Crying the blues to keep Pakistan’s music legacy alive
KUALA LUMPUR: Music, for Izzat Majeed, transcends borders, religions and ethnicities.
The founder of Sachal Jazz Ensemble has seen the rise, decline and revival of music in his home country, Pakistan, due to political changes.
“I was born a few years after Pakistan’s independence. At that time, the cinema scene in the country was starting to flourish along with the music scene,” he said.
Izzat, 66, and his wife, Sachal Studios chief executive officer Nur Fatima, 54, are in town to accompany the ensemble for a performance in the DiverseCity: KL International Arts Festival 2017.
He said the lights of the cinema industry, and consequently the music industry, of Pakistan were dimmed with the rise of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq after a military coup in 1977.
“That was very sad. It destroyed music and films. It destroyed everything that people wanted to do,” he said.
It was his early passion in music – instilled in him by his music-loving father – and a fear that Pakistan would lose its musical heritage that prompted Izzat to start the Sachal Jazz Ensemble.
“I started gathering the musicians in 2002. You see, the people (of Pakistan), they have lost the art because it was taken away,” he said.
The musicians he first managed to contact were those playing music during the Pakistani cinema industry’s heyday. Many of them found other jobs, such as rickshaw drivers and tea sellers.
Izzat said that the old musicians were happy to be playing again.
The ensemble played mostly jazz, which was one of his favourite genre, he added.
Nur Fatima said that being in the ensemble brought happiness to the members, especially the older musicians.
The Sachal Jazz Ensemble will perform today at Auditorium DBKL in Jalan Raja Laut here at 8.30pm.
At 2.30pm, a documentary Song of Lahore that traces the journey of the ensemble will be screened. It is produced by Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken.
Entry to the screening is free while tickets to the performance by Sachal Jazz Ensemble range from RM30 (students) to RM150.
DiverseCity runs until Oct 1. For details, visit diversecity.my.