MHB

.BAND

Sameer Ahmed
Bass

Sameer Ahmed developed a love for music as a child. His earliest influences go back to Tom Jones. In his teens, he got into Iron Maiden whose work inspired him to take up guitar. Out of all the bands in the 80's, Maiden was Sameer's biggest influence and remain a favourite of his till this day. Later on, into the 90's, Sameer was smitten by the sound of bands like Soundgarden and Alice in Chains which led up to his forming Dog Tag, arguably one of the leading underground bands in the burgeoning Lahore rock scene. During his studies abroad at Rutgers, Sameer also took up bass guitar and after his Bachelor's in Economics and Political Science, Sameer returned to continue playing music and joined MHB as a bass player. He has an active session player scheduele both as a guitarist and a bass player, having played with the likes of Gumby, Mekaal Hasan, Hamza Ali Jafri, Raaz and Salman Albert. As his influences developed over time and over exposure to many different artists, Sameer also started listening to artists as diverse as Jeff Buckley, Stevie Wonder, Weather Report, Ani Di Franco and Faith No More. Sameer Ahmed is a prolific songwriter and is also working on his own material which will feature him on guitar,bass and vocals. His versatility and creative drive make him an invaluable part of MHB.

Sameer on MHB

Javed Bashir
Vocals

Javed Bashir was born on 8th August,1975 and has been singing since childhood. Javed's father, Bashir Ahmed Khan, was a qawaal and this style of singing is the one Javed has been commonly associated with over the years. Javed Bashir studied extensively under the great classical singer, Ustaad Mubarik Ali Khan, and displays his command of the classical tradition in his work with MHB. In fact, Javed has already ventured into the realms of pop,dance and bhangra by being featured on hit tracks like Dewanay Nachdey, Ghar Aa Jaa and Nahi Tera Ja Aur Disdah by Bally Sagoo. He is also featured on the UK releases Anything But Silent, Simply Rich, Romance and Dance with Bally Sagoo and All or Nothing. Javed Bashir has been singing with The Mekaal Hasan Band since 2002 and is an essential part of the band’s powerful and soulful sound. His exceptional talents have earned him the greatest of respect amongst his peers and contemporaries.

Mohd Ahsan Papu
Flute

Papu started playing flute in 1973. He studied with Ghulam Hussain Jalandri, Fida Hussain and Ghulam Haider. Papu has been a leading session player for Pakistan's film and TV industry, having performed on numerous PTV shows and Lollywood movies. He has also contributed heavily to Indian blockbuster movies such as "Bandit Queen". Apart from this, Papu has been an in demand player for all of Pakistan's leading entertainers and artists which range from folk singers Atta Ullah Esa Khelvi, Alam Lohar, Arif Lohar, ghazal singer Tina Sani, pop artists like Jawad Ahmad and Adnan Sami Khan and the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Papu was featured on the "Dam Mast Mast" album as well as all of Nusrat's recordings. He has played world over in Europe, Australia, The Middle East and India and has won numerous awards for his outstanding playing. He joined The Mekaal Hasan Band in 2001 and is a vital part of the band's sound and eclecticism. He is not only an unbelievable improviser, but is also a great craftsman, preferring to make his own hand made flutes. His great knowledge of classical music, his tremendous choice of notes and phrasing and his relentless virtuosity, along with his versatility as a musician who can play on just about any kind of music given to him, makes him a vital part of the band.

Papu on MHB

Mekaal Hasan
Guitars & Composition

Mekaal was surrounded by music from childhood. His father's passion for jazz influenced him throughout his early years. After graduating from Government College, Lahore, Mekaal studied music at the Berklee College of Music, Boston. His stay exposed him to a wide variety of music and musicians, many of whom are influences to this day. Returning to Pakistan in 1995, Mekaal set up a state of the art recording facility, Digital Fidelity Studios where many of the top artists of Pakistan record. His reputation as a guitarist gained even more momentum with his instrumental record ‘Square One’ ,written after his return from Berklee. From the instrumental rock jazz writing style of ‘Square One’ from 1996 to 2000, Mekaal made a dramatic shift of writing and composing in the ending of 2000 when he then focused on writing around eastern classical musicians and hence formed The Mekaal Hasan Band. Out of this shift in direction came the band’s groundbreaking record, Sampooran. Along with being the band leader, composer/arranger and guitarist for MHB, Mekaal Hasan is one of the most in demand record producers around, producing and engineering records with artists as diverse as Noori, Jal and Ali Azmat. Mekaal’s versatility makes him an asset to any musical situation at hand and MHB’s unique sound and style are very much because of Mekaal’s unique writing and compositional abilities as well as his production skills.

Mekaal on MHB

FEATURED ARTISTS