Description
Recorded in Lahore, Pakistan this fusion of jazz with music from the sub-continent has been delighting listeners worldwide and the Sachal Studios Orchestra's version of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" shot to the top of the iTunes Jazz Charts attracting the attention of media everywhere.
In addition to "Take Five", which Brubeck has described as "the most interesting and different version that I've ever heard", 'Sachal Jazz' features interpretations of classic jazz and bossa nova standards including "Desafinado", "The Girl from Ipanema", "Misty" and "Mountain Dance". A year in the making the album's original music was recorded in the historic city of Lahore with some of Pakistan's greatest musicians. In addition to the string section several Indian instruments were used including sitar, sarod, santoor, sarangi, flute, tabla, dholak and ghatam. Additional recording, final mixing and mastering were completed at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London.
Sachal Studios were founded in 2005 to revive the tradition of grand orchestras that had died along with the film industry in Pakistan under General Ziaul-Haq's rule, which cracked down on popular culture for being anti-Islamic. Respected musicians who had been unable to work for years were rescued from obscurity to help studio boss Izzat Majeed achieve his aim of reviving Lahore's musical heartbeat.