INSTEP Magzine

Ali Zafar's G-string jam session united Atif Aslam and Gohar Mumtaz,
Noori, Zeb and Haniya among many others. Instep gives you the lowdown…
"Atif and I are friends."– Gohar Mumtaz (Jal)

After years of rivalry, Atif Aslam and Gohar Mumtaz have buried the hatchet. The two singers who broke off after just one song and went on to pursue separate careers, finally united at the infamous jam session.
"Ali Zafar invited both of us to come and perform and we both did just that. There was no confrontation. At the Lux Style Awards after party, I had gone up to Atif and had said that we should let things be in the past and he was of the same view. So at the jam session, we sang, we played and it was a lot of fun," explained Gohar Mumtaz.
"We sang 'Dil Harey', 'Aadat', 'Lamhey' and Ali Noor came and sang and we just sang everything. It was great. Infact I've told Ali that he should do this regularly. The time is now to get together and show a united front."

"I saw this jam as a Pakistani music industry union" - Atif Aslam

"Ali Zafar is a dear friend. And he called and invited me so I just went. This night wasn't about competing with each other. I saw this jam as the Pakistani music industry union. We sang everything and everyone's songs."
The Atif-Gohar reunion is something that is being talked about. But Atif feels that it was time to simply move on. "Gohar and I are not enemies. It may seem that way because of the hype that is often created by the media. But it was fun playing with him. We sang 'Dil Harey' and so many other songs. It isn't about individuals. It is about how we take the industry forward. Shiraz Uppal was there and Zeb and Haniya, so many of us were just together, singing and jamming. It was great!"

"In these turbulent times, jamming together was exactly what all of us needed." - Ali Zafar

"Music and the entertainment industry as a whole has taken a backseat. It is crucial for a country to maintain a vibrantt cultural scene. And music is a huge part of it. And that is why I did this jam session," said Ali Zafar after the session.
"In these turbulent times, jamming together was exactly what all of us needed. It was about bringing everyone together and just having a great time. All of us feel that we need to create an environment which is positive and we managed that. We didn't just sing our own songs. We sang everyone's tunes.

We played guitars and bongos. Atif and Gohar sang after a gap of maybe five years and it was great to see that happen. Sikander Mufti Farhad Humayoun, Shiraz Uppal, Club Caramel, Zeb and Haniya, Mekaal Hasan - all of them were there and just having a great time together. It was historic! It was the industry united together."

"We sang the night away." - Ali Hamza (Noori)
Describing the scene, Ali Hamza said to Instep, "It was like friends hanging out together. We sang, we played, and we talked the night away. We did medleys and covers and it was fantastic. Atif and Gohar sang, Ali Noor and Shiraz and so many others., sang and it was just a great night for music."

"There were no prejudices or bad feelings towards each other at all." - Shiraz Uppal
Like Ali Noor, Shiraz Uppal too is of the view that while such jam sessions are rare, they are magical.

"It was incredible. I was a part of something like this for the first and the energy was fabulous. There were no prejudices or bad feelings towards each other at all, no hidden agends, just pure musical fun. We sang everything from The Police to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to our own stuff and it was great. I don't know if we can ever repeat such a night but it really was extraordinary!"

"It was a very positive scene."
- Farhad Humayoun (Overload)

"It was a small scene. Maybe 35 people. There were no intrusions. Except for Mekaal Hasan, everybody sang or played. I played the bongos with Sikander Mufti and I sang as well. Atif and Gohar sang together. Noori boys and Shiraz Uppal, Adnan and Kiran of Club Caramel - everyone was together and there was such a positive vibe throughout. It wasn't a gig nor was it one of those senseless parties. It was impromptu and casual and just a lot of fun."

"I'll remember this jam for the rest of my life." - Ali Noor (Noori)
Now that Noori is hell bent on making a comeback, it was delightful to hear brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza joining in the merry night.
"It was a happening scene. It is very rare when something of this sort happens," said Ali Noor. "It was magical. Music can really transcend any negative feelings. And this night there were no musical differences or any thing like that. As all of us sang and jammed together, there was an emotion prevailing. And it may not always happen because something like this is just so rare. It was a lot of fun. I'll remember it for the rest of my life."

- Sikander Mufti, Zeb and Haniya were unavailable for comments.
- Musicians were talking to Maheen Sabeeh