This week has been good for live music, mostly. Our story begins with Ali Sethi, a singer whose voice has this rich, moving and melodic quality that we simply can’t get past.
This week has been good for live music, mostly. Our story begins with Ali Sethi, a singer whose voice has this rich, moving and melodic quality that we simply can’t get past.
On Tuesday, Sethi took the stage in Lahore during Misaq-e-Ishq/The Covenant of Love, an evening dedicated to poetry, music and the arts, which was presented by The Lahore Biennale Foundation, the LUMS School of Education and the Harvard South Asia Institute.
Artistic Director of Lahore Biennale, Rashid Rana, introduced the audience at Misaq-e-Ishq to the Lahore Biennale while Ali Asani, Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic and Cultures at Harvard University and Ali Sethi joined hands for a truly terrific collaborative night of music, poetry and more. Stories of Sufi names like Shah Hussain, Amir Khusro, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty and Bulleh Shah came front and center while Sethi sang some of their kalaams with great flair.
While Sethi gave Lahore a night to remember, the same can also be said for Natasha Humera Ejaz, who took the stage in Karachi at Cotie Rotie just alongside her lovely band at a gig that was presented by the good folks of Salt Arts whose motto remains one: “collaboration reigns supreme.”
Natasha was joined by her band, which also includes Ali Suhail and Rahail Siddique, both of whom also make up Umair Jaswal’s live line-up. She was also joined by Danish Khwaja, who showcased his versatility during Ali Hamza’s Sanwal gigs, which were also presented by Salt Arts.
Next week will also bring with it a handful of potentially brilliant shows. One such effort is Salt Soiree 9 Ft. The Ahsan Bari South Asia Ensemble while another effort worth mentioning is a gig by Sounds of Kolachi that takes place on January 28th of this month at the PACC auditorium in Karachi. The show is a celebration of the 3rd anniversary of the band’s conception and will see them play tracks from their upcoming debut album, Elhaam. In addition, SOK will take the stage at the Karachi Eat 2017 festival this Friday at 8pm.
