The man who should be king

Mekaal Hasan is far from complacent. His discography seamlessly blends Eastern and Western musical styles. He was producing entire records for mainstream pop artists long before corporate shows dominated the country’s music scene. Our conversations revealed a deep-seated concern: the absence of a comprehensive archive for legendary figures like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and other artists of this land. While I pondered solutions to this issue, Hasan had already initiated the creation of a Pakistani archive encompassing music, art, philosophy, and poetry, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Museum. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan will be the first artist, but if I know Mekaal Hasan (and I do for nearly two decades), this is just the beginning.

Instep: What prompted to you to take on such a massive undertaking, which is – culling songs from Night Song as a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, presented by Mekaal Hasan Band, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Museum?

Mekaal Hasan: I had a residency project in 2023 with the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, which was a concert performance featuring Canad-ian artists playing traditional classical music from the subcontinent.

The Aga Khan Museum is home to brilliant Islamic art, and you can experience a breadth of Islamic culture on any given day there via its exhibitions. There’s a long standing one on Rumi.

You can also enjoy many unique musical performances at their superb indoor auditorium. Inspired by what I saw around me, I expressed my desire to present Nusrat Sb’s (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) music. This was a start to creating projects with the Aga Khan Museum.

These projects would feature different aspects of Pakistani traditional music and art. The features could be musical performances or art installations.

The director of the museum, Mr. Amirali Alibhai, was very open to the idea of us starting and building a Pak-istani archive. This would allow people from all over to experience some wonderful musical, spiritual and philoso-phical ideas that Pakistan’s finest minds have created.

Night Song (1996) was Nusrat Sb’s last Real World release and was produced by Canadian producer Michael Brook. With that connection in mind, I set about putting together a documentary and performance project on Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali.

A host of Canadian artists along with a Pakistani Qawwali contingent, will perform Night Song in its entirety as a live tribute to Nusrat Sb, who, in my opinion, really put Pakistan on the world stage some five decades ago. He was a figure whose music had so much to offer that Canadian artists could learn from him and get to explore with us.

What you can look forward to is a very personalised documentary feature that examines Nusrat Sb’s impact on the music world. In terms of concerts, the performances will showcase the songs from Night Song.

To share the music with audiences here, we are performing the Night Song songs live in a tribute concert on his death anniversary on 17th August.

Instep: The documentary (provided to Instep) on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is absolutely beautiful. It’s very personal and shows that he was the greatest qawwal and yet so humble. So many musicians in the East and the West thought of him as a guide and as a friend. When will this documentary release?

Mekaal Hasan: After the performance in Lahore on 17th August (which is the death anniversary of Nusrat Sb) at Expo Auditorium in Lahore, there will be a performance at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. There will also be the premiere of the NFAK documentary. Michael Brook will attend this event as an official guest of the Aga Khan. This archive will then be available to visitors of the museum in Toronto and elsewhere. That way, it can begin to be experienced by expats and others as a part of world heritage. It gets a chance to be seen and heard by many who otherwise would be unaware of all that Pakistan has to offer in terms of culture.

Instep: In Pakistan, when we think of the late (and forever great) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, we tend to associate him with Coke Studio covers, mash-ups and its various iterations. However, Night Song (with Michael Brook) on Peter Gabriel’s record label, Real World Records, was instrumental in putting Pakistani music on the global map. Don’t you think Night Song should be promoted rather than recreated? In fact, wouldn’t it be better to promote Night Song itself as an NFAK record on newer platforms without altering a single note?

Mekaal Hasan: I think the beauty lies in the adaptive nature of Nusrat Sb’s compositions. There’s nothing stopping anyone from hearing the original, which is a classic record. However, there’s also no small feat involved in reimagining and writing fresh music for an entire record of one of Nusrat Sb’s iconic world music records. People can enjoy and appreciate both!

Instep: How do you differentiate the role of conceptual direction for the performance? Is it more like Michael Murray is heading the Canadian lineup along with select performances featuring artists with roots in African, European, and South Asian cultures. Michael Murray is also the musical director for the Canadian performances including the ‘Children’s Choir,’ composed of students from York and Humber College. Could you explain your role if Michael Murray is heading all these performances?

Mekaal Hasan: The writing of the music and it’s arrangements are done by me, and I send these across to Michael, who then writes out charts for the Canadian artists. Logistically, we both end up serving as music directors. I write out everyone’s parts here, and then Michael Murray organises the music so it can be used by the musicians in Canada, including the choir. This process is essential to save valuable time spent in rehearsing and coordinating, whether it’s for a small 8 member ensemble or a larger 24 member group. Therefore, my roles overlap as the project’s overall conceptual director, documentary producter, and music director for the performances.

Instep: As the conceptual director, what were you looking for in each song or the entire set? For instance, why did you choose Shahzad Ali Khan Qawwal, who will be accompanied by a contingent of Pakistani and Canadian musicians?

Mekaal Hasan: I wouldn’t have attempted such a project or performance if I hadn’t found Shahzad Ali Khan Qawwal as the lead voice. I met him whilst doing Rivayat, which I started a few years ago to discover and collaborate with the brightest, yet unknown traditional talents. I hope people will appreciate his soulful and powerful vocals. I believe he possesses the right qualities to lead in such an initiative.

Instep: Mekaal, what does this mean to you on a deeply personal level? This project is a love letter to the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, in collaboration with other brilliant musicians. It aims to recreate NFAK’s music for a new generation in collaboration with the Aga Khan Museum. How does it feel to work on this documentary and tribute performances?

Mekaal Hasan: I deeply appreciate the opportunity to share my take on such a great artist’s music. It would be wonderful to share both the documentary and the music with everyone who loves and remembers Nusrat Sb.

Instep: When and where is this show set to take place, and will it go online simultaneously or will it be available later?

Mekaal Hasan: The tribute show will take place on Nusrat Sb’s death anniversary, on 17th August, at Expo Auditorium in Lahore. It’s being presented by Lahore Jazz Club, known for their jazz-oriented concerts and have rapidly established their events as must-attend shows on Lahore’s cultural calendar.

Instep: Your studio burned down, but can we say that it has returned to its former glory? Is it slowly working towards that goal? Did you have hope that one day it will stand on its own two feet again, or does its slow rebuild feels like a miracle?

Mekaal Hasan: Thanks to the efforts and support of many friends and well-wishers, the studio is finally set up. In fact, you’ll get to see it in the documentary where we conducted some of the interviews and, of course rehearsals for the music. The studio sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to share what we have been producing here with everyone.

Instep: As an artist, you have released several albums in a variety of styles. You have multiple line-ups (Pakistani-based, India-based and Canada-based). Isn’t that hard to maneuver?

Mekaal Hasan: It is really difficult to be a genuine creative individual and to commit to realising the kind of music and performances that I’m invested in presenting.

It’s challenging to stay the course and not follow the usual corporate route. But it has to be done in an honest, heartfelt way so that your passion and commitment remain true to music and appreciating the figures whose life’s work and dedication resonates with one’s own ideals.

I feel our own government and its institutions should collaborate more with artists here, especially arts bodies investing in their own people to keep a legacy alive.

It worries me that there is little visibility for audiences on such amazing artists like Tufail Niazi, who was a unique and pivotal figure, or indeed Mehdi Hasan Sb and Madam Nur Jehan.

The music they gave us is timeless, beyond any one style or trend. If the government of Pakistan doesn’t invest in its greatest talents, then do we also do the same? Can we not even put together a tribute ourselves? I think we can and we should. It’s vital to start ourselves and make people understand the real support and nurturing that the arts need, even if we have do it independently.

Instep: You have worked with British, Indian, Russian, Canadian and Pakistani musicians. Where do you want to go next?

Mekaal Hasan: It’s really about being in the right place and finding the best collaborators around. In that regard, I’ve been truly fortunate to work with brilliant musicians and collaborators. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear our music come alive when musicians of such supreme talent bring their experience and dedication to our performances worldwide. Having peers who are world-class artists themselves working on and appreciating your ideas is an empowering and confidence-building experience.

“I think the beauty lies in the adaptive nature of Nusrat Sb’s compositions. There’s nothing stopping anyone from hearing the original, which is a classic record. However, there’s also no small feat involved in reimagining and writing fresh music for an entire record of one of Nusrat Sb’s iconic world music records. People can enjoy and appreciate both! – Mekaal Hasan “

“I feel our own government and its institutions should collaborate more with artists here, especially arts bodies investing in their own people to keep a legacy alive. It worries me that there is little visibility for audiences on such amazing artists like Tufail Niazi, who was a unique and pivotal figure, or indeed Mehdi Hasan Sb and Madam Nur Jehan. The music they gave us is timeless, beyond any one style or trend. – Mekaal Hasan”