Salman Ahmad Launches
Solo “Infiniti” Album
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Salman
Ahmad of the Pakistani Rock Band “Junoon” had
three reasons to be more upbeat than usual during a phone
conversation with this writer on July 1, 2005.
First and foremost, his first solo album “Infiniti”
is out and is now available (only) online.
Second, Junoon had been invited to perform at “Live
8” by Sir Bob Geldof. Live 8 featured some of the most
successful stars in the music business such as U2, Paul McCartney,
Madonna, Pink Floyd and Elton John amongst others. It was
a series of eight concerts around the world organized to make
the leaders of the world’s rich G8 countries aware of
the immediate need to relieve the debt burden on poor African
countries.
And last but not least on July 1, 2005 in Geneva, the United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS appointed Salman as UNAIDS Goodwill
Ambassador. He now has the responsibility of not only Pakistan
but far beyond, for raising awareness about AIDS wherever
he may go.
But first about his new album: From an Omni Muzik Press Release
we learn that “Junooni is the new business entity that
Salman Ahmad, founder and lead guitarist of the Pakistani
Rock Band ‘Junoon’ has established in New York
USA to support his new solo music career. Nameless Records
of NY will officially release the Infiniti Album through Omni
Muzik on July 1 2005 in the United States.
“Salman’s music genius, as demonstrated by Junoon
album sales of over 20 million to South Asians in the past
12 years, needs to inspire wider audiences in the world music
arena,” says Dr. Erfan Ibrahim, founder of Omni Muzik.”
For information on the Infiniti Album or ordering details
please visit www.junoonis.com or contact Omni Muzik at erfan@omnimuzik.com
or tel. (925) 735 -1009. Junooni, which is based in Tappan
NY. can be reached through Samina Ahmad by e mailing at saminadr@gmail.com
. Junooni is a trademark of Junoon Inc. of Tappan NY.
Talking from New York which has become like a second home
for him, Salman was in a talkative mood. He was to leave for
London to join Ali Azmat to participate in Live 8. I asked
him about why he embarked on a solo effort at this time. “This
has been a year of personal growth for Ali and me,”
he said. Asked about this solo effort, he said that “Infiniti”
contained an individualistic element but the general essence
of both East and West was never far away from it. “It
is a reflection of my musical taste,” he added. A taste
that he said has developed over the years with inspiration
from performers like Jimmie Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and of course
the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Infiniti includes a song called ‘Ghoom Tanna’
in which Salman has collaborated with Indian artists Shubha
Mugdal, Naseeruddin Shah and Nandita Das. He also shared his
thoughts on “Yaar Mein Nachoon Gi” from this new
CD which he said paid tributes to the Sufi saints Baba Bulleh
Shah, Shah Hussain and Baba Farid. He said that he loved the
sound of the dhol (drum) played by Pappu Sain and has tried
to incorporate that feeling into this number. “I want
people in the West to appreciate Sufi poetry and Bhangra music,”
he said.
Salman’s most courageous and different track on this
CD is one called “Al Vida” (Goodbye) based on
his meeting with a brave Pakistani woman who is HIV positive
and has already lost her husband to AIDS. “I was so
moved that I wrote a song about it,” he said. Maybe
this is just one more reason why the United Nations has picked
Salman to spread awareness about the disease.
On his other activities Salman continues his attempts to develop
understanding between his culture and the West. His movie
“It’s My Country Too” will be shown at some
college campuses in the United States soon. The movie deals
with the plight of Muslim Americans after 9/11. “There
is no civilization conflict between Islam and the West,”
he said.
His involvement in “Empower Peace,” an effort
which intends to connect high school students in the US with
their counterparts in the Islamic world via live video is
scheduled to begin on September 29, 2005.
There are many challenges in this regard for all of us. Junoon,
through its music and pursuit of humanitarian ideals, was
amongst the first to promote peace between India and Pakistan,
long before it became fashionable. And now for those who live
not a dual but blended life in America the choices have become
even more complex. We the new South Asian (desi) or Muslim
experimenters live with cultural fusion all the time here
in America and can easily relate to Junoon’s musical
synthesis of Rock and Sufi. And with a new experiment here
in “Infiniti” Salman will try to continue to relate
to us the globally “blended” as he embarks on
his solo journey. The next step is obviously obtaining the
CD and to see if he has succeeded.
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