Home

 About Us Join Us Records Books Top 10 Articles Productions Operas Events Exhibitions Contact Us
Productions by Virsa Foundation

 

 

  • Crossing borders of perception:
    Reflections on listening to Shahid Parvez
    -Dr. Salman Ansari
    About Ustad Shahid Parvez:

     “The Indian sitarist, Ustad Shahid Parvez, was in Karachi recently for two concerts.
     One concert took place at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs auditorium
    in Karachi last Wednesday, organized
    by the Rauf Ansari Foundation
     (Mr Rauf Ansari was one of the pioneers of
    the All Pakistan Music Conference in Lahore, way back in 1959).

    The Ustad's performance of Rageshri, Des and Bhairveen was out of this world.
    The sitarist lives in Pune, India. He was born in Bombay in 1958. Coming from the illustrious family of
     Ustad Inayat Khan and his brother, Ustad Wahid Khan, Shahid Parvez's mastery over the sitar
    - rightly called the "Queen of Instruments" - is quite natural for it runs in the family.

    His superb command over sur and taal, the intricate use of meendh and kampat,
    the technically perfect barath of the raag,
     endless variations in taan and the delicate execution of zamzama,
    as well as mastery over laye, speak volumes for his hard work and riaz.
                                    - S.M. Shahid, music critic, The Daily Dawn,  Karachi


“Ustad Shahid Parvez is the best Sitar player in the world today.” 
 (The two greats of Sitar, Pundit Ravi Shankar is aged over eighty and Ustad Villayat Khan Sahib, who passed away recently,
both have spoken very highly of Shahid Parvez)
                                                                               –Ashok Chakravati, Leading music critic based in Calcutta.

“Vilayat Khan's principle disciples include his brother Imrat Khan and son Shujaat Khan, Kashinath Mukherjee
(he is the late film-maker Hrishikesh Mukherjee's brother), Kalyani Roy from Kolkata, and Arvind Parekh from Mumbai.

 But the liquid grace and beauty of his style is best represented today by Shahid Parvez,
not a direct disciple but from the same lineage of musicians. 
                                             -  Partho Datta is a musicologist and  a Reader in History, Delhi University. 


 *****************************************
 The Colors of Ecstasy: RUNG 
 Qawwali Music Of Pakistan
 FARID AYAZ QAWWAL ENSEMBLE
 Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohammad
VOL 3
Virsa Records

*****************************************
Sample New CD
 Farid Ayaz Qawwal  Vol. 3
Virsa Records
 Also available the re-released best selling vol.1 & 2.
 Qawwali Music of Pakistan
By: Farid Ayaz Qawwal (Audio CD)
$15 each
Combined Set, Vol 1, 2, 3 - $39
 Buy Now
 

***********************************

 

A Rare Video
Here's a video clip featuring Farid Ayaz Qawwal, with his father,
the late Munshi Raziuddin - A Legendary Grand Master.

 This is the only video of a live performance featuring Munshi Raziuddin.

 It was  shot  in New York, 2000.
              Sample Videos 

Producer Ishrat Ansari for Virsa Pakistan

 ***

 What Is Qawwali Music?
 WNYC - New Sounds

 John Schaefer- Host

 ***
  WNYC RADIO STUDIO 360
Click here to listenhttp://www.wnyc.org/stream/ram.py?file=studio360/studio111001b.ra&start="0:00.0"&end="11:02.7" 

Qawwali - It's a bridge between the human and the divine.
  Ishrat Ansari, owner of Caffe Vivaldi and head of the New York based Pakistani cultural foundation Virsa,
and Robert Browning of the World Music Institute talk about
the transporting sound of the devotional folk music of the Sufi Muslims.
Produced by Jocelyn Gonzales.
  ***

  • "Sufi Passion That Rises to Ecstasy"
    New York Times Music Review
    - Jon Pareles
    Jon Pareles, Chief Music Critic, The New York Times
         ( Writing in the Times about a Farid Ayaz performance)


 

A Rare Video
Here's a video clip featuring
the legendary Grand Master, the late Munshi Raziuddin (center).
Father and leader of Farid Ayaz Qawwal Ensemble.

 This is the only video of a live performance by

Munshi Raziuddin. It was  shot  in New York, 2000.
              Sample Videos 

Producer Ishrat Ansari for Virsa Pakistan 
***
 STUDIO 360
Qawwali 
It's a bridge between the human and the divine.
 Ishrat Ansari, of the Pakistani cultural foundation Virsa, and Robert Browning of the World Music Institute talk about the transporting sound of the devotional folk music of the Sufi Muslims.

    

   Members of Rajaf Quartet
 with Ishrat Ansari, Artistic Director of Rajaf Music Ensembles

 Rajaf Music Ensembles
 Rajaf Music Ensembles aim to bring the folk and classical music of South Asia to the international audience using
 a blend of international musicians and instruments.

Rajaf Music Ensembles established in 1999, by Ishrat Ansari, who is its Producer and Artistic Director, comprises of
Rajaf Quartet
Piano, Sitar, Sax, Tabla
Rajaf Quintet
Voice, Flute, Guitar, Vibraphone,Synthesizer 
Rajaf Chamber Orchestra
Piano, Tabla, Sarangi, Flute, Saxophone, Guitars, Bass, Violins

Rajaf Quintet - 2000
 Arias from folk Opera
" Heer Ranjha"

Daphna Napthali - Soprano
Steve Welsch - Flute
Yusuke Yamamoto - Vibraphone
John Heagle - Guitar
Pete Smith - Synthesizer

The first highly acclaimed performance by Rajaf  was in June 2000, when  Rajaf Quintet  performed arias from the Pakistani folk opera,
Heer Ranjha, at the Listening Room @ Caffe Vivaldi. The arias were sung with mesmerizing effect by
Soprano Daphna Napthali accompanied by flute, vibraphone, guitar and synthesizer.

The occasion was an evening with the departing Consul General and a connoisseur of art,  Abbas Haider Zaidi and his wife Zohra.

 Rajaf Quintet returns this Fall. Work is in progress for another performance of arias from Heer Ranjha in November 2006
This featured artist is Soprano Susan Oetgen.

Rajaf Quartet  - The Background
" I grew up listening to Classical Pianist Wilhelm Kempff, Jazz Pianist Ahmad Jamal, Saxophonist Coltrane  and Sitar Maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan. I do not play any musical instrument professionally, but for years I had played a South Asian Raag "Aiman", on piano, saxophone, sitar and tabla in my mind. It sounded great.

 I searched for years to get the right combination of four New York based committed professional musicians to play this ancient raag composed some 750 years ago by a Sufi saint and composer Ameer Khusro. I think I have got it now.

  Ikhlaq Hussain (Sitar), Anna Dagmar (Piano),  P.Russell Tubbs (Sax) Naren Budhakar (Tabla), with Feroz Khan as stand by tabla player, make up Rajaf Quartet. Sitarist Ikhlaq Hussain is its music director.
 After rehearsing for 7 months, we had our debut on April 15, 2005. It was a sold out event." - Ishrat Ansari

Rajaf Quartet has a busy September schedule  with  performances  on Saturday September 3, 8PM at Pakistan House - 14 East 65th Street (Between Fifth & Madison). The venue houses and elegant old hall with superb great acoustics that accommodates 200.
Another performance in New York, by invitation only is scheduled for Thursday September 15, followed by a performance in Boston on September 24 and back in  New York  by for mid November performance.

Members of Rajaf Quartet:

 Ikhlaq Hussain - Sitar
Ikhlaq Hussain is a hugely talented and creative musician and a virtuoso sitar player. He hails from the centuries old Delhi Gharana. He was taught by his father Ustad Imdad Hussain, an internationally known sitar master and teacher. Settled in the States, he tours extensively and has performed at MIT, Harvard U, Boston TV to name a few.

Ikhlaq is one of the select group of South Asian musicians who have been given a permanent residency status (green card) by INS on the basis of being an outstanding artist of international status.


Anna Dagmar - Piano
Anna Dagmar is a British-born classical and jazz pianist, trained at the Eastman School of Music, and now based in NYC. She has released two albums of original songs and has performed as a soloist in cities including London, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.. Anna has also shared the stage with artists including Kenny Wheeler, Toots Theilemann, Peter Erskine, and Bobby McFerrin and has studied improvisation with Harold Danko, Michael Cain, Wayne Reiss and Bevan Manson. She currently studies voice with Theo Bleckmann. This fall she will be recording a new CD with producer Ben Wittman (Lucy Kaplansky, Patti Larkin, Jonatha Brooke).
She is thrilled to be expanding her musical horizons as a member of the Rajaf Quartet.


Premik Russell Tubbs - Saxophone
A master of woodwinds, Premik has performed with the very best in music both jazz, rock, classical and world music. He has performed with Santana, John McLaughlin, Ravi Shankar and recorded with Whitney Houston. He plays regularly with the highly acclaimed Singer /Songwriter Kristin Hoffmann at Vivaldi and other venues all over the United States.

&nb