MHB

The name is familiar, the image iconic.

With his dark curly locks and contorted expression as he fingers his guitar, Mekaal Hasan looks every bit the musician.

The Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) was put together so “fine musicians from various cultures who are interested in communication (to create) something that builds upon tradition,” writes Mr Hasan in the liner notes to the album.

Sampooran, the debut album, explains Mr Hasan, was an attempt to “incorporate the strength of Eastern classical musicians, their melodies, with the more sophisticated harmonic, chordal and rhythmic forms of jazz.” And it works.

Ya Ali starts off with an aalap from vocalist Javed Bashir before exploding in a powerful guitar riff doubled on chanting vocals, then settling into a slower tempo for the antra, or chorus. The eastern and western instruments blend seamlessly, making it a true fusion rather than an incongruous mix.

The title track, Sampooran, which is a raag based on seven notes, is more experimental with the traditional classical structure. It starts off sparsely, with an aalap from flautist Ahsan Papu accompanied by Latin American and African percussion, but gets busier as the song progresses, with layer upon layer of melody added on guitar.

Sajan and Raba are written around kaafis by Sufi poet Shah Hussain, but with different approaches. Raba is based on heavy guitar riffs, with rich textures, layers and sophisticated arrangements. Sajan is simpler, more acoustic and natural sounding.

Waris Shah is based on pentatonic raags and the haunting instrumental Late Moon was deliberately kept loose and free flowing to allow greater improvisation when the band plays live, which Mr Hasan feels is what MHB is best at. Sampooran is also a favourite to play live, with the song structured to allow each musician a solo.

Getting it all together was not easy. Lahore, where Mr Hasan runs the state-of-the-art Digital Fidelity recording studio, proved an inhospitable environment. To get the sound just right, the 31-year-old ended up flying in musicians from London. Things finally began shaping up two months ago when Mr Hasan was in Karachi. It was there that he met music video director Sohail Javed.

Mr Javed, who has directed videos for Junoon and Fuzon, became an instant fan, and champion. He introduced the Mekaal Hasan Band to Khalid Sadaf who instantly signed them onto his label, Sadaf Stereo. The label has now embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign, unprecedented for a debut album.

The multimedia offensive started off with concerts last week in Karachi. Now, Raba, the second single, is on heavy rotation on radio and television, and two other videos are due out over the next three months. The band has also just wrapped two concert specials. However, there are no plans yet to play Lahore.

“Concerts are hard to arrange in Lahore,” said Mr Hasan. Last July, the Mekaal Hasan Band sold out the Alhamra. “It can be very expensive,” he added. It is Lahore’s loss. Still, the band intends to remain very much in the public eye. Mr Hasan, a prolific composer, says the next album is already written and should be out at the end of this year.

The Mekaal Hasan Band is Mr Hasan on lead guitar, Sameer Ahmed on bass, Mr Papu on flute and Mr Bashir on vocals. Guest artists include Javed Akhtar on keyboards, Pete Lockett on percussions, Michael Mondesir on bass and Gumby from the pop group Noori. The enhanced compact disc, with bonus live tracks and a jam video accessible on a PC, is available on Sadaf Stereo records.