Hindustani classical to jazz: Pak band rules US charts

ISLAMABAD: A group of ageing musicians from Lahore has pulled off the unlikely feat of racing up jazz charts in the US, thanks to an album of standards and bossa nova classics blended with Hindustani music recorded by a Pakistani philanthropist.

"Sachal Jazz: Interpretations of Jazz Standards & Bossa Nova" features musicians trained in classical Hindustani music who once worked for Lahore's bustling film industry , popularly known as Lollywood.

As the number of Pakistani films dwindled, many musicians hung up their instruments and took up other professions like running tea stalls. Businessman Izzat Majeed and Mushtaq Soofi, the director of Majeed's Sachal Studio, took on the task of tracking down these musicians and putting together an orchestra that could work on projects at their state-of-theart studio built with advice from engineers at London's famed Abbey Road Studios, the home of the Beatles.