The first item was a flute recital of raag Aheer Bhairon by Mohammad Ahsan, popularly known as Pappoo. The flautist is a member of the Meekal Hasan Band. The next was a flawless performance by saxophonist Rashid Ali Khan who played raag Saraswati of the Kafi scale on this essentially western instrument. Rashid has great command over sur and taal and displayed all the contours of the raag deftly. He was accompanied on the tabla and harmonium by Shabbir Hussain Jhari and Mohammad Idrees, respectively. The raag composition was fixed in Jhaptal and Teentaal. Rashid Khan had been a member of the Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan entourage. He is also an accomplished clarinettist.
Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan who came from Lahore has now become a popular figure with the Karachi music crowd. He presented raags Bageshri and Joge and a Thumri. His rich voice being in the mould of the legendary Ustad Amir Khan, one has always loved his singing, but on this occasion it was a bit disturbing to find him talking repeatedly in the middle of the performance.
It seems even some of our senior artists tend to get carried away at times and embark upon educating the audience, forgetting that good music can touch the heart of even those who do not understand the technicalities of classical music. The other disturbing factor was the accompanying sarangi that could not keep pace with his singing. This lack of coordination can make an otherwise good performance less agreeable to discerning ears.
The most spectacular performance of the evening, however, was the sitar recital of raag Charukeshi by a teenager, Turab Ali, grandson and disciple of Ustad Imdad Hussain. It amply showed what magic single-minded and enthusiastic reaz can do, as also what it means to be blessed with the gift of musical knowledge and proficiency from a kind and erudite teacher. The youngster has travelled miles since I last heard him in 2006.
His execution of all the elements of sitar playing – alap, jore, bilampat, drut and jhala – was a treat for the appreciative audience.
The last performers of the evening were Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (Patiala gharana) and his talented son, Rustam. They presented Rageshri. It is creditable on the part of the ageing Ustad that despite his health condition following the stroke he suffered a few years ago, he can still mesmerize his audience with his voice.
As compared to the previous APMC annual events, this year not only fewer artistes were invited to perform but we also noticed a thinner audience, at least on the first day.
The notice regarding the event in this paper was confusing and members of the APMC were informed about the change of date and venue at the eleventh hour through SMS. Does this indicate a waning enthusiasm for the cause of classical music?