"Sell out warning! Life-affirming Balochi folk that can’t fail to stir something inside any member of the human race. At 79, Ustad’s fairytale rise to the global stage isn’t quite as remarkable as the first benju note you hear ringing through his junkshop amp. A dizzying melange of sound from classical raag to zahirook, Persia to Kurdistan, birdsong to Bollywood - an unmissable musical experience that transcends time and space."
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A gig held at The Jam Jar on Friday 31st July. The event starts at 20:30.
At 80 years old, Ustad Noor Bakhsh’s story is an interesting one. From an extremely remote village near Pasni, Balochistan, he is a master of the Balochi Benju (a keyed Zither), which he has played since he was a child. Noor Bakhsh is well known as a legendary instrumentalist throughout the Makran Coast, but only became more widely known in the last five or so years.
After seeing a mobile phone video clip of Ustad playing, Musician and ethnomusicologist, Daniyal Ahmed traveled 1000km from his home in Karachi to find him. Daniyal’s recent recordings of Ustad went viral on social media and his global touring career began shortly afterwards.
The Benju looks something like a crudely electrified zither operated by typewriter-like buttons. Its existence began as a Japanese children’s toy called a taishōkoto before it was adopted by Balochi musicians and made into the refined folk instrument that it is today.
Ustad plays an electric Benju, creating his unique sound through an old pickup and small Phillips amp he bought from a Karachi junk shop two decades ago. He carries forward the legacy of his teachers and inspirations such as Bilawal Belgium and Misri Khan Jamali but his own music is influenced by various traditions and musical forms far beyond Balochistan. His virtuosic playing is deeply rooted in Balochi musical forms and enriched by his knowledge of South Asian Raags, which he also renders in his own, experimental style.
The Jam Jar Presents
Ustad Noor Bakhsh
+ Support
Friday 31st July
Doors Open 8pm
The Jam Jar, Bristol
His repertoire includes ancient Persian and Kurdish tunes from before the modern borders of Iran and Pakistan were put in place and Balochistan divided as a result. In one of his recent recording sessions, he even played an Arabic Ghazal.
He also renders popular and folk tunes in all the major languages spoken across Pakistan and even plays popular Bollywood tunes. Other than this diverse repertoire, he has several original compositions, including one inspired by the bird songs heard in the mountains around his village.
His debut album, 'Jingul‘, was released digitally in September 2022, and came out on vinyl via the UK’s Hive Mind Records on September 15, 2023.
Entry requirements: 18+
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