Legends of Ghazal
More than just a form of music, ‘Ghazal’ is poetic expression woven around the pain of loss and separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain.
Image Supplied by Legends of Ghazal
For the first time on African soil, the ‘Legends of Ghazal’ – Pankaj Udhas, Anup Jalota and Talat Aziz – will leave the audience spellbound with their not-to-be-missed performance at Emperors Palace on December 3rd, 2017.
Known for their soulful voices and enthralling music, their alluring charm and moving lyrics, these Ghazal maestros, with decades of experience between them, will perform nostalgic renditions of old and new songs made popular over the years.
Ghazal music is a common and popular form of music in India and Pakistan whose roots trace back to classical Arabic poetry. This genre has proven to be capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around its central themes of love, separation, madness and mystical reflection.
Image Supplied by Legends of Ghazal
The velvet-voiced singer, Pankaj Udhas, celebrated 35 years of his career in 2016. During his musical journey, Udhas has seen the music world evolving rapidly. He has seen the ups and downs of the industry and has been pivotal in the glorious era when Ghazals were a part of every music lover’s repertoire. Despite the slump in the music industry, Udhas still continues to scale new heights of success, breaking records and setting new ones and enthralling music lovers with his soulful music and poetry.
“Our music is a rare combination of traditional poetry woven into a unique musical ensemble which will be loved by all ghazal aficionados,” says Pankaj Udhas.
Anup Jalota has matured into a singer par excellence and has become one of the most leading and sought after performers. Known for his versatility, the smiling musician from Lucknow renders bhajan, ghazals, geets and film songs with equal grace and finesse. No wonder that all across the world, his easy charm and mellifluous voice holds his audience in admiration. Over the 30-plus years of his music career, he has released more than 200 ghazal albums.
“People will always love ghazals and we are excited to be bringing our music to the beautiful country of South Africa,” adds Jalota.
There was no doubt that Talat Aziz’s early years played a big role in his musical career. Growing up in a family who loved the fine arts, Talat was always surrounded by famous artists and poets. His first major performance was in front of a crowd of over 5000 people. Talat was the first ghazal artist to release the first ghazal single online in 2016. His soulful voice renders itself beautifully to a ghazal.
“The romantic soulful ghazal embodies unrequited love and expressions of bitter-sweet love. Audiences are guaranteed to have a sense of nostalgia and yearning with our selection of songs,” comments Aziz.
Tickets are available from R150 through Computicket and Emperors Palace Box Office. Legends of Ghazal takes place at the Centre Court at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park.
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Pankaj Udhas:
Born in Gujarat, India, Pankaj Udhas was always attracted to the sound of music. At the young age of eleven, he got his first taste of stardom when he performed in front of a mammoth crowd, winning applause. Subsequently, he joined the Sangeet Natya Academy in Rajkot to learn how to play the table. Udhas went to Mumbai to pursue a Degree in Science and after many struggles he ultimately found his destiny in Ghazals. He started performing in 1976 and has since travelled the world and performed in prestigious venues in front of some of the most renowned people around the globe. He celebrated 35 years in the industry in 2016 and has released more than 50 albums throughout his career. He has lent his voice to several popular songs for Hindi films and has also produced a talent search show for Sony TV. But above his successes, he remains humble and is actively involved in doing charity and social work for the likes of the Cancer Patients Aid Association. In fact, the first copy of one of his bestselling albums, Nabeel, was auctioned and sold for Rs 1 Lakh, which was donated to the CPAA. He has been honoured by several prestigious organisations and associations throughout the world for his outstanding contributions to Ghazals.
Anup Jalota
Anup Jalota, took his first lesson at the age of 7 years old in music from his renowned musical father. Having toured extensively, there is little of the world that is yet to see him in person. Anup Jalota set a world record by receiving more than 100 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum discs and he has recorded more than 200 albums. Today, having performed over 5000 live concerts throughout the world, Anup Jalota - the superstar of devotional music enjoys an awesome global fan following. He has received numerous honourary awards, has sung in 9 languages and has performed at prestigious venues like the Royal Albert Hall and Lincoln Centre.
Talat Aziz
Born in Hyderabad, India, Talat’s mother, Sajida Abid, was a famous Urdu writer and poet. His early years greatly influenced him and he started learning music from an early age. He took his initial musical training from Kirana Gharana. He was trained primarly by Ustad Samad Khan and later by Ustad Fayaz Ahmed, who were both famous classical music singers. His Ghazal training started under the guidance of Mehdi Hassan in 1978. He released his first album shortly after in 1979 and while the first few years were a struggle, he managed to secure some of his ghazals in top-selling films and over the years has shared the stage with some of the most well-known Indian artists. He has composed music for TV series and has also acted in several of them. He has released many albums including a ghazal album with Pankaj Udhas and Anup Jalota.
