Tehzeeb Foundation, Alliance Française and Goethe Institute are arranging a fusion concert on January 18 (Friday) in the premises of Alliance. The concert will mark the 50th anniversary of the treaty of friendship (The Elysée Treaty) between France and Germany. The German and French Consulates Generals were organising partners for the event and would be sponsored by Total PARCO. The concert would feature four artists, including Abaji from France, Mehmet Ergin from Germany, and Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and Ustad Bashir Khan from Pakistan. Abaji, a French citizen – and Lebanese by origin – he was exposed to a multi-faceted culture of aesthetics and musical legacy in his childhood. Abaji had performed with Pakistani musicians in the past when he came to Karachi to participate in the World Music Day at the Alliance last year, and the listeners were left in a state of trance after listening to his musical delights.
Mehmet Ergin had been recognised for his unique musical style which took his listeners on a musical journey through a world of dreams. He combined ethereal, mystical and rhythmic elements from the oriental, jazz and classical traditionsBy the age of 23, Ergin was already playing with international jazz greats such as Albert Mangelsdorff, Joachim Kühn and Stu Goldberg and was also working as a studio guitarist. This was soon followed by commissions to write music for the German television series titled “Tales from Life”, and producing film scores for “Anam”. His CD “Beyond the Seven Hills” received an Echo nomination for best Jazz release.
Meanwhile, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami was a senior classical vocalist of Pakistan. He inherited the eastern classical tradition of music from Mian Tanras Khan’s Delhi gharana, which he learnt from his uncle Ustad Sardar Khan and late Munshi Raziuddin. He had assimilated his music with Iranian and Arabic influences. He exercised great command in singing Kheyal, tarana, sadra, thumri and dadra genres of eastern classical music with equal ease.
On the other hand, Ustad Bashir Khan was known as one of the maestros of Punjab gharana in the realm of tabla art. He had extensively toured the world to represent Pakistan. He also participated in musical fusion and collaborative projects with many international artists. A recipient of many awards including President’s Pride of Performance Award (Government of Pakistan), Bashir Khan had been teaching at National Academy for Performing Arts (NAPA). The musicians would perform together to produce a rare treat of pure fusion music.