Jazz in Town
by Somaiyah Munir
Karachi, a venue of multi-cultural people, became one of the stops for the ‘’American Jazz Tour” in collaboration with the US consulate and Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education. The Tour was from the 24th to the 27th of February, consisting of performances primarily by Ari Roland. The American Embassy provides over 100 million rupees annually in support of arts programming in Pakistan. Each year, dozens of Pakistani musicians participate in programs like the Pakistani Showcase at South-by- Southwest Music Festival, the Dosti Music Project, Daniel Pearl World Music Days, and Music Mela with American government support.
Ari Roland, a jazz quartet from US includes Keith Balla on drums, Zaed Nasser and Chris Byars on saxophones and Ari Roland himself on bass. The quartet has played in almost 60 countries till now and this had been their second tour of Pakistan.
The events took place in PACC, Royal Rodale, NAPA, CGR, Dar-ul-Khushnood, and Alliance Francaise where they performed for an audience of 200 and more, varying from students to foreigners. The band did not just entertain with their jazzy music but also surprised many by playing a few famous Pakistani songs like ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ by Vital Signs and ‘Dil Na Lage’ by Fakhir. If that was not enough, at NAPA, Ari Roland played alongside Ustaad Nafees and the students of NAPA, a rare site of fusion of jazz and classical music.
On Day 3 of the tour, Ari Roland performed at Dar-ul-Khushnood, a school for disabled children. It was a delightfully wondrous sight, seeing children dance and cheer to their performance as compared to the others. This audience proved that music can be an umbrella under which everyone can stand united, as compared to race, nationality, language and etc.
On the last day of the tour, the performance was held at Alliance, where Ari Roland shared the stage with Fuzon, a Pakistani pop band. This too turned into a pleasurable experience for the audience, seeing the two genres merge, resulting in great music.
"We were extraordinarily inspired by the Pakistani classical musicians. Their technique is simply astounding, and yet everything they play is filled with emotion and storytelling,” quartet leader Ari Roland said. “It was an experience we'll never forget, and I hope we can welcome them in New York someday in the same way."
It’s great to see Pakistan opening its gateway for foreign artists and introduce its people to live foreign music performances. One can only look forward to more events like these as well as hope that this might help build better relations of the Pakistani people with the outside world to appreciate the diversity it has to offer.
