Andholan

Mekaal Hasan Band’s
Andholan
A Review by Ally Adnan
Fusion music is a genre that combines music of two, or more, different styles, origins, or types. The
deceptively simple definition, however, leads to an infinitely large number of permutations resulting in a
huge diversity of style, origin and form in fusion music. Excellent music has been produced in the genre
all over the world. The results have been different in Pakistan, though. The genre of fusion has failed
miserably in the country.
Millions of rupees have been used to promote, publicize and sponsor fusion music. Fortunes, social
connections, power, position, and lineage have been used to create stars. Elaborate photo-shoots,
fashionable clothes and accessories, and fine grooming have been used to build rock star images for
musicians with very little, if any, talent. Corporate sponsorships, trendy events, and hip shows have
ensured the tremendous, and tremendously undeserved, financial success of musicians who dabble in
this kind of fusion.
Nevertheless, money and influence can be used to buy celebrity and not talent. Stars and not artists
populate the field of fusion music in the country. And this is the reason for the genre’s fantastic failure in
Pakistan.
The genre involves developing music from classical, semi-classical, folk, and popular traditional music,
not only from Pakistan but from all over the world. In order to do this well, music needs to be created by
artists who have a keen understanding of both Eastern and Western music and of some of the many
varied types of music – jazz, rock, blues, reggae, film, Sufi, folk, Hindustani Sangeet, Carnatic music,
qawaali and others – popular all over the world. Alas, such musicians have not existed in Pakistan
historically.
One other factor that has contributed to the failure of Pakistani fusion is an inordinate amount of
reliance on technology. Pitch correction, pitch shifting, tonal correction, frequency boosts and cuts, level
manipulation, dynamics mapping, sound processing, mixing, and other tools are, of course, of some help
but they cannot and do not create good music. Facility in the use of the tools, and in little else, results in
bad music. Period.
One band in Pakistan - Mekaal Hasan Band - has been different. It has succeeded where others
have failed. It has consistently produced good music under the banner of fusion.
Smart, creative and a little irreverent, the band’s music is fusion at its best. The band borrows
judiciously from a variety of genres and styles to define a new sound - unique, fresh and original
– that is as charming as it is fascinating. With their third album, Andholan, the band establishes
itself as one of the finest in Pakistan and India, and one that is destined for international
success.
Andholan is a very good album.
Andholan features musicians from both India and Pakistan, and songs that are firmly rooted in
Hindustani Sangeet, the music of Pakistan and Northern India, but employ sounds, styles, and
instruments from all over the world. The album, released by Times Music, has a total of eight
tracks.
The opening track of the album, Ghungat, is a kafi (Sufi poem) written by Baba Bulleh Shah. The
song, set in raag Kirwaani, is haunting, intense and passionate. Kirwaani is very similar in
structure to the harmonic minor scale of western music. Mekaal Hasan employs it in its fifth
mode – the Phrygian dominant scale – by making the Pancham (fifth) the tonal center. The shift
adds a naughty piquancy to the underlying scale. Mekaal Hasan and Muhammad Ahsan Papu
play remarkable solos on the guitar and flute in the song. Their deft, energetic and highly
accurate execution of the tandem solos is the biggest strength of the emotionally charged
Ghungat.
The second track begins with a short poignant aalaap (introductory portion of a song) on the
flute, and uses traditional lyrics depicting the lonely night of one without her lover. The feelings
of melancholy and sadness pervade the song which is based on the raag Champakali, originally
from the Carnatic music tradition, and rarely performed in Pakistan. Papu plays some fantastic
interludes on the flute in Champakali, showing his virtuosity in both melody and rhythm. The
song is set to dadra (cycle of six beats) but the guitar and flute pieces include some very
complex structures not employed often in the generally simple dadra.
Bheem is a complex composition on raag Bheemplasi (and not on Bheem) and set to teentaal
(cycle of sixteen beats). The song features a number of tempo and melodic changes, which
would be ruined in the hands of lesser musicians but succeed here due to the skills of Mekaal
Hasan, Muhammad Ahsan Papu and percussionist, Louis J. Pinto. Vocalist, Sharmistha
Chatterjee skillfully combines two traditional bandishes (fixed melodic compositions) in the
track. One is a bandish, Ja Ja Re Apne Mandarva, composed by the great musician Niyamat
Khan Sadarang who served in the court of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeelay in the
eighteenth century. The other is a Bandish Ki Thumri (romantic semi-classical song), Bansiya
Baji Mohan Shaam Ki, from Lucknow. She sings both competently and executes some intricate
taans (musical passages) in her rendition without compromising the integrity of the raag. She
adds variety and charm to the song by introducing shades of raag Bilaskhani Todi towards the
middle of the song. A complex composition, Bheem is executed very well by the musicians of
the band.
Sayon is a popular kafi of Baba Bulleh Shah, Aao Saiyo Ral Deo Ni Wadhai, which has been sung
by a number of vocalists over the years. The Mekaal Hasan Band approaches the poem in a
fresh manner using an unexpected scale and relatively slow tempo. Composed as a successor to
the band’s hit song, Jhok Ranjhan, Sayon is upbeat and uplifting, thanks to a classic rock
treatment.
Maalkauns is one of the most popular raags in India and Pakistan. It is said to have paranormal
powers which can invoke spirits when rendered correctly. The pentatonic scale is simple but
great skill is required to evoke the deeply somber and contemplative mood of the raag, within
the confines of well-established rules of performance and a canvas limited to five notes.
Sharmistha sings a bandish in teentaal composed by Feroze Khan Adarang who was the nephew
of Niyamat Khan Sadarang. The track is daring, dramatic and adventurous. The song successfully
blends the improvisational strength and musical intricacy of jazz, the raw energy and primeval
fire of rock, and the contemplative discipline and emotional depth of Hindustani Sangeet. The
song plays like a tribute to the psychedelic rock, progressive rock and art rock movements of the
nineteen sixties, and sets the standards for fusion music in India and Pakistan.
Sindhi is based on raag Sindh Bhairavi and set to teentaal. The raag is a variation of the
immensely popular raag Bhairavi and allows the use of both forms, the komal (flat) and shudh
(natural), of the Rikhab (second), Dhaivat (sixth) and Nikhad (seventh) notes. The raag is
generally employed songs with spiritual themes but the band uses it for a song celebrating love.
A classical bandish, Main Bal Bal Jaoon Balma, is used as the text for the song. The brilliant riffs
played on the bass and lead guitars over changing chords are the highlight of the simple song.
The rhythmic structure of Megh is rare and unusual. The song is set to ten beats. The
introductory passage of the track is clearly set to jhaptal (cycle of ten beats) structure (2 + 3 + 2
+ 3) but the rest of song follows varying structures, all in ten beats, that take considerable but
welcome liberties with Jhaptal. Sharmistha’s singing skills are best demonstrated in this song.
Megh is very close in structure to raags Brindavani and Madhmad Sarang; maintaining its
identity during fast passages presents a challenge to musicians. Sharmistha does well here and
maintains fidelity to the raag by singing it in the Malhar ang (style), introducing a touch of
Madham (fourth) while oscillating the Rikhab (second), and using the Madham-RikhabPancham phrase skillfully. Sharmistha shows great promise as a vocalist.
The final track in the album, Kinarey, is a song in the popular raag Aiman. Sharmistha
Chatterjee sings a famous bandish, Kinaray Kinaray Kinaray Kinaray Dariya Kashti Bandho Re,
which was composed by Ustad Tanras Khan who was a musician in the court of Bahadur Shah
Zafar and the founder of the original Delhi gharana. Sharmishta includes the original but
relatively unknown manjha (second portion of cadence) of the bandish, Mauj Aaye Behr-E-Ulfat
Mein Khizar, but curiously sings an antara (second portion of composition) from the Patiala
gharana, Khaiwan Haar Ki Laaj Tumhi Ho, instead of the original antara, Is Qadar Meherbani
Bekunay. The composition is calm and peaceful. Sharmista sings the song with a confident
sensitivity and Papu adds to its beauty with exceptionally melodious accompaniment.
Sharmista deserves praise for her vocals in the album. The tracks, I am fairly certain, were
originally recorded for vocals with a base note higher than her tonic by a note. Sharmista was,
therefore, required to sing in a range that does not come naturally to her. That she did it well is
a testimony of her expertise as a vocalist.
With Andholan, the Mekaal Hasan Band achieve success in the genre of fusion music and prove
that they have the continued ability to produce albums of quality with consistency. After
Sampooran and Saptak, Andholan adds to the credentials of the band. The band now faces the
challenge of making sure that its next album, Kalam-E-Khusrau, meets, and preferably exceeds,
the high standards the band has set for itself.
Ally Adnan lives in Dallas where he works in the field of telecommunications. He
can be reached at allyadnan@outlook.com.