, après la partition de l'Inde britannique en 1947. Les deux frères étudient le chant Dhrupad et Khyal auprès de leur illustre père Vilayat Ali Khan et furent influencés par des grands maîtres du Khyal comme Ashiq Ali Khan (? -1948), Rajab Ali Khan (1874-1959) et Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902-1968). Ils se produisent sur scène en duo Jugalbandi au Pakistan et en Inde dès le milieu des années 1940 et s'imposent vite comme des chanteurs incontournables du Khyal dans la seconde moitié du 20e siècle. 

 

Selon le critique musical Amit Chaudhuri, « le rôle de Nazakat consiste à jeter les bases, puis cultiver un effacement progressif de sa personne afin de permettre à Salamat d’exprimer son phrasé miraculeux. (…) Salamat est, au plus profonds de lui-même, un improvisateur. (…) Il ne peut le réaliser pleinement sans son frère aîné. »*

 

Cet album illustre le magnifique lyrisme télépathique des deux frères, ainsi que les envolées créatives et exaltées de Salamat. Ils sont accompagnés ici par Ghulam Mohammed (1910-1974) à la vièle à archet sarangi et Shaukat Hussain Khan (1930-1996) aux tablas.

*https://scroll.in/article/962117/recordings-by-vocalist-salamat-ali-khan-remind-us-how-precise-and-beautiful-the-unimaginable-can-be

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Many thanks to João for sharing this inspiring gem!

Our other Hindustani vocal Jugalbandi duo posts:

Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan – HMV – 7 EPE 1356 here

Hirabai Barodekar and Saraswati Rane – Raag Chandra Kauns, Raag Basant Bahar – ECLP 2356 here

Dagar Brothers – Nassir Zahiruddin Dagar & Nassir Faiyazuddin Dagar – EALP 1334 here

The photograph below is from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Open Access initiative, which gives access to more than 400,000 images of public-domain artworks from The Met collection available for free and unrestricted use (www.metmuseum.org):

Rosette Bearing the Names and Titles of Shah Jahan", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, aka the Emporers Album, c. 1645:

"A 'shamsa' (literally, sun) traditionally opened imperial Mughal albums. Worked in bright colors and several tones of gold, the meticulously designed and painted arabesques are enriched by fantastic flowers, birds, and animals. The inscription in the center in the 'tughra' (handsign) style reads: "His Majesty Shihabuddin Muhammad Shahjahan, the King, Warrior of the Faith, may God perpetuate his kingdom and sovereignty."

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

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CONGO – GHANA – NIGERIA – SIERRA LEONE – SOUTH AFRICA – KENYA – TANZANIA – MOZAMBIQUE – UGANDA – ETHIOPIA African Dances – Authentic 601

CONGO – GHANA – NIGERIA – SIERRA LEONE – SOUTH AFRICA – KENYA – TANZANIA – MOZAMBIQUE – UGANDA – ETHIOPIA

African Dances – Authentic 601, compiled by John Storm Roberts, 1973 (LP)

In the early 1990s I sought out John Storm Roberts’ many excellent compilations on his Original Music label showcasing great 1950s to 1970s pan-African genres like Congolese music, Ghanaian Highlife, Nigerian Yoruba Juju and Ibo Highlife, South-African Sax Jive, East-African music from Kenya and Tanzania, and much more. Roberts also published accessible seminal books closely connected to his many musical explorations of the multidirectional cross pollination of European, North American, Caribbean and African musics, including Black Music of Two Worlds (1972) and The Latin Tinge (1979).

 

This 1973 LP presents a compelling panorama of precious stellar tracks from the Golden Age of African music:

Au début des années 1990, j'ai découvert les nombreuses compilations de grande qualité de John Storm Roberts sur son label Original Music qui présentait de grands styles panafricains des années 1950 à 1970 tels la musique congolaise, le Highlife ghanéen, le Juju Yorouba et le Ibo Highlife du Nigéria, le Sax Jive sud-africain, les musiques du Kenya et de la Tanzanie. Roberts publia également des écrits étroitement liés à ses nombreuses explorations des brassages multidirectionnels entre musiques européennes, nord-américaines, caribéennes et africaines, notamment Black Music of Two Worlds (1972) et The Latin Tinge (1979).

 

Cet album de 1973 présente un panorama fascinant de morceaux précieux de l'âge d'or de la musique africaine :

Congo (Kinshasa) & Congo (Brazzaville)

A1 – Kale-Roger and Rochereau (Tabu Ley) with Orchestre OK Jazz – Afrika Mokili Mobimba 

A2 – Les Bantous de la Capitale – Lisie 

 

These two Congolese Rumba Lingala gems, influenced by the Cuban idiom with sophisticated African electric guitars – whose circular patterns recall the indigenous African thumb piano – convey a different ambiance with a fluid and sensuous “African touch.” The LP kicks off with a rare – and the best – version of the glorious pan-African anthem Afrika Mokili Mobimba (A1), performed by Kale-Roger-Rochereau (Tabu Ley) and OK Jazz, and Lisie (A2) by Les Bantous de la Capitale, the most famous band from Brazzaville facing Kinshasa on the other side of the Congo River.

From the 1920s, 78 RPM shellac discs of Cuban music – a unique fusion of “West African” components (polyrhythm, call-response and trance-like intensity) and “European” components (Spanish language, romanticism, guitars, horns, flutes, violins and orchestration) – had a tremendous impact on the creative cultural breeding grounds in fast-growing urban centers like Leopolville (Kinshasa) and Brazzaville. Cuban Rumba and Charangas, along with other musics, like Dominican Merengue and Trinidadian Calypso, were all urban musics that conveyed a modern identity removed from traditional tribal affiliations.

Ghana

A3 – Ahamano's Guitar Band – Me Nsae Da 

A4 – The Broadway Dance Band – Broadway Special 

Two Ghanaian highlife tracks with a raw guitar band  (A3) and a Jazz-tinged orchestra (A4). This highly influential Pan-African style also took root in Nigeria.

Nigeria

A5 – Dele Ojo and His Star Brothers Band – Omo Oloja 

 

Yoruba Juju.

Sierra Leone

A6 – S.E. Rogie – Toomus Meremereh No Good 

 

Palm-wine guitar music.

 

South Africa

A7 – Miss Smodern – Untitled 

A8 – Leribe – Untitled

 

While most African urban styles were initially influenced by Caribbean music (Cuban, Merengue, Calypso, etc.), South African music was inspired by North American Gospel and 1930s Jazz, i.e., Count Basie (1904-1984) and Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), in an era when Jazz was still dance music, prior to its evolution toward complex and cerebral instrument-solo-based forms. The Leribe Sax Jive track (A8) – presumably from the 1950s – is a brilliant clearly-defined fusion of Jazz and South African rhythms, and (A7) is a heartfelt fast-tempoed song with guitar, female vocals and chorus. 

 

Kenya

B1 – John Mwale – Kenyatta Aliteswa Sana 

B2 – Peter Tsotsi, Nachil Pichen and The Equator Sound Band – Pole Musa 

B3 – Dick Ngoye and Party – Robinson Olago 

B4 – Yaseen Mohamed and Party – Kula Ajae Na Shari 

Kenyan urban music was highly influenced by Congolese music, but here Roberts features typical Kenyan genres, including a praise song to President Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978) (B1), a Western-Kenyan Sukuma rhythm (B2), a Kenyan acoustic guitar track in Luo language (B3), and a track (B4) highlighting the influence of Arabic culture in Islamized regions, as well as the use of a Univox synthesizer here in place of the traditional ud and qanun!

 

Tanzania

B5 – Salim Abdulla with the Cuban Marimba Band – Ndio Hali Ya Dunia 

 

Congolese-influenced dance music from Dar es Salam.

 

Mozambique

B6 – M. Makhuwele and Chorus – Ugandzibyeli 

 

Acoustic guitar and vocals.

 

Uganda

B7 – Frida Sonka – Gwenasobya 

 

Guitar, bass, shakers and female vocals in Luganda language.

 

Ethiopia

B8 – Alemayno Eshirtay Group – Love Is Love

 

Ethiopian soul.

***

 

In a 1987 interview in The Los Angeles Times*, world music scholar, curator and publisher John Storm Roberts (1936 –2009) quipped, “There’s an enormous amount of terrific, ‘real people’ popular music that’s damned hard to find. The commercial industry is only interested in what’s happening, and most ethnomusicologists disapprove of it as being Westernized… I don’t care how esoteric it is, but it’s got to be terrific.”

*https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-01-18-ca-5255-story.html

 

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More stellar tracks from the Golden Age of African music:

Classic Ghana Highlife - Eastern Stars International Band - Cecilia

Classic Congolese - African Fiesta with Docteur Nico (1939-1985) on guitar - Angola Siempre

         Classic South African - Slow Foot King Brothers - Phantsi Ndaze Betha

The 1953 song A Todos Mis Amigos by the great Cuban singer Celia Cruz (1925-2003) & Sonora Matancera celebrates Latin American. Cruz was popular in cities like Kinshasa and this track most likely inspired the pan-African Africa Mokili Mobimba on this LP (A1).  Until the early 1990s, I met a number of West-Africans passionate and knowledgeable about Cuban music. 

Our other African urban music posts:

King Sunny Adé - Check E - SALPS 26 here

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe - People's Club Special POLP 070 here

Gbaari - Bariba music from Benin - Radio Parakou archives here

Bariba and Dendi music from Benin - Radio Parakou archives here

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

curation project and share the best finds with you on this blog:

TIBET (CHINA) – INDIA Gyuto Tantric University – Chants Secrets des Lamas Tibétains – Dewatshang DEW 1

TIBET (CHINA) – INDIA

Gyuto Tantric University – Chants Secrets des Lamas Tibétains – Dewatshang DEW 1, 1986 (Cassette)

The Gyuto Tantric University, founded by Jetsun Kunga Dhondup in Lhasa, Tibet, in 1475, is a major tantric institution of the Buddhist Gelug Order. In 1959, Gyoto monks fled the political upheaval in Tibet with the Dalai Lama and took refuge in northern India. They established their monastery in Tenzin Gang, Arunachal Pradesh, before settling in Sidhbari, near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.  

 

In addition to teaching Tantric meditation, ritual arts and Buddhist philosophy, Gyuto monks are known for their unique six-century-old overtone singing tradition performed during sacred tantric practices and invocations.  

 

These riveting recordings – featuring a Yamantaka Mandala Initiation Chant (A1), a Chant of All Sources of Wealth Containing the Very Essence of All Tantra (A2) and offering chants (B1-B2) – present remarkable deep drone-like low-harmonic chants and overtone throat singing, as each monk can vocalize several notes at once. The intense vibration of this timeless transcendent spiritual music is a true universal treasure.  

La Gyuto Tantric University fondée en 1475 par Jetsun Kunga Dhondup à Lhassa, au Tibet, est une institution tantrique majeure de l'Ordre monastique bouddhiste Gelug. En 1959, des moines Gyuto fuient les bouleversements politiques au Tibet avec le Dalaï Lama pour se réfugier dans le nord de l'Inde. Ils y établissent le monastère de Tenzin Gang dans l'Arunachal Pradesh, avant de s'installer à Sidhbari, près de Dharamsala, dans l'Himachal Pradesh.

 

En plus d'enseigner la méditation tantrique, les arts rituels et la philosophie bouddhiste, les moines Gyuto sont connus pour leur tradition de chants harmoniques vieille de six siècles exécutés lors de pratiques et d'invocations tantriques sacrées.

 

Ces enregistrements fascinants – comprenant un Chant d'Initiation du Mandala de Yamantaka (A1), un Chant de toutes les sources de richesses contenant l’essence même de tous les Tantra (A2) et des chants d'offrandes (B1-B2) – présentent des chants bouddhistes très graves avec des harmoniques profondes semblable à des bourdons, où chaque moine peut vocaliser plusieurs notes à la fois. Cette musique spirituelle et transcendantale intemporelle aux vibrations intenses est un véritable trésor universel.

 

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Many thanks to our friend João for sharing this wonderful cassette!

Our other Tibetan music posts: 

Folk Music From Tibet Vol. 2 – Albatros VPA 8449 here

Le Message des Tibétains – Musique Sacrée Tibétaine - BAM LD 5731 here

Photographs below are from The Realm of Tibetan Buddhism by Li Jicheng, China Books & Periodicals, San Francisco, 1985, & vintage postcards:

Padmasambhava – the legendary Indian Buddhist mystic who brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century – is sometimes visualised as a rainbow during meditation. The Rainbow Body is also a level of realization in the Dzogchen tradition. Sagya Monastery:

Vajrapani – standing on a lotus in a warrior pose – is one of the eight great bodhisattvas of Vajrayana, Tibet, China, 15th century:

Praying in front of the Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama, Lhasa, Tibet, China:

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

curation project and share the best finds with you on this blog: