Dialogue Between Europe and South Asia through Music

I had a most enjoyable evening yesterday, attending a jazz concert called Dialogue through Music, held at Karachi’s Arts Council auditorium. Organised by the Goethe-Insitut Karachi, together with various partners, it brought together musicians from different cultural backgrounds.

Two European musicians: the brilliant saxophonist Christof Lauer, from Germany, and the animated percussionist, Patrice Heral, who hails from France. He not only uses his drums but also his voice and electronics, emanating strange sounds from different sources. Two other musicians were the Indian Pundit Ulhas Bapat, who is considered to be a top class santoor player. The instrument, santoor, originated in Kashmir, and all the compositions that were played on it last evening, they sounded soulful… absolutely fantastic. From Pakistan, the young tabla player, Irfan Hyder completed the ‘dialogue’. Hyder has been playing the tabla for the last 15 years and has played with well-known European and Indian musicians.

Music transcends boundaries…and the Dialogue through Music was an ample proof of this. A high level of performance from all the four artists was experienced, with excellent improvisations as well as rehearsed compositions.

In Pakistan, a concert in Lahore had preceded yesterday’s concert in Karachi, and the four musicians will also be playing in Mumbai, India.