Perhaps if the time would have been later in the evening, there would have been more people coming in. But the room was already packed from wall to wall, and everyone’s rapt attention was focused on the four players on stage, their instruments crooning away.
The Ari Roland Jaz Quartet, as they are named after their bassist Ari Roland, came to Pakistan from the US, performed in Karachi alongside Fuzon on September 19, enthralled the crowd there, and then flew to Lahore’s famous Guitar School, where they held a short discussion and a small playing session. They are expected to have a couple of private shows while in Lahore, one in an orphanage, another in Government College and then by Friday they will be performing in Islamabad: an extremely busy schedule for a great band. The band shares the American Jazz experience by having musical performances with local communities around the world. The Quartet is from New York, (with Keith Balla the drummer from Texas) and is heavily and consciously inspired by the Golden Age of Jazz music from the 1930’s through the 1950’s. The ensemble’s repertoire includes pieces by jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday, as well as their own critically acclaimed original compositions. But in Pakistan, they pleasantly surprised everyone by playing some Pakistani national songs on saxophone, including ‘Tere Bina Dil Na Lagay’ by Fakhir. The Lineup: Ari Roland (Bass) started playing jazz professionally at the age of 16 and also received classical training at The Juilliard School. He has worked with many significant figures in jazz, including Barry Harris, Betty Carter, Lou Donaldson, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, and Harry Connick, Jr. Roland’s three albums as a bandleader have received critical acclaim in the international jazz press. Through The Rhythm Road and other touring programs, he has traveled to 26 different countries in the past three years. Roland currently co-directs the Bi-Communal Jazz Futures program for the US Embassy in Cyprus and American Jazz In Syria program for the US Embassy in Syria. Keith Balla (percussions) was born in Austin, Texas and moved to New York City in 2004. A student of master drummer and teacher Kenny Washington, Balla began working professionally in New York at the age of 17. In addition to national tours, he performs regularly in New York with many of the city’s dynamic young jazz artists. Recognized for his musical maturity, he is also sought after by renowned musicians for his supportive and interactive accompaniment style. He has presented jazz drum clinics to musicians of all levels in the US and internationally, tours frequently for the U.S. State Department in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and continues to record in New York.
“I take my influences from Papa Joe Jones, who was the protégé of Max Roach, who himself was inspired by Philly Joe Jones. Kenny Clark is great too,” says Keith. “But it is basically our own individual influences, mixed with our personalities that give us the distinction of our personal style.”
Chris Byars (Tenor Saxophone) is equally recognized as an outstanding composer and arranger, who received prestigious awards, grants, and commissions from many organisations, including The Tanne Foundation and Chamber Music America. Byars has been on the faculty of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Middle School Jazz Academy and in 2009 was awarded a major grant for an 18 part series bringing jazz and the music of Gigi Gryce/Bashir Assim into New York City Public Schools. He has traveled extensively for the US Department of State and co-directs, with Ari Roland, the Bi-Communal Jazz Futures program for the US Embassy in Cyprus and the American Jazz In Syria for the US Embassy in Syria.
Zaid Nasser (Alto Saxophone) was born and raised in New York, and is the son of jazz and bluesmaster, Jamil Nasser. From an early age, he learned directly from the legends of jazz. At 19, he moved to Memphis, the birthplace of the blues, where he spent two years working with many greats of the art form. Upon his return to New York, he became a featured soloist with Panama Frances’ Savoy Sultans, and worked with the pioneering organist Bill Doggett. His albums have been included on many “top ten” lists of music critics, and he performs regularly in New York. He currently devotes a large portion of his schedule to international touring. Nasser’s father, Jamil has played with BB King, famous bluesman, one of the artists who laid the grounds for jazz music. “I have had the honour of meeting King, but we didn’t meet that often because he hung out in a different circle,” revealed Nasser. “But he remains one of my biggest inspirations, because basically I am a blues man and jazz is nothing but a tribute to the blues in a different language.” Jazz being an urbanized form of blues is what Nasser identifies with, but he does not want to limit himself to any genre. “We are swing, we are be-bop, we are blues, but still I like to not limit my musical styles. Pushing boundaries is the thing, like in the goloden age of jazz.” Some hits of the band include standards like ‘Be My Love’, ‘Junior’s Soul’ and ‘Sophisticated Lady’.
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