Our artists have their wits around.. and aren't as passionate as them.. Bravo JAL!
**"You can only grow where you're planted."
Ace drummer Gumby says that Pakistani musicians need to stop relying on India as the alternate platform
**"The one good thing to come out of the Mumbai attacks," says Gumby, "is that our artistes and musicians will stop relying so heavily on India. They'll realize that they have to grow here before they can grow anywhere else. You can only grow where you're planted and our roots are here.
He added that while the attacks were very unfortunate; the one way they would benefit Pakistan's music industry is by cutting off the lifeline, albeit momentarily.
Gumby, who has made a name for himself in Pakistan as being the country's best drummer, was speaking to Instep Today at a private concert hosted by Nabila and Emu, the Fuzon keyboardist who also joins Gumby in the Kolachi Quartet. The Quartet also comprises guitar maestro Abbas Premjee and bassist Khalid. Together they have configured 'ethnic jazz', introducing a sitar player to the predominantly western genre of music. And reviving heritage and reinventing our own traditional music is exactly what Gumby speaks about when he says that musicians should strengthen their bases here before branching out to India and giving in to the Bollywood bandbaja.
"I really respect musicians like Atif Aslam who had massive following here before he ventured across the border," Gumby says, "and this is the best time to make the industry stronger here rather than have everyone going off to India whenever something goes wrong in Pakistan."
It's a difficult task to take up in times when security is a huge risk but Gumby rightfully pinpoints that our musicians need to focus on establishing their market in Pakistan - by the way which is a huge market indeed - before looking towards India. To be self sufficient and independent is the only way to ensure stability.
The News