The Underrated and the Lesser Heard…

It happens with ever singer and with each music album…a few songs associated with them often become so popular that they end up being synonymous with them and their success. But in the process there are some genuinely good ones that often get ignored or sidelined.

This is an attempt to bring to the fore some of Shafqat Amanat Ali’s songs, which in my opinion, deserve more of the limelight.

Sublime Devotion

"Ram Rai Hohe Baid Banwari"- A beautiful shabad by Bhagat Bhikanji reiterates my belief that the Bhakti  the Devotional genre is what Shafqat was born to sing. This was for an album in 2008 for which Jagjit Singh composed the music.

Riveting, Ramchand Pakistani

This award winning film, released in 2008, is a poignant tale of the inadvertent crossing over of a Pakistani man and his son into the Indian side of the border. The film was an Indo- Pak collaboration in more ways than one. The music of the film was given by the known Indian composer Debjyoti Mishra who got Shafqat to sing 2 songs for the film.The songs are penned by the famous Pakistani writer and poet Anwar Maqsood..

The songs also feature another favorite of mine Shubha Mudgal.

The first- “Phir wohi Raastey” conveys so beautifully the pain a child who is away from his home

“Kya Meri Muntzar Hai Ki Aaun Kabhi,

 Wo Mere Saath Udhti Patangein Meri,

Mere Haathon Ko Choomein Gi Aakar Kabhi”

Do they await, do they expect me to return…

Those kites that flew as high as my dreams…

Will I be able to feel them in my hands, ever again

And then you have “Allah Megh de” – yet another take on the very memorable folk song that has enthralled us in different forms

If there were any two voices that matched perfectly in terms of their power, their ability to be in sync with the emotions of the words that they sing, and their grip over the technicalities of the art of singing it has to be these two. Sheer bliss and joy… Can, but just pray that they come together to collaborate once again, very soon

Punjabi Pleasure

Punjabi music is often equated with loud, boisterous, crazy… And if I tell you that there are songs in Punjabi that are sweet and sentimental and slow…you would probably dismiss me disbelievingly.  Well then, you must listen to some of the songs Shafqat Amanat Ali has sung in Punjabi.

An album called Studio Amritsar composed by Gaurav Issar was released apparently in the 2004 and featured artists like Richa Sharma, Labh Janjua, Shahid Malliya and of course Shafqat.

Tere bagair Sajna… talks of the pain of separation, the life without the beloved

“Akhiyan ch ne udeekan, lab te sawaal hai.. In the eyes lies the wait on my lips the question…”

“Assa ho gayen ne leeraN.. Jeena Muhaal hai”- Without you I am in tatters, It is so hard to live on

Aa do Kadiyan…is the invitation to sit down and share a few heart to heart moments….

“Main Honwa, tu Hove,Te saada rab”- Let there just be you, me and Our God!

Listen to it here

Lang Aaja - Is a very popular traditional Punjabi folk song and Shafqat’s version features in an album on Indian Wedding songs by Music today..This is the only male version of the song that I have heard- slow paced that allows you to linger over and enjoy the words and the melody and he leaves his stamp of classical singing in this one, too. My other favorite version is by Surinder Kaur.

The Coke Studio Cheer!

Shafqat has featured in both the Pakistani and Indian editions of the highly acclaimed music show, Coke Studio. In the season 1 of the Indian Coke Studio besides some of his hits he sang a brand new number composed by Leslie Lewis called Tere Bin Dil Laage na is a happy kind of  song… in quite a different zone than the sad, Sufi, soulful territory that Shafqat commonly treads

Scaling New heights

"Paakida"  is from the album Arrk by Music Today which was labeled as a "Sufi Rock" collection and  featured artists like Zubeen Garg, Javed Ali and Chitra among others. This very high pitched, high energy number showcases Shafqat's powerful vocals and is guaranteed to get the spirits soaring to new highs of musical ecstasy

Twice over?

Tu Hi Tu is a song that was first heard in Zubeen Garg’s debut album, Zindagi that was released in 2007.  This song by Shafqat was later added onto the song list of Tabeer, his first solo album after his breakup with the Fuzon band. An interesting video was also produced for the song. But what I like most about the song is the very contemperory, modern feel of the song reflected both in the compostion and the lyrics…

Blissful Bollywood

Kaarvan comes, surprisingly, from the house of Sajid-Wajid. It is a track from a film called Hello and apparently was never used on screen. The film also didn't too well and the song, too sadly, never saw the success it deserved.

“Par To Lage Hain, Udte Nahi Hain

Jab Kuch Nahi Hai, Kyun Saji Hain Roshni

Shola Jaga Diya, Dekar Hawaa...

Aisa Jahaan Tera, Ab Bata De Tu Bata De Khuda...”

Beautiful words, written by Jalees Sherwani and at the cost of repeating myself- when a voice like Shafqat’s complains to God, He would have no choice but to listen!

Poore se zara se kam is a beautiful track from Mausam. This one is called the Band Mix did not appear in the released soundtrack. Even though I love the version by Rashid Khan used on screen but this version is excellent, too

And more

Each of the 3 albums by Shafqat has some songs which have connected and stayed with the listeners in a big way- Khamaj, Aankon ke Saagar, Khedeyan de naal, Darbari, Akhiyan have been massive hits. But each of the 3 albums also has some gems which deserved to be talked about and listened to more often…

Naina from Tabeer has to be one of the sweetest romantic numbers I have ever heard. Madhbanti from Saagar is The song for a lonely night, the composition of Naukar Tere, from Kyun Dooriyan is based on a folk, wedding song and the words are so simple, yet so profound, and Kaaga ja in Pahaari from the same album is soulful.

But it is an unplugged version of the last one that makes me fall in love again and again with the powerful voice that doesn't really need any musical instruments as props!

Jingle Bells, Soap Bubbles & Other Such... (III)

Keeping the Music Alive..

This one talks about the songs Shafqat has sung as a tribute to various artists- musicians and composers

"The only thing better than singing is more singing" ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Noor Jehan

In a radio interview an RJ asked Shafqat Amanat Ali, "Who is the one female singer in Pakistan that you would choose to sing a duet with?" "Madam Noor Jehan," was his instant reply. The legendary singer, who enthralled generations in the sub-continent with her sweet and melodious voice, the one who was aptly conferred the title of "Mallika - e- Tarannum" is the pride not just of Pakistan but of music lovers across the subcontinent.

Here is Shafqat paying her a tribute by singing one of her songs. This was when he was a part of the Fuzon band

And this is the original by the legend herself 

The closest thing that can help one to imagine how Shafqat would have sounded if he sang with Noor Jehan  would be  this duet of hers for a Pakistani film which she sang with  Shafqat’s father, the great Ustad Amanat Ali.

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Ustad Amanat Ali Khan/ Asad Amanat Ali

 

Shafqat maintains that one of the greatest inspirations for his music is his own father who enjoyed a great amount of popularity and respect among the music lovers in the 60’s. Not only was he an accomplished classical vocalist, he is also ranked among the finest Ghazal singers of all times.

Shafqat recalled a very interesting anecdote related to his father in a TV interview recently. In the 60’s there was a particularly bad year in Pakistan where the monsoons had been much delayed causing a lot of woe, especially to the farmers. The great Ustad, a firm believer in the power of music, suggested to one of his radio producers that they should compose a prayer to God requesting him to end the plight. Legend has it, that as the song was being aired on the radio, the first drops of the monsoon actually began to fall…

Here’s Shafqat singing the same song

He sings one of his father’s ghazal  here and also pays tribute to his brother Asad Amanat Ali, another star of the family.

Hothon pe kabhi unke mera naam bhi aaye- is one of the most popular ghazals rendered by Ustad Amanat Ali and one of my favorites. And Kisi aur gham mein itni khalish e niha nahi hai would probably make it to the top 3 of my all-time favorite ghazals

Here are the original renditions by the maestros

Both the brothers have paid a tribute of their father by singing one of his songs together.

The original

You can see that both the brothers have inherited their father’s singing traits. While Asad has more of the khanak, the joyful tinkle in the voice and the ability to play with the notes, Shafqat has inherited the calmness, the sukoon, the ease, as well as the ability to explore and pursue the notes to their ultimate height or depth!

Read about and hear Shafqat’s rendition of Asad Amanat Ali’s famous Punjabi song Umra Langiaan- in this blog post 

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Mehdi Hassan

"He had a very mellow and melodious voice with an immense command on diction at the same time. You don’t need anything else to make an outstanding singer,"- Shafqat Amanat Ali about the Mehdi Hassan after the passing away of the Ghazal King

Here's Shafqat singing his "Zindagi mein to sabhi pyaar kiya kartein hain"

And Mehdi Hassan’s live rendition 

And here he sings a Mehdi Hassan song composed by the great composer Sohail Rana

The original

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Sohail Rana is also the composer of the very popular Aaj Jaane Ki zid na karo- read more about Shafqat’s rendition of the song as a tribute to the composer here

Jagjit Singh

One of the most popular Ghazal singers, ever, whom we lost not so long ago… and when the industry joined hands to pay him a tribute , Shafqat Amanat Ali was there, too, with this ghazal of his

The original

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Bollywood retro

And when I hear Shafqat sing..

Lata Mangeshkar ‘s Allah tero naam

Hemant Kumar’s Ye Nayan dare dare

Rafi’s Ajhun na aaye balma & Din dhal jaaye

Kishore’s tere bina zindagi se koi ( towards the end of  this video) 

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/244220/wish-i-had-sung-tere-bina-zindagi-se-koi-shafqat.html

And above all  Saigal's (unfortunately only on a TV promo, and thus very briefly)  main kya jaanu kya jadoo hai
(for  a show on Geo TV- if someone has a video of it please do share)

I start thinking that Shafqat should formally sing some of the golden classics from Bollywood for an album. I even have a wish list…

• Kasme wade pyar wafa  by Manna Dey
• Koi sagar dil ko and Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare by Rafi
• Wo sham kuch ajeeb thi by Kishore
• Sajnwa bairi ho gaye and Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye by Mukesh…and the list could go on and on…

As they say... if wishes were horses... :)