Mekaal Hasan

Mekaal Hasan

Mekaal Hasan (born 1 December 1972) is a leading Pakistani musician and record producer from Lahore. He has worked in the capacity of a guest artist and/or record producer in the music industry of Pakistan with many Pakistani bands and solo artists at home and abroad. He is also the leader and composer for Mekaal Hasan Band.

Life and career

Mekaal Hasan was born in Lahore, Pakistan. His parents are Masood Hasan, a well-known and widely read writer/columnist and also an advertising professional who runs Publicis Pakistan, and Prof. Ira Hasan, a renowned and one of the most sought-after teachers of English literature.

Mekaal Hasan was surrounded by music from childhood. His father's passion for jazz influenced him throughout his early years. After graduating from Government College, Lahore, Mekaal studied music at the Berklee College of Music, Boston. His stay exposed him to a wide variety of music and musicians, many of whom are influences to this day.

He returned to Pakistan in 1995, before he could complete his degree at Berklee , Mekaal set up a state of the art recording facility, Digital Fidelity Studios where many of the top artists of Pakistan record. Mekaal formed The Mekaal Hasan Band towards the end of 2000 and the Sampooran record features his long standing writing partnership with keyboardist Javed Akhtar. Apart from leading MHB, Mekaal also played bass as a guest artist for one of South Asia's leading rock bands Junoon for a period of a year from 2005 to 2006.

Mekaal Hasan is also known for his production, record engineering and mixing talents and has produced/engineered the biggest names in Pakistan's music scene as well as engineering for jazz artists from The UK and Europe.

History

In March 2001, Mekaal collaborated with world renowned percussionist, Pete Lockett in a series of concerts countrywide featuring music written for Pete and classical artists by Mekaal. Pete Lockett has been featured on tour and on records by Peter Gabriel, Björk, Robert Plant, Simply Red, Afro-Celt Sound System and many others as well as on Hollywood movies such as the two James Bond movies, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, as well as The Bone Collector and City of Angels. The music played in these concerts was a unique experience for all as this was the first time in the history of performances in Pakistan, that material written by a Pakistani musician for foreign artists was used. Following the artistic and public acclaim that the music received, Mekaal decided to continue writing music which would feature different classical and experimental artists who could contribute to the progressive and bold nature of the music that MHB plays - which is a fusion between the melodic sensibility of the East and the harmonic sophistication of the West. 'Sampooran' features the artistry of artists from Pakistan and abroad, with stunning performances by the UK's Pete Lockett on drums and multipercussion along with bass sensation Michael Mondesir. Pakistan's own drum legend, Gumby, makes his mark as guest artist on the opening four tracks on the record. With fellow bandmates Asad Abbas on vocals, Mohd. Ahsan Papu on flute and Amir Azhar on bass ,as well as featuring a host of Pakistan's singing and instrumental talents, The Mekaal Hasan Band is continuing to explore this exciting blend of East and West, in a series of live performances that are drawing appreciative fans in large numbers.

Mekaal Hasan Band

Mekaal Hasan formed his band in 1999. Initially the band played all instrumental music featuring Mekaal's instrumental record 'Square One'. After a tour with Pete Lockett in 2001, the band morphed into an Eastern Classical based outfit with rock and jazz arrangements and featuring vocals and traditional instruments. They released their debut album 'Sampooran' in 2004 and 'Saptak' in 2010 on EMI and both recordings can also be found online by going to www.cdbaby.com

Mekaal Hasan Band

Current members:

• Mekaal Hasan - Guitars, Composition
• Mohammad Ahsan Papu - Flute
• Asad Abbas - Vocals
• Amir Azhar - Bass

Sampooran and its concept

The tunes on Sampooran were written incorporating traditional material from the eastern classical tradition and adapting these with music which was based on the jazz rock fusion explosion of the seventies. To this end, the album features two Shah Hussain Kaafi's, Raba and Sajan , two traditional classical ragas, Ya Ali, associated with Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and composed for the most part, in Raag Verag Todi, along with Raag Darbari (Yaray Mun Biya Biya), which is most closely associated with Ustad Amir Ali Khan Sahib of Indore. The great poetess Amrita Pretum, is paid a loving tribute by a unique rendition of Waris Shah (set in Raag Mehg. Actual composition and structure of the song Raba composed by Javed Akhtar, who has also been a co-writer with Mekaal for a long time and composer of the title track sampooran), Raag Charokashi, is featured in two tracks, namely the instrumental Late Moon and the tune Sanwal, which features lyrics by Farhat Abbass Shah. Finally, the title track, Sampooran is written in Raag Aiman, and incorporates the progressive nature of this band by moving through a few time signatures and themes before resolving to its main melody which each soloist uses as a cue for the start and end of his solo.

MHB live, MHB videos and personnel

The band has toured extensively since the launch of their album "Sampooran" including an extremely well received tour of India. Mekaal Hasan's compositions and feel for the guitar has constantly earned critical praise and recognition. Initially the public's response was underwhelming but that has changed with the release of MHB's new single 'Jhok Ranjhan' which is the 1st single from the band's eagerly awaited upcoming second album titled 'Andholan'. In a fledgling music scene such as Pakistan's, the public has found it hard to understand the artistry of a Jazz-Fusion (although Mekaal Hasan refers to it as "world music") album such as Sampooran. The songs themselves are classic poetry pieces set to Mekaal's compositions, and as such are lacking the catchy beats and simple lyrics that are the hallmark of Pakistani-pop. However, the songs have a haunting beauty, immaculate composition and structure, and address topics that are both diverse and thought-provoking. The Video for "Rabba" was a social commentary on a scale rarely found in Pakistani videos. Having garnered a cult following, the band finds itself breaking into the mainstream with the success of 'Jhok Ranjhan' which spent over 4 weeks at the number 1 slot on the national charts.

All the musicians on the Mekaal Hasan Band are accomplished musicians in their own right, having played for various artists over the years, honing their craft. Artists such as Pakistan's leading drummer, Gumby, are often found playing with Mekaal Hasan, and the regular members have their own independent solo careers as well. Mekaal's own playing skills and his instrumental record 'Square One' was impressive enough to get the attention of jazz legend Billy Cobham who flew down to Lahore, Pakistan, in 2000 to co produce and play on 'Square One'. From 1997-2000 Mekaal was in touch with many of the UK's leading musicians such as Mike Mondesir, Mark Mondesir, Zoe Rahman, and Pete Lockett and a 2001 British Council tour which featured Mekaal writing for Pete Locekett's South Indian drumming and percussion saw the inception of Mekaal Hasan Band. Aside from the increasing popularity and accptance of MHB into the mainstreamand , Mekaal is an in demand record producer and engineer as well, handling production duties for Ali Azmat (former Junoon lead singer), nOORI, Jal, Ep, Zeb and Haniya, Rubberband and a host of solo artist and bands. In between all this, Mekaal also collaborated with vsiting artists from around the world and has played with artists such as Mike Del Ferro and CoCo York. MHB's latest record, 'Saptak' has been accompanied by their most popular video to date by the name of 'Chal Bulleya'and the record features hit songs like 'Jhok Ranjhan' and 'Andholan', which have long been the band's best known live tracks.

In early February 2010, Javed Bashir, who had been the lead singer for the band since its inception, left the band and was replaced by Asad Abbas. Abbas was the winner of the first Pakistan Sangeet Icon contest.

Mekaal Hasan Band live videos

• Raba Live at Govt. College Lahore, Pakistan 17th March,2007
• Sajan Live at Govt. College Lahore, Pakistan 17th March,2007

Discography

Albums

• Sampooran (2004)
• Saptak (2010)

Live sessions

1. Dreamscape (live)

Awards and nominations

The 1st Jazz IM Awards 2004

• Nominated for Best Alternative Track for 'Raba'
• Bandbaja's Best Guitar Solo for 2004 award to Mekaal Hasan for 'Raba'

The 2nd Jazz IM Awards 2005

• Won Award for Best Alternative Track for 'Sajan'
• Nominated for the Best Album for 'Sampooran'

Lux Style Awards 2005

• Won Award for Best Live Act
• Nominated for Best Album 'Sampooran'

The 3rd Jazz IM Awards 2006

• Won Award for Best Alternative Track for 'Jhok Ranjhan'
• Won Award for Best Composition of the Year for 'Jhok Ranjhan'

The Musik Awards 2006

• Won Award for Best Live Act of 2006
• Nominated for Best Rock Song, Most Wanted Band, Most Wanted Song

The following members and session musicians from MHB were nominated for:

1. Best Guitarist, Best Bassist: Mekaal Hasan
2. Best Keyboardist: Farhan Albert
3. Best Drummer: J.L.Pinto

Lux Style Awards 2006

Nominated for Best Live Act

• The Musik Awards 2007
• Won Award for Best Live Act of 2007

The following members and session musicians from MHB were nominated for:

1. Best Guitarist, Best Bassist: Mekaal Hasan
2. Best Keyboardist: Farhan Albert
3. Best Drummer: Louis J. Pinto

Lux Style Awards 2007

• Won Award for Best Live Act

Lux Style Awards 2008

• Nominated for Best Live Act

Persondata
Name	Hasan, Mekaal
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 December 1972
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death