I don’t come across to many South Asian classical records. Less so those that reinvent and inject a modern day relevance in the. Fewer still that maintain an enjoyability and emotion that even a novice listener could revel in. ‘This Pale’ belongs in that minutia. The love child of Indian classical legend, composer and sitarist Shujaat Husain Khan and renowned Iranian-American vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi reinvents age old love poems of Rumi. Khan’s sitar work, Goudarzi’s vocals, Shaho Andalibi’s Ney, and Shariq Mustafa’s tabla all move together in seamless understanding. It’s an ensemble for the ages, unexpected but shockingly impactful.
‘This Pale’ is a fresh, multi-cultural, and renewed take on an age old tale. The heralded and revered poems of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a 13th-century Persian mystic bard and Sufi master, have long since been a beacon for tolerance, inclusivity, and of course, love. Khan’s sitar work on this record incorporates his signature playing quality, lending a dimension wherein the instrument takes on a voice of its own. Each track is long, never once forgoing its musicality or timeliness for simplicity. There are moments on every piece where each member of this ensemble is allowed to take centre stage, making it all that more of an eclectic and enjoyable listen.
The record is timely as ever, borne and for an era where tolerance and inclusivity seem to be notions that are fast slipping away from our grasp. To the artists, they saw a way that maybe this notion could be tackled — “In these dark days of stark societal uncertainty and pronounced cultural intolerance, could the illuminating words of the world’s greatest poet and champion of tolerance and love inspire dialogue and spark a constructive collective conversation where pundits and politicians cannot?”
A slew of events, each of worldwide significance, saw this diverse group of friends come together to offer a project that could explore themes that are being eroded. From Trump’s ban on Muslim countries to riots in Charlottesville, each moment and occurrence formed part and parcel of what inspired this piece. But there was also a more unrecognised and personal interaction that drove some songs. The final track on the album, ‘All I’ve Got’, was inspired by a young girl who emailed Goudarzi in adoration of her work. She also confided her favourite of Rumi’s poems, the former of which became the one sung in ‘All I’ve Got’.
If you’re a fan of world music, or classical music, or poetry, or simply the purity and emotion that a work of collaborative art can evocate, this album is bound to move you.