Ragamuffins: Baraka Moon and "Raga Bayragi"

Raga Bayragi - with Baraka Moon from Ken Adams on Vimeo.


Today's randomtune is a fusion of Indian raga and Sufi trance music. Raga Bayragi is by Baraka Moon, a Pakistani, Indian, Australian, American band which fuses the above with didgeridoo, global drums and guitar to create music that transcends boundaries. Legend has it that they were founded on the night of a full moon eclipse in 2008. Raga Bayragi can be found on their 2011 CD Baraka Moon.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://www.barakamoon.com/home.html

Can You Twirl To It: The Mekaal Hasan Band and "Megh"

Pakistani group the Mekaal Hasan Band is on tap today with their song Megh. From Lahore, Pakistan the Mekaal Hasan Band is known as a Sufi rock band with musicians that have backgrounds in pop, rock and soul. The band was founded by composer, singer-songwriter and guitarist Mekaal Hasan, who was influenced early by his father's jazz albums and eventually studied at the Berklee School of Music. They have released three albums, the last of which was 2014's Andholan on which you'll find Megh. The lineup of the band is notable because it features musicians from Pakistan and India, traditional enemies.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekaal_Hasan_Band; http://mekaalhasanband.com/

Pulling All-Nighters: Zeb & Haniya with "Chup"

The random tune for today comes from Pakistani female duo Zeb and Haniya. Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam are cousins who began writing music together when studying at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in the US. Zeb began singing at age 8 and studied under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. They began crafting music in the basement of Zeb's dorm between 2000 and 2003 with a rough version of today's song, Chup. After an enthusiastic response from their college community, they recorded a version of Chup and another song titled Yaad. The songs spread on the internet and made it to Pakistan's radio airwaves. They released their debut album Chup! in 2008 and following the album's success began to do live performances. Zeb and Haniya have been hailed as one of the first, if not the first, all female band in Pakistan. They sing mostly in Urdu, and their songs, though often with a pop feel, draw on Pashto and Dari folk traditions and the music of artists such as Suzanne Vega, Turkish artist Barış Manço and Muddy Waters. Chup is from their album Chup! (2010). This version is from their Coke Studio Sessions live show in Pakistan.

Maybe the Dawn: Zeb & Haniya with "Ahaan"

Our random song today is by Zeb and Haniya, a female Pakistani duo and cousins who began writing music together when studying at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in the US. Zeb began singing at age 8 and studied under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. They began crafting music in the basement of Zeb's dorm between 2000 and 2003 with a rough version of a song called Chup. After an enthusiastic response from their college community, they recorded a version of Chup and another song titled Yaad. The songs spread on the internet and made it to Pakistan's radio airwaves. They released their debut album Chup! in 2008 and following the album's success began to do live performances. Zeb and Haniya have been hailed as one of the first, if not the first, all female band in Pakistan. They sing mostly in Urdu, and their songs, though often with a pop feel, draw on Pashto and Dari folk traditions and the music of artists such as Suzanne Vega, Turkish artist Barış Manço and Muddy Waters. This song, Ahaan, is from their debut album Chup! (2010).

Who's That?: Baraka Moon and "Allah Hoo"

Take a little Indian raga and add a generous helping of Sufi trance music and you have our random tune today. Allah Hoo is by Baraka Moon, a Pakistani, Indian, Australian, American band which fuses the music listed above with a dash of didgeridoo, global drums and guitar to create music that transcends boundaries. Legend has it that they were founded on the night of a full moon eclipse in 2008. Allah Hoo can be found on their 2011 CD Baraka Moon.

Musician Cousins: Zeb & Haniya and "Seh Na Sakay"

Zeb and Haniya, a female Pakistani duo, bring us the random tune for today. Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam are cousins who began writing music together when studying at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in the US. Zeb began singing at age 8 and studied under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. They began crafting music in the basement of Zeb's dorm between 2000 and 2003 with a rough version of a song called Chup. After an enthusiastic response from their college community, they recorded a version of Chup and another song titled Yaad. The songs spread on the internet and made it to Pakistan's radio airwaves. They released their debut album Chup! in 2008 and following the album's success began to do live performances. Zeb and Haniya have been hailed as one of the first, if not the first, all female band in Pakistan. They sing mostly in Urdu, and their songs, though often with a pop feel, draw on Pashto and Dari folk traditions and the music of artists such as Suzanne Vega, Turkish artist Barış Manço and Muddy Waters. Today's song, Seh Na Sakay, is from their debut album Chup! (2010).

Pop Pakistan: Zeb and Haniya with "Kahaan"

The random tune for today comes from Pakistani female duo Zeb and Haniya. Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam are cousins who began writing music together when studying at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in the US. Zeb began singing at age 8 and studied under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. They began crafting music in the basement of Zeb's dorm between 2000 and 2003 with a rough version of a song called Chup. After an enthusiastic response from their college community, they recorded a version of Chup and another song titled Yaad. The songs spread on the internet and made it to Pakistan's radio airwaves. They released their debut album Chup! in 2008 and following the album's success began to do live performances. Zeb and Haniya have been hailed as one of the first, if not the first, all female band in Pakistan. They sing mostly in Urdu, and their songs, though often with a pop feel, draw on Pashto and Dari folk traditions and the music of artists such as Suzanne Vega, Turkish artist Barış Manço and Muddy Waters. Today's song, Kahaan, is from their debut album Chup! (2010).

Rockin' Pakistan: Zeb and Haniya with "Chup"

The random tune for your Saturday comes from Pakistani female duo Zeb and Haniya. Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam are cousins who began writing music together when studying at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in the US. Zeb began singing at age 8 and studied under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. They began crafting music in the basement of Zeb's dorm between 2000 and 2003 with a rough version of today's song, Chup. After an enthusiastic response from their college community, they recorded a version of Chup and another song titled Yaad. The songs spread on the internet and made it to Pakistan's radio airwaves. They released their debut album Chup! in 2008 and following the album's success began to do live performances. Zeb and Haniya have been hailed as one of the first, if not the first, all female band in Pakistan. They sing mostly in Urdu, and their songs, though often with a pop feel, draw on Pashto and Dari folk traditions and the music of artists such as Suzanne Vega, Turkish artist Barış Manço and Muddy Waters. Chup is from their album Chup! (2010). This version is from their Coke Studio Sessions live show in Pakistan.

Bucking the Forces of Oppression: Zeb & Haniya with "Rona Chor Diya"

One of the great things about co-hosting a global music show is the hope it gives me.  Especially in the present, while I write this blog, I read about the forces of repression and oppression overrunning areas of the world locked in turmoil.  Recently, a woman was stoned to death for adultery in Syria by forces belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  A few months ago, hundreds of girls were captured at a school in northern Nigeria, and while some have escaped, the leader of the group that captured them has threatened to sell them into slavery.  International sex trafficking has risen to unprecedented levels.  It seems as if everywhere I look, advances and gains that humanity has made over the past 50 years, especially women, is under assault by those who would roll back the clock to times just this side of barbarity.

And then, when I am at a low ebb, I come across Zeb & Haniya in my music collection.  I had seen them in concert a couple of years ago and purchased a CD from them (which unfortunately didn't work when I got it home) and we've played them a few times on our show.  Pakistan is not the hub of the most enlightened thinking in the world at times, particularly with the Taliban still controlling a lot of areas of the country.  Yet Pakistan once, and still in many areas, was a country where women made many gains under more secular rule.  To see two Pakistani women who, it is true, were allowed the space to develop their musical talents in the United States while in college but who, at the same time, have become popular for their talent in Pakistan and have pledged to bring happiness to Pakistan through their music in a time of extremism strikes me as extremely brave.

Zeb & Haniya's music doesn't fit one description, covering alternative, folk, blues and easy listening. Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam are cousins who began writing music together when studying at Smith College and Mt. Holyoke College in the US. Zeb has sang from age 8 and studied under Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Haniya is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. They began crafting music in the basement of Zeb's dorm between 2000 and 2003 with a rough version of their song, Chup. After an enthusiastic response from their college community, they recorded a version and another song titled Yaad. The songs spread on the internet and made it to Pakistan's radio airwaves. They released their debut album Chup! in 2008 and following the album's success began to do live performances. They have been hailed as one of the first, if not the first, all female band in Pakistan.  They sing mostly in Urdu, and their songs, though often with a pop feel, draw on Pashto and Dari folk traditions and artists such as Suzanne Vega, Turkish artist Barış Manço and Muddy Waters. Rona Chor Diya is from their album Chup! (2010). This version is from their Coke Studio Sessions show in Pakistan and features Javed Bashir as guest artist.