Sampooran

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Sampooran
Sampooran Album Cover.jpg
Studio album by Mekaal Hasan Band
Released January 8, 2004
(re-released on October 12, 2007 in India)
Recorded 2002-2003 at Digital Fidelity Studio in Lahore, Pakistan
Genre Alternative rock
Jazz fusion
Sufi rock
Length51:58
Label EMI, Sadaf Stereo
Producer Mekaal Hasan
Mekaal Hasan Band chronology
Sampooran
(2004)		 Saptak
(2009)
Singles from Sampooran
  1. "Rabba"
    Released: December 19, 2003
  2. "Sajan"
    Released: May 23, 2004

Sampooran (Urdu: سمپورن, literal English translation: "complete/perfect") is the debut album of the Pakistani rock band Mekaal Hasan Band, released on January 8, 2004. Singles from the album included "Rabba", released in 2003 and "Sajan", released in 2004.

Urdu national language and lingua franca of Pakistan; standardized register of Hindustani

Urdu —or, more precisely, Modern Standard Urdu—is a Persianised standard register of the Hindustani language. It is the official national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. In India, it is one of the 22 official languages recognized in the Constitution of India, having official status in the six states of Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, as well as the national capital territory of Delhi. It is a registered regional language of Nepal.

English language West Germanic language

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and eventually became a global lingua franca. Named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to the area of Great Britain that would later take their name, England, both names ultimately deriving from the Anglia peninsula in the Baltic Sea. It is closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon, and its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Norse, and to a greater extent Latin and French.

Music of Pakistan

The Music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and modern-day Western popular music influences. With these multiple influences, a distinctive Pakistani sound has emerged.

Contents

Concept

The tunes on "Sampooran" were written incorporating traditional material from the eastern classical tradition and adapting these with music which was based on the jazz rock fusion explosion of the seventies. It possesses arguably the finest musical arrangements that have ever been experienced in the country, and the compositions really light up the album. The album starts with the lukewarm “Sajan” whose lyrics have been taken from a kaafi written by Shah Hussain. A moderate mix of acoustic guitars and percussion and some sweet flute playing renders this a really good opening track. “Waris Shah” is next, with its Yanni-isque musical intonations and lyrics inspired from texts by Amrita Preetam. The album seems to be getting into a groove, as the vocals start getting tuned up and the music gets more and more passionate. A classically inspired flute arrangement mixed with soft bass drums and Javed Bashir does total justice with the lyrics. The song has probably lingered on a bit and some pieces seem a bit lengthy, but overall it is the vocals that stand out on “Waris Shah” more than anything else.

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".

Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the early 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, a style which drew heavily on the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, and from country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical styles. Musically, rock has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass, drums, and one or more singers. Usually, rock is song-based music usually with a 4/4 time signature using a verse–chorus form, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political.

“Rabba” is one of the best songs on the album. A Pink Floyd like opening and again, lyrics taken from a Shah Hussain kafi are enough on their own to guarantee a fine number, but that is not all this track is about. This is also the only track on which a Bass touch has been given, and a video for “Rabba” has been included on the CD.

Pink Floyd English rock band

Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history.

“Sanwal” is the part of the album where it is beginning to reach its crescendo and the music is getting more and more intense yet it still sounds brilliant. Mekaal Hassan Band had earlier released this song as a single with Ustaad Riaz Ali Khan leading the vocals to a brilliantly composed number. The lyrics are taken from the poetry of Farhat Abbas Shah. The cunningly conceived rises and falls of this song render it a very intense and captivating melody, and this is also the first track of the album which has Urdu lyrics.

The title track “Sampooran” is more of an instrumental number and features a vast array of creative genius at the mercy of a group of people ready to explore its outer horizons. As the name suggests, it is classically inspired and carries on the momentum built by “Rabba” and “Sanwal”.

“Darbari” is where the band reaches the summit in the album and it sounds absolutely superb. Fabulous musical arrangements and a massive performance by Javed Bashir make this the absolute best track on the album. It captivates you and forces you into a feeling of being in a Mughal Darbaar. The lyrics are in Persian. Yet the intensity is so great that you can't help but go into a trance.

“Ya Ali” is almost like an anti climax after 3 absolutely stunning tracks. It is softer in composition, lighter on instruments, although it has the best guitar arrangement on the album and the tune is associated more with Ustaad Salamat Ali Khan, who as Mekaal admits, inspired this song. The last track on the album is Late Moon, a solo which features lengthy flute and percussion sessions. [1]

Track listing

All music composed by Mekaal Hasan Band.

Sampooran
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sajan" Shah Hussain 7:07
2."Waris Shah" Amrita Preetam 7:26
3."Rabba" Shah Hussain 6:55
4."Sanwal"Farhat Abbas Shah6:31
5."Sampooran" 8:13
6."Darbari" 5:16
7."Ya Ali" 7:22
8."Late Moon"Mekaal Hasan5:37

Personnel

All information is taken from the CD.

Mekaal Hasan Band

Lead guitar is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure. The lead is the featured guitar, which usually plays single-note-based lines or double-stops. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, punk, fusion, some pop, and other music styles, lead guitar lines are usually supported by a second guitarist who plays rhythm guitar, which consists of accompaniment chords and riffs.

Lead vocalist member of a band who sings the main solo vocal portions of a song

The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer either leads the vocal ensemble, or sets against the ensemble as the dominant sound. In vocal group performances, notably in soul and gospel music, and early rock and roll, the lead singer takes the main vocal part, with a chorus provided by other band members as backing vocalists.

Flute musical instrument of the woodwind family

The flute is a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening. According to the instrument classification of Hornbostel–Sachs, flutes are categorized as edge-blown aerophones. A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, flautist, flutist or, less commonly, fluter or flutenist.

Additional musicians
Pete Lockett British musician

Pete Lockett is an English percussionist and recording artist. Lockett is known as a versatile and prolific percussionist, collaborating with many artists. He is well-versed in percussion traditions from music cultures around the world, from traditional Carnatic and Hindustani music of North and South India to traditional Japanese taiko drumming, with a style ranging from blues, funk and rock to classical, folk and ethnic and from Arabic to Electronic. His instruments include tabla, mridangam, kanjira, ghatam, vocal percussion, dholak, naal, bhangra dhol from north and south India; darabuka, req, bendir, frame-drums from the Middle East; congas, bongos, timbales and berimbau from Latin American; as well as the Irish bodhran, Nigerian udu, West African djembe, Japanese taiko, Western drum set, and many custom percussion effects and self-built instruments. He also works extensively with electronics and samplers, both live and in the studio, to create densely alternative percussion fabrics.

Production

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References

  1. ↑ MHB - Sampooran Review, Retrieved on November 6, 2009 Archived October 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine .
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