They’ve been feted world over and are the subject of a documentary by Oscar winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy that chronicles their musical journey.
They’ve been feted world over and are the subject of a documentary by Oscar winning director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy that chronicles their musical journey. For the first time ever, Sachal Studios played for an audience in Pakistan, bringing together their orchestra and jazz ensembles as well as all their recording artistes in one concert.
Despite having wooed audiences all around the globe and having recorded their album at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, the Sachal Orchestra has only recently risen to prominence in Pakistan, catapulted primarily by Obaid’s soon to be released documentary, Song of Lahore. Their first introduction to Lahore resulted in an hour long concert in a marquee at the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club, where they played original tracks and some of their best known covers for a discerning audience.
The concert started with an original track and transitioned into vocals as Ali Raza sang his rendition of ‘Jo Bhi Kuch Hai’. While the melodies for each track were mellifluous, the vocals weren’t always strong enough to support the music and we couldn’t help but wish that the instruments were allowed to shine on their own, except when Attaullah Essa Khelvi made an appearance. Definitely one of the highlights of the night, the revered folk singer collaborated with the orchestra for a song that truly signified the sound of Pakistan.
It was perhaps their version of Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take 5’ that the audience enjoyed the most and recognized instantly. A rendition that has been applauded by the original recording artist himself, the ‘Take 5’ cover combines classic sub-continental instruments like the sitar and tabla in a jazz composition for a distinctive melody that’s fuses the best of east and west.
A short event that began and ended on time in a city that’s known of its lack of punctuality, the Sachal Studios concert was a welcome respite to Lahore’s usual food and house-parties calendar. We can only hope that the ensemble chooses to play more regularly in the country, allowing us to cultivate a more musically inclined identity.
