Jamming Out
All I want to do is rock!
Musicians par excellence Gumby, Omran Shafique, Khalid Khan and others come together with the reclusive and legendary Aamir Zaki for a musical fiesta

 Sara Zia Khan
Karachi

Sunday night, Karachi experienced something, which doesn't happen a lot. A spontaneous, chilled out blues, rock jam session for a niche crowd at the Pakistan American Cultural Center (PACC). And that too with a man who can make guitars weep and dance, celebrate and mourn with explosive verve and nerve. When he plays live, its no ordinary day. The man is the guitar wizard Aamir Zaki. This night he was in the limelight and he proved why he needs to be there more often.

But Zaki was one side to this incredibly bluesy musical night. There were powerful, inimitable performers to boot: Gumby (drums), Omran "Momo" Shafique (guitars), Khalid Khan (bass), Sara Memon (vocalist) Saad Memon (guitars), Sheldon (vocalist) and Yasir Qureshi (darbuka).

Omran introduced Aamir Zaki onto the stage and when he came on, the crowd went wild. Some of them even gave Aamir a standing ovation.

He played 'Slow Blue Jams', and at the very end, Aamir had a solo, which got the audience almost dancing to the beat. Looking thin and like a true blue guitarist with a slick gelled back look, Aamir played his heart out. He plays how he feels and his facial expressions convey those emotions, taking the crowd with him.

When asked what goes through his mind when he's playing, Aamir said to Instep, "I don't think about anything. I am in that happy place and I only listen to the sound of music we are collectively playing. It is very hard to get to that 'happy' place which almost feels like nirvana when I am not playing."

He played three songs in total, and the audience loved every minute of it.

While playing, Aamir kept looking at the crowd and smiling, perhaps pleased that the audience were glad to see him. "I've learned that in order to create something new, the older one needs to be destroyed, taken apart to pieces. I've come to a full circle and back to the blues."

Where have you been?

Monotony gets to him, he explained, he hates it, literally hates it, when his days are planned. "I like surprise, and randomness. I hate it when my life becomes a routine, even when I am producing music, so much so, that I want to get away from everything."

This is why Aamir had been AWOL from the spotlight for three years. He wanted to get away from everything and start afresh. When asked if he was self-destructive he said, "Look if you want to make something new, you have to destroy the previous pattern. I am not self-desctuctive as such but yes, when I feel that my life is becoming monotonous then I try to annihilate the pattern so that I make something which I haven't done before."

For those wondering if Aamir Zaki will actually come back with a record, Aamir says, "I never went away from playing and a commercial success of a video or two is not a comeback in my opinion. It's the question if the audience is ready for the new style of music or not. Having a successful video on television does not mean a comeback to me. I don't think it's the musician who makes a comeback. I feel the audience's focus changes and comes back."

Go all the way

This concert was also iconic for many other reasons. It was the union of the lethal combination of Gumby and Aamir Zaki who have a history that goes back decades.

When asked about playing with Gumby and Omran, he said, "It was a pleasure. I am very happy to do this with them." 

The crowd was swaying to the jazzy beat. The genres were mixed and ranged from rock, punk, blue and it was a delightful change even if they mostly did cover songs from artists like Duffy, Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd. The coming together of such professional players to do a random 'feel good' gig did wonders to the souls who wanted to get away from the chaos of everyday lives.

The first song, sung by Sara Memon, had the crowd cheering for her, and it was evident that they wanted more. Sara Memon, who has recently joined the music scene in Karachi, was pleased with the response.

Talking to Instep, she said, "I am not a professional musician. Yasir Qureshi (of Aunty Disco Project) got me into the whole scene when he heard me sing for the first time. He was adamant that I should do this on a larger scale, so I ended up singing at the open mic night at Saad Haroon's show". From there on, she met Gumby and Omran who persuaded her to do a gig with them. At the gig, Sara sang 'Mercy' by Duffy, 'Alone by Heart', Teardrop' by Massive Attack, among others. After the gig she said "I feel ecstatic, it's all going to my head right now. The audience seems to love me" and they did, indeed. When she came back to do her fifth song, the audience clapped their hands, and were shouting her name endlessly.

Another singer who had the crowd mesmerized was Sheldon, not a newbie to the music scene either. He did his first gig 10 years ago with Aamir Zaki and Gumby, after which he left for Dubai and performed with his band there. Returning to Pakistan he decided to sing again with his dear friends, and it ended up as a huge success for them. His voice has a very blue feeling to it, and when he sang 'Feeling Alright', his raw talent was obvious. 'Fire', 'Jailbreak', 'Master Blaster', 'Superstition' and 'Redemption' are some of the songs he covered, and the crowd cheered him throughout.   

Omran Shafique the lead vocalist and guitarist of Mauj and a guitarist with Coven, meanwhile, was grooving with his guitar. His performance was lively and his music blended well with the singer's voice. Speaking with Instep, he said, "This thing was not planned, one day we just thought to do what we love to do the most which is playing, so we did it. Otherwise we would have been sitting idle instead. Because of the current situation of the country, politically or economically, all of us were yearning for something of this sort."

Khalid Khan of Aaroh was the bassist quietly strummed magic with his bass guitar while Gumby had overwhelmed everyone with his playing. One of the most seasoned musicians of Pakistan, Gumby can stun people through his mighty drums.

"These feel good gigs do wonders for my soul, I hope we do this more often," said Gumby. Before he went on stage he was tentative, but after he settled in, he was in his element. He brought the house down when he played 'Redemption' with Sheldon.

Gumby may be a musician but with Coke Studio running on airwaves nationwide, his star graph has risen further. And this gig was nothing like Coke Studio.

"Coke Studio is a very big thing. It reaches out to the masses, that's the point."

The last song they did - 'We Don't Need No Education' by Pink Floyd, literally had everyone on their feet. The crowd was swaying to the beat and it was apparent that they didn't want the night to end. Fans were screaming for one more performance but the players were tired. Omran laughing told the crowd that this was as much as he could play and no more.

It's safe to say that the night was a success with good music and even better musicians. But PACC was an inappropriate venue for something so good. The auditorium was packed with too many people and some of them were sitting on the floor. People need to get way from everything and that's why such gigs are important. But with the security situation in the country, artists who want to play for the people are reluctant as it remains a risky trick. Perhaps that is exactly why such gigs are rare and consequently a real treat for music aficionados. One wishes that they could be taken out of basic auditoriums int a space where people could stand and groove and listen to this music in the way it's supposed to be heard. 

Celebrities like Adnan Malik, Shallum Xavier, Anisa Shaikh and Syed Naad-e-Ali and others were obviously enjoying the show. The crowd was very selective and niche and the whole night was a blast. Live music gets your blood flowing faster as the music flows through your veins. Here's to the Summer Jam and all gigs that give us that rush!

– Photos by Bilal Khan

StarBytes
From Race to Manforce: Atif's 'Pehli Nazar' is really 'going (strange) places'

One is always glad to see Pakistani musicians being featured on Bollywood soundtracks: they've produced some fantastic gems such as Shafqat Amanat Ali's 'Mitwa' and Rahat Fateh Ali's 'Mann Ki Lagan' that have given them a huge fan following across the border. But Atif Aslam's 'Pehli Nazar' - originally done for the hit 2008 film Race - has really crossed the border.

We were quite surprised to see the song being featured in a sleazy advertisement for condoms by a brand called Manforce that is currently running on the Indian music channel 9XM. While using songs in advertisements - even those for condoms - isn't a bad idea, the fact that the Manforce ad is so seedy and has such a C-grade Bollywood feel to it makes one feel Atif's song is being dragged down in the mud. The advertisement features an actor who was in last year's hit Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Ayaz Khan (who plays Genelia D' Souza's fiancé Sushant Modi) and the ad is ridden with innuendo and raunchy scenes.

Now we wonder whether Atif knows that his song is being debased in such a manner - or if it is out of his control given that we assume his Indian record label has copyrights to his songs. Instep Today contacted Atif repeatedly but we're still waiting to hear back from him.

"I'll always cherish my memories with Shahid Kapur." – Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor seems to be in a 'no-holds-barred' mood these days. As the actress prepares for the release of her next film, Kambakkht Ishq, which premieres tomorrow including in Pakistan, she's been asked all sorts of questions during her publicity rounds. Even though walked out of a press meet when she was asked if she'd ever consider going nude for a film, she has answered questions about her ex-boyfriend, Shahid Kapur. When asked by Indian Express about the fact that Bebo's current flame Saif Ali Khan and she have openly accused Shahid of using them for publicity and that she wished he would move on, she was fairly candid in her reply.

"This whole issue has been blown out of proportion. I shared some wonderful moments with Shahid and both Saif and I wish him well. Saif respects my past but there are times when we get upset with all that is written or insinuated about us. I'll always cherish my memories with Shahid but that chapter of my life is over and I've turned the page. I hope the media does that as well. My heart is clean," said Kareena. Shahid and Kareena were in a much-publicized relationship for several years before Kareena dumped him for Saif Ali Khan - at the same time that she and Shahid scored a huge hit with their film Jab We Met.

And while Kambakkht Ishq looks set to be a Bollywood masala crowd-pleaser, Kareena's next few films look fairly interesting. She'll be seen next with Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots, with John Abraham in Asthavinayak and is doing two films with beau Saif - including the Karan Johar production Qurban and Saif's own production Agent Vinod.

History
Michael Jackson named Diana Ross as possible guardian to his children

The Michael Jackson saga continues on after his death, as debate about his will and estate continues on. According to the will the King of Pop prepared a few years ago, he had named his mother, Katherine Lee Jackson as guardian to his three children, and said that in the event that she was unable to take care of them, 65-year-old singer Diana Ross should be named as guardian instead.

Diana Ross and Michael Jackson shared a long history together. When Diana Ross and the Supremes were the biggest act on record label Motown's bill, the label used Diana to front the publicity campaign for Jackson 5, by having Diana introduce the band as a 'discovery'. The Jackson brothers even lived with Diana for some time, and the singer has raised five children of her own as well. After his death, Diana released a statement saying, "I can't stop crying, this is too sudden and shocking. I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting. I am in prayer for his kids and the family."

Meanwhile it has been confirmed that not only was Michael's abusive father Joe Jackson cut out of the will, so was Michael's second wife Debbie Rowe. His decision to cut out his former wife may encourage her to challenge the Jackson family for custody of the children and a share of the assets. She has not given any hint yet of her intentions.

There was no mention in the will of where Jackson wished to be buried, and his family hasn't agreed on a burial site yet.