A Sense of Doubt blog post #2561 - Arooj Aftab: Musical Monday for 2202.21

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2561 - Arooj Aftab: Musical Monday for 2202.21

First live music in over two years!!!

My wife and I went to the Old Church in Portland (TOC) to see Arooj Aftab Saturday night, WAY PAST OUR BED TIME.

I had trouble staying awake.

And though I do not usually complain about not being able to breathe in masks -- because that's stupid -- the KN95 mask I was wearing was making my face so hot and making it much harder to stay awake.

I glanced at my 2020 calendar and saw no live music on the books for the first two months of the year before we started staying home, sheltering in place, avoiding the pandemic.

In fact, it may have been some time in 2019 that we last set foot in a venue for live music.

AND IT WAS GLORIOUS AND AMAZING.

So, this:

Arooj Aftab’s liminal sound floats between classical minimalism and new age, Sufi devotional poetry and electronic trance, jazz structures and states of pure being. NPR praised her single “Lullaby” as one of the “Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+”; the New York Times called her “Island No. 2” one of the “25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018”; and—if that’s not enough—Barack Obama just added Aftab to his 2021 Summer Playlist.

On Vulture Prince, the composer’s remarkable voice, backed by a team of renowned musicians, transports listeners to worlds once known. “Vulture Prince is about revisiting places I’ve called mine, places that don’t necessarily exist anymore,” Aftab says. “It’s about people, friendships, relationships—some relationships that were unexpectedly short term, and how to deal with that.” While composing Vulture Prince, Aftab lost her younger brother, Maher, and she dedicates this album to his memory—a signal of her gradual emergence from loss and grief.

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/18/988483619/arooj-aftabs-newest-album-finds-light-in-dark-times

#nprmusic #tinydesk #aroojaftab

Arooj Aftab: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Dec 8, 2021

NPR Music

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space.

Tom Huizenga | December 8, 2021

If you've been feeling a little overwhelmed with the world lately, you're not alone. Arooj Aftab is right there with you. The Brooklyn-based Pakistani musician transforms her worries into tranquil music. "The way things have been unfolding, it's just madness," she told NPR recently. The songs she offers here, at a decrepit, yet generously resonant convent in Brooklyn, sound like an antidote for stressful times. Aftab's melodies float delicately and meander amid a chamber ensemble that includes Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, classical guitarist Gyan Riley (yes, Terry Riley's son), violinist Darian Donovan Thomas and Shahzad Ismaily on bass and synth. And then there's Aftab's voice, smoky yet smooth, caressing words in the Urdu language.

Aftab inherited her native South Asian musical roots and then replanted them on U.S. soil, studying jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While her interests in music are broad – ambient, minimalism, reggae – her style is distinctively her own. "After all these years, those things have all come together and are holding hands, a statement to someone who has roots in multiple places," she told NPR.

These songs are from Vulture Prince, which landed in the top 10 of NPR Music's best albums of 2021. "Suroor," with its propulsive groove, speaks of the intoxicating nature of love ("It has made me a drunk, you being the drink"), while "Mohabbat," as its polar opposite, features Aftab's elastic embellishments, lamenting over lost love. "Saans Lo" is solemn, like a prayer. "Breathe," Aftab sings, "gather the scattered pieces of your heart." This is surely one of the most beautifully rendered Tiny Desk performances.

SET LIST

"Suroor"

"Mohabbat"

"Saans Lo"

MUSICIANS

Arooj Aftab: vocals

Darian Donovan Thomas: violin

Shahzad Ismaily: bass, synth

Gyan Riley: guitar

Maeve Gilchrist: harp

CREDITS

Video: Sofian J. Khan / Capital K Pictures, Jessie Mailings, Isioma Chukwuani

Audio: Joshua Valleau

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Bob Boilen

Video Producer: Maia Stern

Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin

Tiny Production Team: Bobby Carter, Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis

Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins

Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #aroojaftab

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/arooj-aftab-tells-us-about-the-music-she-listened-to-in-college/

Arooj Aftab - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

Oct 8, 2021

KEXP

http://KEXP.ORG presents Arooj Aftab performing live in the KEXP gathering space. Recorded  September 24, 2021.

Songs:

Baghon Main

Suroor

Diya Hai

Mohabbat

Host: Cheryl Waters

Audio Engineers: Julian Martlew & Kevin Suggs

Mastering Engineer: Matt Ogaz

Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Scott Holpainen & Kendall Rock

Editor: Jim Beckmann

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3157850/meet-arooj-aftab-pakistans-first-female-grammy-nominee

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2202.21 - 10:10

- Days ago = 2425 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.