The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 16 Feb 2013 02:35 AM PST Ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas reminds the masses that he is a giant in his field of music. The great ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas, hailing from India, has such an engaging dulcet voice that you just can't help but be riveted to the spot while you absorb his sublime mood-setting music. Time and again, he has mesmerised concert halls worldwide. Even if you are not much of a ghazal fan, the experience of seeing the ghazal master in action was enough to make you a believer in no time. Pankaj's live performance at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) last Sunday was like a breath of fresh air. It was far away from the showbiz-centric concerts here. No fireworks and cheesy dance moves. This was a true artiste on stage – a man tied to his music tradition and a show driven by the purity of his voice. Pankaj was a joy to experience live as he sang for nearly three hours during the Pankaj Udhas 2013, Live In Malaysia concert (organised by Hitman Solutions Sdn Bhd). It was a rare treat indeed to have the 61-year-old ghazal guru come all the way here; more than 1,000 fans flocked the swank venue. The last time he played in Kuala Lumpur was more than 15 years ago. Never mind if you didn't understand a word of Urdu, Pankaj's music spoke a universal language. His magical voice was particularly engaging, sending fans reeling back to the time of the movie Ghayal in 1989 where the hit song Mahiya Teri Kasam was made popular. To bring a casual air to the evening, there were even wolf whistles from the crowd when evergreen tunes like Thodi Thodi Piya Karo, Zaalim Yeh Kya Nikaali Raffarm, Niklo Na Benaqab Zamana Kharab Hai and his best-loved hit, Chitthi Aayee Hai, from the movie Naam, were sung. Pankaj needed no introduction to his fans. They knew his songbook by heart. For them, he is the King of Ghazal, a renowned playback singer, who hailed from Jetpur and is the youngest of three brothers who are all into ghazal music. He began music lessons from the age of five and had his first stage performance at 11 during the Sino-Indian War. Pankaj has hundreds of ghazal songs to his credit and has sung for Bollywood films. On record, he is one of the greatest ghazal singers around, in the same league with (the late) Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Talat Mahmood and Begum Akhtar. According to a recent Google Search Trends poll, the late Jagjit Singh was people's first choice – both in India and abroad, when it came to songs, lyrics, and mp3s of ghazals. Pankaj takes the second place in his online popularity in India. When you get Pankaj to showcase a concert, he gives you nothing less than an immensely entertaining performance backed by his prolific musicians on tabla, violin, flute and santoor-guitar. Pankaj also showcased his skills in playing the harmonium, the perfect instrument to take us along with his sweet vocals. On stage, he didn't dilute any of his ghazal songs and delivered all the 18 songs as you hear them on his albums. The result was an unforgettable musical journey with such beautiful renditions of Chandi Jaisa Rang, Ek Taraf Uska Ghar, Sabko Maloom Hai Main Sharabi Nahin and Ghungroo Toot Gaye in the second half of the show. The ghazal concert marathon came to an end at almost midnight and for some hardcore fans, the three-hour show was just not enough. "I wish I could hear those dulcet tones live again," said a female fan in her 60s, who was left awestruck. You can't blame her. Pankaj had given his fans a night to cherish. True, ghazal is a niche market genre, but it was obvious at this Pankaj concert that ghazal has not lost its shine. |
| Record sales double for Grammy performers, young and old Posted: 15 Feb 2013 05:30 PM PST LOS ANGELES: Grammy performers did not go home with just trophies last weekend. Winning bands like indie-pop trio FUN. and British folk band Mumford & Sons saw sales of their singles and albums more than double after appearing on the music industry honors show. Sales figures released on Friday by Nielsen showed a 182 percent increase in sales of FUN.'s hit single "We Are Young" following their Song of the Year and Best New Artist Grammy victories on Sunday. Album of the Year winner's Mumford & Sons saw sales of its "I Will Wait" single shoot up 116 percent, while Australian artist Gotye's "Making Mirrors" album from 2011 increased 124 percent from the week before the annual music telecast. Rising R&B star Frank Ocean, who took home two Grammys, saw sales of his album "Channel Orange" climb 140 percent. The numbers mostly reflect a single night of sales increases from the prior week, predominantly digital downloads, immediately following the Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles on February 10. Sales figures for the full week will be released as usual by Nielsen SoundScan on Wednesday and will include both digital and physical album sales. Grammy winners were not the only ones to benefit from the annual music industry showcase. Veteran rockers The Band saw its greatest hits package climb 203 percent after a multi-artist tribute at the show to late drummer Levon Helm. Sales of "Take Five," the distinctive 1959 tune by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck who died in December, shot up 248 percent after a tribute by fellow jazz musicians Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Kenny Garrett, according to Nielsen. The Grammys also proved a boost for the blossoming career of 26 year-old southern California artist Miguel. After performing his single "Adorn" on the show, sales rose 229 percent compared with the week prior. Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, Gotye and The Band record on labels owned by Universal Music Group |
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