Guldasta by Jaffar Hussain Randhawa

Guldasta, meaning bouquet, is the debut solo release of Pakistan's senior most Clarinetist, Ustad Jaffar Hussain Randhawa. It was recorded live, on the rooftop of his house in Shahdara, on a foggy winter afternoon, as he sat with his favourite accompanists under the Alam. He titled the album Guldasta because he imagines at as a bouqet of flowers, mixing up various raags and styles, each flower with its own distinct fragrance.

Artist Bio:

Jaffar Hussain is Pakistan’s most senior and accomplished Clarinet maestro. He is amongst a handful of people in all of South Asia, carrying on the now rare tradition of playing Hindustani Classical music on the Clarinet, a western instrument not typically heard in performances of Raags and Thumris. Born in to a brass band family, his grandfather founded the Punjab Band in the mid 20th century, and his father continued leading the band, making his name in a time of fierce competition amongst brass bands in Punjab such as the famous Babu Band and the Sohni Band. He himself learnt from Ustad Sohni Khan and was heavily influenced by the great Ustad Sadiq Ali Mando, one of the most well known classical Clarinet players in the sub-continent. What sets Jaffar Hussain apart are his masterful performances of classical forms like Raag, Thumri, and Kafi on the Clarinet, on which he manages to reproduce the melodic ornamentations that are central to this music and simultaneously display a creative rigour with his approach to rhythm (laya) and layakaari (rhythmic interplay).

Labours of Love by Servants of Sound / Independent Record Label Rooted in Pakistan

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