Ustad Allah Rakha

Following his 2019, critically acclaimed debut, God Is Not a Terrorist, 49-note scale microtonal vocal master Ustad Saami returns with an epic part two. Pakistan is for the Peaceful presents an even more immersive work, comprised of just three extended tracks and again produced 100% live at the master’s rooftop home in Karachi by Grammy-winner, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Zomba Prison Project, The Good Ones) with musical accompaniment provided by Ustad’s four sons.

Abdul Karim Khan’s familial musical lineage is thought to have extended back to the end of the 16th century to Dhondu Nayak, a Hindu musician who was active in Gwalior and to a family of Sufi qawwali devotional singers and sarangi players who began as folk musicians and refined their music over generations. He was born Nov. 11, 1872, the eldest of four siblings to a Sunni family in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh. For at least 250 years, through a complex network of familial relations, Abdul Karim Khan’s family handed down the technology of music, from elder to younger, one note at a time.

Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar was an exponent of Dagar vani Dhrupad of Indian classical music. He represented the 19th generation of Dagar Tradition. Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar was known not only for the power and spontaneity of his alaap, but also for his rich repertoire of compositions, some of which are believed to date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. It is the quality of music which has taken him to many countries like the United States, France, Germany and Italy for performances before select audiences. His recordings have been released in Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

For the last 15 years, Allah-Las have alchemically melded surf rock washes with folk rock jangle and rock, building up their lauded music podcast, Reverberation Radio, and record label, Calico Discos, in the process. But a lot has changed since Matthew Correia (drums/vocals), Spencer Dunham (bass, guitar, vocals), Miles Michaud (guitar, organ, vocals), and Pedrum Siadatian (guitar, synth, vocals) first bonded over psych rock vinyl in the back room at Amoeba Records in the late aughts.

A Masterpiece and a Must-have! A double album Collaboration Between the Two Great Masters of Indian Instrumental Music, Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, was a Rare Occurrance and this Recording was Made at their Memorable Concert at the Philharmonic Hall, New York on October 8th, 1972. The Strict Rules and Intricacies Governing Indian Classical Music Pose Difficulties for an Improvising Musican, However These Two Geniuses Manage to Conjure Up Phrases to Tantalize One Another, to Coax Certain Responses, to Challenge and Query, Each Time with a Result More Fantastic Than Before. Truly a Meeting of the Souls.

"If you get confused, listen to the music play", counsels Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia on Blues for Allah. Surely, better advice has never been given. The band's only release during a self-imposed hiatus that lasted nearly 20 months, and the effort that witnessed the welcome return of percussionist Mickey Hart, the 1975 album marks the rebirth of a signature naturalism, spiritualism, and energy that had begun to fray because of ceaseless touring and financial pressures. And as experienced on this audiophile-caliber reissue, such inspired élan and elevated performance facets - embraced literally and figuratively on Bob Weir's hallmark "The Music Never Stopped" anthem - achieve transcendent heights.

Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar are known as Dagar Brothers Junior as they are the two youngest of the four sons of the great Dhrupadiya Nasiruddin Dagar, the eldest two being Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar, well known as the famous Dagar Brothers.

Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar are known as Dagar Brothers Junior as they are the two youngest of the four sons of the great Dhrupadiya Nasiruddin Dagar, the eldest two being Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar, well known as the famous Dagar Brothers.

Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad Faiyazuddin Dagar are known as Dagar Brothers Junior as they are the two youngest of the four sons of the great Dhrupadiya Nasiruddin Dagar, the eldest two being Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar, well known as the famous Dagar Brothers.

In our latest chapter of Spiritual Jazz, we return to the source – the Impulse! label, and the monumental influence of its most prominent artist, John Coltrane.