Mekaal Hasan Band - Sampooran's Review

Band: Mekaal Hasan Band
Album: Sampooran
Released by: Sadaf Stereo
Genre/Style: Rock, Instrumental, Classical
Members: Mekaal Hassan (Guitar, composition and all musical arrangements), Javed Bashir (vocals), Sameer Ahmed (bass), M. Ahsan Papu (flutes)
Lyrics/downloads: » Sampooran

Mekaal Hasan Band is more of a mystery on the local scene with the shy Mekaal Hassan himself opting to stay out of the limelight. In fact you would be lucky to see his face even when he’s onstage. But he plays a guitar like no other around. His deep study of music and fondness for grouping together various genres of music together are factors that propel the band forward. Add to it the vocals of Riaz Ali Khan and Muhammad Ahsan, or “Papu”, as he is famously known, on his flute and you have a band that produces masterpieces like “Saanwal”, and enjoy a cult following in the underground music world of Lahore and Karachi. Although the band has faced a change of lineup several times, they have been able to consistently keep their standards high and their music brilliant. Ustaad Riaz Ali Khan led the vocals on their previous tour, he has now been replaced by a qawwal, Javed Bashir; and he leads sampooran's vocals.

A graduate from the prestigious Government College Lahore and Berklee College of Music in Boston, he also owns what Junoon have labeled as the finest recording facility in Pakistan. The idea of putting a line up with a percussion player and a flute player was his too, giving the band a vast and rich corridor to work with. The sweet melodies from Papu’s flute mixed together with Mekaal’s brilliant guitar works give the band a Jethro Tull-ish aura which surely can’t be bad.

Mysterious as they may be, Mekaal Hasan is probably the most critically acclaimed musician Pakistan has produced. So say plenty of well known Western musicians and producers. Pete Lockett, who was on most of Mekaal Hasan’s shows all over Pakistan last year, and is considered to be the finest percussion player in the world, calls him a virtuosi talent and says to “listen out for him”.

... "Sampooran" possesses arguably the finest musical arrangements that have ever been experienced in the country... Jibran Mirza

Their debut album has just recently been released which is undoubtedly a masterpiece. 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 Hussein. 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 Amreeta Pretum. 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 Akhtar 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.

“Raba” is one of the best songs on the album. A Pink Floyd like opening and again, lyrics taken from a Shah Hussein 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 “Raba” has been included on the CD.

“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 and the music video for this song became quite popular on Indus Music. 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.

Mekaal himself did all the composition and arrangement and this album makes him one of the best ever musicians produced in Pakistan. Jibran Mirza

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 “Raba” 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 Akhtar 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 have been inspired by Ustaad Amir Khan (Indore Walay) and are in Persian. Yet the intensity is so great that you cant 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 (and the weakest) track on the album is Late Moon, a solo which features lengthy flute and percussion sessions. By this time listeners are almost exhausted by the brilliance of some of the other tracks and this is more of an easy listening end to the album than anything else. Overall the album is a smashing debut and the credit goes to Mekaal Hasan for gathering such a diverse bunch of people and letting them lose on their instruments and their cultural background, which fused together to create some masterpieces of music. The sound is fresh, the vocals very mature but the thing that stands out on its own is the musical arrangement. Mekaal himself did all the composition and arrangement and this album makes him one of the best ever musicians produced in Pakistan. Let us hope he continues to create such stunning melodic compositions and produces more albums like this.

Review by Jibran Mirza

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