Mekaal Hasan Band

Mekaal Hasan Band will be playing as part of the Pakistani Peace Builders Sufi Festival initiative taken by Ambassador Abdullah Haroon to present the varied culture and music of Pakistan.

PAKISTANI PEACE BUILDERS SUFI FESTIVAL

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Monday, July 19: Ambassador’s Residence NY
(by invitation)
Time: 8-10 pm
Performance Time: 120 min.

Tues, July 20: Union Square Park Public Concert
(public performance)
Time: 5pm to 8 pm
Performance Time: 180 min.
Space: Out door Stage on north end of Union Square

Wed, July 21: Rubin Museum & UN Delegates Concert

1. Rubin Musuem of Art
(public)
Time: 5pm-7pm (weekly Himalayan Happy Hour)
Performance Time: 1 hr.
Space: Atrium

2. Roosevelt Hotel
(by invitation)
Time: 7pm – 8:30 pm (6:30-7:00 Reception)
Performance Time: 60 min.

Thurs, July 22: Asia Society, New York

1. Preview concert event (by invitation)
Time: 8pm
Performance Time: 1 hour

BBC World News has regretfully had to postpone their slotted interview with Mekaal Hasan in the ‘Impact Asia’ program because of the on-going post general election crisis that is taking place in UK.

The program was to be aired at 630 pm Pakistan Standard Time on 9th May and was postponed to 10th May. However it cannot air till the political crisis is resolved.

The word Pakistani band is probably synonymous to ‘Junoon’ and ‘Jal’ for most, but ‘Mekaal Hasan Band’ is one act that cannot be ignored for any reason whatsoever. Especially when they come out with a new album.
This fusion group based in Lahore knows its instruments well, and also the way to use them to conjure magical music. Their new album is proof enough of the fact that fusion, if done well enough, can make for some blissful listening… Read More

Mekaal Hassan Band – Saptak / EMI (India) 2009

1. Chal Bulleya
2. Bandeya
3. Ranjha
4. Jhok Ranjhan
5. Sanwal
6. Bhageshwari
7. Huns Dhun
8. Waris Shah
9. Andholan
10. Mahi
11. Albaella

Personnel: Mekaal Hasan – lead guitar, Javed Bashir – lead vocals, Mohammad Ahsan Papu – flute… Read More

February 28, 2010 -In times where simple riffs and meaningless lyrics will sell albums and get an artist invited across the border, there are still a few bands and artists that remain focused on creating unique music which represents a fusion between local culture and western influence. These musicians, in a sense, show an evolution of environment whilst keeping the core culture intact. Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) are one such set of musicians who seamlessly blend western jazz with Sufi and other traditional poesy to create a hybrid that can only be described as eastern jazz…Read More

February 21, 2010 -That is what Mekaal Hasan – the musician and producer is: the golden ratio. And if it seems too clinical to reduce a man to a bunch of numbers, allow me to elucidate…Read More

Few bands have been able to craft the precision of jazz and the richness of classical music together to produce an immensely appealing sound as Pakistan’s Mekaal Hasan Band has. The nine-year-old band’s second album Saptak that released late last year, and hit the shelves here only last month, is a bolder step forward. Read More

February 05, 2010-The first song on Saptak, the Mekaal Hasan Band’s (MHB) second studio album, starts with a jazz-like shuffle on the drums before settling into a catchy, if straightforward, Pakistani rock tune. The false start is a little nod to MHB’s origins and its attempt at creating what some reviewers have called “Eastern jazz”. Read More

December 05, 2009 -The opener, Chal Bulleya fuses lyrics from Bulleh Shah and Bhagat Kabir in a pleasant and accessible package, while Bandeya and Ranjha’s free jamming-style unravel their effervescent tunes quite remarkably. Jhok Ranjhan has a superlative rock-pop base while Sanwal, which features in an altered form after its debut in the earlier album, holds incredibly imaginative backgrounds, for such a soulful tune…Read More

October 6, 2008 – The partition of India in 1947 may have led to the creation of two countries, but India and Pakistan share a centuries-old music tradition. Today, both share a fondness for the slick pop epitomized by Bollywood soundtracks. But the music scene in Pakistan is also home to some independent bands. One whose acclaim has spread beyond the country’s borders is The Mekaal Hasan Band… Read More