New Sounds

#4998, Cross-Cultural Music From Pakistan, India, and the Punjab

Episode Summary

Hear music from what was once the Punjab province in Pakistan and the Punjab state in India, and by musicians from throughout the diaspora, including many New Yorkers. Junun is a musical collaboration between India-based Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, a group of Indian musicians called The Rajasthan Express, and composer (and Radiohead’s guitarist) Jonny Greenwood. The music is in the ecstatic Sufi music style known as qawwali (made famous by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), and it's devotional music—sometimes in Urdu, Hebrew, and Hindi, and is built on a percussion-dense and brass enriched groove with everything to love. Hear tracks from the record (and film by Paul Thomas Anderson) called Junun (which means “the madness of love.”) Then, from Queens-based trumpeter and vocalist Sonny Singh (of Red Baraat), and the master of the Afghan rabab Qais Essar, hear the song “Lal Meri Pat,” which is one of many names for a song that goes back centuries and praises the 13th century Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. “This song has become a standard in the qawwali tradition, the ecstatic music of the Pakistani Sufis; many Westerners will know it as “Mustt Mustt” or “Mast Qalandar,” recorded in the 1990s by the legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan”, (Schaefer). Also, listen to music from the late great Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in collaboration with Canadian ambient musician, guitarist and producer Michael Brook. Plus, Southern Italian dance band Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino joins forces with New York bhangra band Red Baraat for the raucous “Pizzica Bhangra”. And more. - Caryn Havlik Program #4998, Cross-Cultural Music From Pakistan, India, and the Punjab (First aired 4/18/2025) ARTIST: Junun: Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, & Rajasthan ExpressWORK: Hu [1:37]RECORDING: JununSOURCE: Nonesuch 552641INFO: nonesuch.com ARTIST: Qais Essar & Sonny SinghWORK: Lal Meri Pat (Mast Qalander) [5:38]RECORDING: SANGATSOURCE: Ghost SongsINFO: https://sonnysingh.bandcamp.com/track/lal-meri-pat ARTIST: Hamza Akram Qawwal and BrothersWORK: Khudi [4:35]RECORDING: KhudiSOURCE: Silent Roar ProductionsINFO: Available at YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud ARTIST: Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and Red BaraatWORK: Pizzica Bhangra [2:47]RECORDING: MeridianaSOURCE:  Ponderosa MusicINFO: Available at AppleMusic, Amazon.com, Spotify, YouTube ARTIST: Les Miserables Brass BandWORK: Jhanibar Di Panwan Chankar(Jhanjhar Di Pawan Chankar) [4:04]RECORDING: Manic TraditionsSOURCE: Northeastern RecordsINFO: Available at AppleMusic,\Spotify, YouTube Music, and via Discogs ARTIST: Junun: Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, & Rajasthan ExpressWORK: Hu [7:49]RECORDING: JununSOURCE: Nonesuch 552641INFO: nonesuch.com ARTIST: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael BrookWORK: Sweet Pain [6:27]RECORDING: Night SongSOURCE: Real World INFO: https://realworldrecords.com/ ARTIST: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael BrookWORK: Night Song [4:47]RECORDING: Night SongSOURCE: Real World INFO: https://realworldrecords.com/ ARTIST: Junun: Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, & Rajasthan ExpressWORK: Kalandar [6:49]RECORDING: JununSOURCE: Nonesuch 552641INFO: nonesuch.com  

Episode Notes

Hear music from what was once the Punjab province in Pakistan and the Punjab state in India, and by musicians from throughout the diaspora, including many New Yorkers.

Junun is a musical collaboration between India-based Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, a group of Indian musicians called The Rajasthan Express, and composer (and Radiohead’s guitarist) Jonny Greenwood. The music is in the ecstatic Sufi music style known as qawwali (made famous by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), and it's devotional music—sometimes in Urdu, Hebrew, and Hindi, and is built on a percussion-dense and brass enriched groove with everything to love. Hear tracks from the record (and film by Paul Thomas Anderson) called Junun (which means “the madness of love.”)

Then, from Queens-based trumpeter and vocalist Sonny Singh (of Red Baraat), and the master of the Afghan rabab Qais Essar, hear the song “Lal Meri Pat,” which is one of many names for a song that goes back centuries and praises the 13th century Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. “This song has become a standard in the qawwali tradition, the ecstatic music of the Pakistani Sufis; many Westerners will know it as “Mustt Mustt” or “Mast Qalandar,” recorded in the 1990s by the legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan”, (Schaefer). Also, listen to music from the late great Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in collaboration with Canadian ambient musician, guitarist and producer Michael Brook. Plus, Southern Italian dance band Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino joins forces with New York bhangra band Red Baraat for the raucous “Pizzica Bhangra”. And more. - Caryn Havlik

Program #4998, Cross-Cultural Music From Pakistan, India, and the Punjab (First aired 4/18/2025)

ARTIST: Junun: Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, & Rajasthan ExpressWORK: Hu [1:37]RECORDING: JununSOURCE: Nonesuch 552641INFO: nonesuch.com

ARTIST: Qais Essar & Sonny SinghWORK: Lal Meri Pat (Mast Qalander) [5:38]RECORDING: SANGATSOURCE: Ghost SongsINFO: https://sonnysingh.bandcamp.com/track/lal-meri-pat

ARTIST: Hamza Akram Qawwal and BrothersWORK: Khudi [4:35]RECORDING: KhudiSOURCE: Silent Roar ProductionsINFO: Available at YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud

ARTIST: Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and Red BaraatWORK: Pizzica Bhangra [2:47]RECORDING: MeridianaSOURCE:  Ponderosa MusicINFO: Available at AppleMusic, Amazon.com, Spotify, YouTube

ARTIST: Les Miserables Brass BandWORK: Jhanibar Di Panwan Chankar(Jhanjhar Di Pawan Chankar) [4:04]RECORDING: Manic TraditionsSOURCE: Northeastern RecordsINFO: Available at AppleMusic,\Spotify, YouTube Music, and via Discogs

ARTIST: Junun: Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, & Rajasthan ExpressWORK: Hu [7:49]RECORDING: JununSOURCE: Nonesuch 552641INFO: nonesuch.com

ARTIST: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael BrookWORK: Sweet Pain [6:27]RECORDING: Night SongSOURCE: Real World INFO: https://realworldrecords.com/

ARTIST: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael BrookWORK: Night Song [4:47]RECORDING: Night SongSOURCE: Real World INFO: https://realworldrecords.com/

ARTIST: Junun: Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, & Rajasthan ExpressWORK: Kalandar [6:49]RECORDING: JununSOURCE: Nonesuch 552641INFO: nonesuch.com