Asif Sinan
| Asif Sinan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Asif Sinan |
| Born | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Genres | Indian classical music, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, teacher, writer, singer |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass, vocals, fretless |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Associated acts |
Peter Weniger |
| Website | http://www.asifsinan.com/ |
Asif Sinan (Urdu: آصف سنان) is a Pakistani Indian classical music and jazz guitarist and singer.
Early life
Born in Karachi, Sinan started playing guitar at the age of 13 under the tutelage of Aamir Zaki. He later started playing guitar commercially and in studios. In 2004, he enrolled in National Academy of Performing Arts and did a four-year program in Music, majoring in Guitar and graduated top of his class. His teachers included (martyred/shaheed) Qamar Allahditta and Afaq Adnan[1]
Career
In August 2013, Sinan released his Eastern Classical rendition of Pakistan's National Anthem. His style of using the guitar like a sitar drew him attention from the press.[2] Many international artists from Germany, USA and India have chosen to work with Asif Sinan because of his understanding of both Eastern and Western music. In 2012, he performed at the Goethe Institute, Institute of Business Administration, Muhammad Ali Jinnah University and the US consulate in Karachi. In February–March 2013, Sinan was chosen to be a part of the US State Department's prestigious International Visitors Leadership program (IVLP). He toured USA performing in NY, Memphis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Washington DC and Omaha.
In May 2013, Sinan was invited by the German Government & the Goethe Institute to represent Pakistan at the 4-day 'Deutsches MusikFest' in Chemnitz – an event that draws a crowd of more than 150,000 people each year. In October 2013, Sinan was chosen as one of the 10 global artists as a MOCAFellow – an initiative of the World Islamic Economic Forum. The Forum's annual conference was held in London at the ExCel and was attended by 16 Heads of State as well as Prince Charles. Sinan performed his famous interpretation of Pakistan's National Anthem at the MOCAFest.
Since 2012, Sinan has collaborated with the following artists:[3]
- Ari Roland Jazz Quartet from USA
- Stooges Brass Band from New Orleans
- Jazz Pianist Mike Del Ferro
- Saxophonist Dr. Peter Weniger from Germany
- Jazz band Underkarl from Germany
- The Milwaukee Jazz Conservatory of USA
Style of music
Asif Sinan is notable for blending Indian classical music with jazz. He plays the guitar with an interesting flourish making it sound like a sitar in one moment and easily slide into some jazz notes within the next second while remaining in the same phrasing. Both classical purists and contemporary listeners find his guitar playing unique.[4]
His performances use folk instruments like 'Sindhi banjo', dholak and tabla as well as drums and both electric and acoustic guitars – all of which move effortlessly from Indian raag to Western jazz.
He says about his new genre, "I want to create a bridge between jazz and classical. I have played pure classical music on the guitar in many classical bethaks with the taanpura and tabla. However, I also play the same ragas on guitar in a contemporary style for the younger crowd with drums and bass. It shows that if classical music is made contemporary and played well, people will listen."[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Archived 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "National anthem in a modern way - Newspaper". Dawn.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
- 1 2 "Soundcheck: Asif Sinan gets Jazzical - Newspaper". Dawn.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
- ↑ "Jazz flavoured with Desi spice - Newspaper". Dawn.com. 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2016-07-23.