Casablanca

 You must remember this

A kiss is just a kiss

A sigh is just a sigh

The fundamental things apply

As time goes by

And when two lovers woo

They still say "I love you"

On that you can rely

No matter what the future brings

As time goes by

Moonlight and love songs

Never out of date

Hearts full of passion

Jealousy and hate

Woman needs man, and man must have his mate

That no one can deny

It's still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do or die

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by

Moonlight and love songs

Never out of date

Hearts full of passion

Jealousy and hate

Woman needs man, and man must have his mate

That no one can deny

It's still the same old story

A fight for love and glory

A case of do or die

The world will always welcome lovers

As time goes by

On Bouncing Back

 

Ustad Zakir Hussain

 Ustad Zakir Hussain son of another Legend Ustad Allah Rakha

Power of Songs

Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells. I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history. 

~ Pete Seeger

Bo Giyam

I usually don't get time to get indulge in TV entertainment. I still have a long list of movies/serials to watch. Two days ago, I received this local Hunzaii (Burushaski) folk song played at Coke Studio. It is an interesting song (translation at sub-titles) done with some fusion of Urdu poetry. The music and voice of this young kid (Kashif Din) are awesome. What blew my mind is poetry. The concept is that many times a human desires or think of something with all his heart, but in life, many times things run parallel and a human has to live with it. Although the concept is sad when you hear the song you feel like accepting this fact of life with a smile. This is the whole beauty of the song. Within two days, it has almost a half-million hits on youtube.

Link: https://youtu.be/ttHCTsUJklo

Annapurna Devi and Haridas

The following excerpt is from a relatively long article send to me as a forward. The article itself deals with the life of a remarkable lady, Annapurna Devi. She was the wife of legendary Ravi Shankar. The famous Indian movie, "Abhimaan", was made on the relationship of Ravi Shankar and Annapurna Devi. You must read that article as it will make you gasp at many places.

Click at Annapurna Devi and her music of silence ( https://bit.ly/2zlHWbn )

But in a context, there was a beautiful mention of Akbar, Tansen and his teacher Haridas.

"..I had always likened Annapurna to Mian Tansen, the legendary 16th-century musician in Emperor Akbar’s court, who could start fires and create rainstorms with his ragas. (In fact, the Maihar gharana traces its teachings back 400 years directly to Tansen, so in some sense she is musically a direct descendant of Tansen.) But after hearing this story, I began to think differently.

Legend has it that one day in court, after yet another soul-satisfying musical performance from Tansen, Emperor Akbar declared there could be no voice more divine than Tansen’s. The singer humbly replied that if the Emperor could hear his teacher, a hermit called Haridas, his own poor efforts would be forgotten. The Emperor wanted to immediately summon Haridas to court but Tansen cautioned him that it was not possible – his teacher did not sing on demand, only when he felt inspired.

Intrigued, the Emperor, with Tansen, set off for the forest in Vrindavan where Haridas lived in a hut. When they arrived, it was early morning, and the teacher was deep in meditation. Akbar hid in the bushes while Tansen prostrated himself before his guru and began singing a sacred hymn his guru had taught him. The teacher, still deep in meditation, did not open in his eyes. Then Tansen, as planned, deliberately sang a note offkey. His guru immediately opened his eyes and corrected him. Tansen begged him to remind him of the correct notes. So the guru lifted his voice and rendered the same hymn so magnificently that Akbar fell into ecstasy. It was only then that Tansen revealed to him that the guest hiding in the bushes was the Emperor of India. When they returned to the capital, a bewildered Akbar told Tansen he had been right: his teacher was beyond anything he had heard before, but one thing puzzled him — how could there be such a vast difference when both had sung the same song, and hit the same notes, flawlessly. It is said that Tansen replied: ‘The cause is simple — I sing to please the king, he sings only to please God.’

Idris Muhammad's Jazz

Though I prefer to stay away from noisy clubs, restaurants and eatery places but if you are in New Orleans, you can't get away without paying homage to French Quarters!

I have been there few times but last time when I was there, it was a weekday. It was relatively quiet and we found a nice restaurant to enjoy seafood. Music in the background was mesmerizing. I asked our waiter and he said: "This is from son of the New Orleans, Idis Muhammad and this is his famous tune Loran's dance" (here). After that I heard his various compositions and loved it softly running on side as I do my mundane errands at home. I am not even a verified listener but I believe what distinguish his jazz composition is the simultaneous feeling of softness, vitality, happiness and beats synchronized with heart.

Out of all Loran's dance stayed my favorite, probably because on that day, at that given moment in restaurant it came to me more as a divine revelation, and I learned how a nice composition can drive human emotions.

One thing is evident as I read more on his life that he was in search of truth and followed the voice of his conscience and alike many African Americans who questioned the injustice of society. Few converted to Islam including Mohammad Ali Clay, during civil rights time in USA. Softness of his jazz along with vitality of tunes tell me that he was a deep person, not a superficial instrument player. He played his soul out in music.

Famous Blue Raincoat

Read or hear below lyrics of the following song: "Famous Blue Raincoat" 

It's a letter from one man to another man in a love triangle. I pondered for a while. It is actually a thank you letter from a man to another man as he took care of the dilemma of a woman (his wife) who loved 2 men at a time! A unique angle of a lover's triangle. 

It's four in the morning, the end of December

I'm writing you now just to see if you're better

New York is cold, but I like where I'm living

There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert

You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair

She said that you gave it to her, That night that you planned to go clear

Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you, you looked so much older

Your famous blue raincoat, was torn at the shoulder

You'd been to the station to meet every train,

and You came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life

And when she came back she was nobody's wife

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth

One more thin gypsy thief  Well, I see Jane's awake

She sends her regards

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer, What can I possibly say?

I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you, I'm glad you stood in my way

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me

Well, your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes

I thought it was there for good so I never tried

 And Jane came by with a lock of your hair

She said that you gave it to her, That night that you planned to go clear

Sincerely, L Cohen

sare aa'ina mera aks hai!

One of my favorite ghazal of Salim Kausar. I posted it earlier (here , here ). Now found on youtube, sung beautifully by none other than Master Nusrat Fateh Ali

 

Kiya tamasha hai! Kabse jaari hai?

At times, life can be a real bitch.... but still its so lovely!
What a beautiful gem in Sajjad Ali's 'pakka' voice.

Saath kaati hai? ya guzari hai?

Lambi Judai - Reshma

I love flute in this song. What a classic of Reshma!

Tute zamaane tere haat nigore

jin se dilon ke tu ne sheeshe tore


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-PiLICADb0

Ali Haider

This blog is about how people reacts differently to events of life. Its about human relationships and stories from everyday life. It was little shocking when I came to know that Ali Haider (whose songs purani jeans, khushi aai bare din baad etc were my favorites) - has quit music and became a maulvi!

I think it was all his psychological reaction to one distressing event of life but should I be judgemental? 

Ajeeb apni ye zindagi hai!

I am putting this song on this blog as it coincides with theme of this blog. It is sung by a relatively new artist from Karachi named Javeria (for a TV serial I guess) but I think poetry, music and her voice impressed me (and its not easy to impress me!)

Ajeeb apni ye zindagi hai -
sameto jitna, bikhar rahi hai
hum aik pal ko bhi jee na paye
(aur) ye lamha lamha guzar rahi hai

Dil to bachha hai ji

If you like good quality movies - don't miss "Ishqiya" of Naseeruddin Shah, Vidiya Balan and Arshad Warsi (all my 3 favorites are together). Lyrics are from Gulzar. I loved 2 songs from that movie - one "Ibne Batuta - bagal main juta". Listen this other song "Dil to bachha hai" (sung by a Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan)

Meray dard ko jo zabaN milay

Faiz sahab ki khubsurat nazam - sorry for the loose translation 

Mera dard naghma-e-be sada

Meri zaat zarra-e-benishaN

Meray dard ko jo zabaN milay

Mujhe apna nam-o-nishaN mile

Meri zaat ko jo nishan mile

Mujhe raz-e-nazm-e-jahan mile

Jo mujhe ye raz-e-nihaN mile

Meri khamoshi ko bayaN mile

Mujhe kainat ki sarwarii

Mujhe dolat-e-do jahaN mile

My sorrow is a song of no voice 

My self is a grain of no sign (but)

if my sorrow finds a cry 

I find my (own) self

And if I find any sign of myself

I find secret of core of cosmos (and) 

if I find that open secret 

My silence finds (its) narration 

I get kingship of universe 

I find treasure of both worlds

Listen Nayyara Noor singing it here

Teenage nostalgia

In 1981, Lata Mangeshkar sung a song. That was the same time when we start having teenage rebellion against society, culture, values, dictators etc. but simultaneously were carefree about everything and not to mention pubertal attraction to other gender.

This song was an instant hit among youngsters and became a milestone song in Bollywood history. What a nostalgia

Tujh se naraz nahi Zindagi hairan hun main

Awesome Pakistani singer 'Amanat' sang one of my favorite songs, written by great Gulzar ji and originally sung by Anup Ghoshal.

Tujh se naraz nahi Zindagi hairan hun main 

Tere masoom sawalon se pareshan hun main

 

Tell me why !

Song from Declan Galbraith

In my dreams children sing
A song of love for every boy and girl
The sky is blue the fields are green
And laughter is the language of the world
Then I wake and all I see is a world full of people in need
Tell me why, does it have to be like this
Tell me why, is there something I have missed
Tell me why, I don't understand
When somebody needs somebody
We don't give a helping hand
Tell me why
Every day I ask myself what I have to do to be a man
Do I have to stand and fight
To prove to everybody who I am
Is that what my life is for
To waste in a world full of war
Tell me why, does it have to be like this
Tell me why, is there something I have missed
Tell me why, I don't understand
When somebody needs somebody We don't give a helping hand
Tell me why
Tell me why
Tell me why
Just tell me why
Why why, do the tiders run
Why why, do we shoot the gun
Why why, do we never learn
Can someone tell us why we cannot just be freinds
Why Why

Sexiest dance ever!

If you ask me to identify the sexiest song ever made in Bollywood - I will say the following one - Who else other than Madhuri!

(I remember we roommates watched this song at least 100 times in a week when it was released, and it was pretty warming in Chicago's cold)

meri palkon ko mut dekho

Aaj Pakistan, bulke mera Pakistan - jin halat main hai - Mustafa Zaidi ki ye nazam bohut yaad aa rahi hai. Yun lugta hai mustafa Zaidi ne mere dil ka haal likha hai.
Tina Sani also sung it so well , listen here


meri palkon ko mut dekho
inka uthna inka jhapkna
jism ka na-mehsus samar hai

meri aankhon ko mut dekho
inki aut main shame gareeban
inki aar main dashte azal hai

mere chehre ko mut dekho
is main koi wade farda
is main koi aaj na kul hai

ab us darya tuk mut aao
ji ki lehrain ruth chuki hain
us kunwain se lo na lagao
jis ki nabzain chut chuki hain

ab mere qatil ko chaho
mera qatil marham mrham
darya darya sahil sahil

qaziye shahr ka matha chumo
jis ke qalam main zahre hilahil
jis ke sukhan main lahle salasil
ab us raqs ki dhun pe nacho
ji ki gat per lut gaya qazi
jis ki ley per bik gaya qatil

bik gaya qatil
bik gaya qatil

meri aankhon ko mut dekho