Talib Trio - Roohdari

Aap ka number hai? by Talib Trio is out now on Bandcamp: honiunhoni.ban...
About the track:
Probably the most experimental and out there track on the record, it begins with Talib performing a free improvisation on the Electric Bulbul, whilst using a ball point pen as a striker, the way a Santoor is played. This was a style of playing taught to him by his teacher, the Benju stalwart, Ustad Ghulam Muhammad aka Ghulamu. This track includes the most free form improvisations on the record, and Talib explains that they all came straight from the heart!
About the album:
Aap ka number hai? Is this your number? This phrase coined by Talib can be interpreted in various ways. It's Talib's pet phrase, and as is typical in Karachi style dialogues, it will either be said to you in a friendly manner, or swung right at you.
The album features Talib playing two experimental instruments, the Fretted Tambooro (his own invention), and the Electric Bulbul. The tunes are original compositions by Talib, reinterpretations of Sindhi and Balochi pieces, and two popular Pushto songs, all played from a heart that understands the melancholia of Karachi's immigrant labourers and the bittersweet sentiments of its kaleidoscopic communities.
Who is Muhammad Talib?
Muhammad Talib is a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, and educator from Karachi. He hails from one of the most important musical families of Sindh, his uncle was the great Ustad Muhammad Juman. Talib inherited the Damburo (long necked lute) from his father, who also played the Surinda (bowed lute). Later he studied more deeply and also learnt Benju from Ghulam Mohammad aka Ghulamu, arguably the greatest exponent of the Sindhi Benju style, before learning composition from the renowned film composer Niaz Ahmed.
It was Ghulamu who planted the seed in Talib's mind, that his Damburo didn't need to limit itself to the usual rhythmic accompaniment. By adding frets, he could approach the instrument in a completely new way, playing both melodies and chords on on what was an instrument designed to only play a rhythmic drone.
Growing up in the urban thickness of Karachi, he learnt and absorbed various adjacent styles like Classical, Pushto, and Balochi, whilst dedicated his life to reinventing his Damburo, which now speaks the many tongues and dialects of Karachi.
released March 22, 2024
Credits:
Muhammad Talib - Fretted Tambooro
Muhammad Khan - Dholak
Shahid Ali - Harmonium
Produced by Daniyal Ahmed
Assistant Producer: Zubair Fida
Recorded by Nizar Lalani and Daniyal Ahmed
Mixed and Mastered by Nizar Lalani
Assistant Sound Engineer: Muneer Khan
Film by Daniyal Yousaf and Daniyal Ahmed
Edit by Daniyal Yousaf (Shararat Films)
Special Thanks to Noor Ali Kanjee, Muhammad Saifullah, Khadim Hussain, and everyone from Clifton Court Apartments, Karachi.
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