Mumbai: Maestros Hariharan and Zakhir Hussain, the super twain with curly locks, have come together again after 21 years with their second offering Hazir2, an album that promises to spell peace, spirituality, romance and tranquility. This combination of the flamboyant singer known for his achingly romantic ghazals and soul-stirring movie numbers and the maverick percussionist who is a treatise on taal also marks the launch of Magic Records, a label aimed to be a treat to music connoisseurs.
The music fraternity including Bhupinder, Mitali, Shankar Mahadevan, Richa Sharma, Shamir Tandon, Jolly Mukherjee, Akshay Hariharan, Dr Mukul Dabholkar, Daboo Malik, Armaan Malik, Mudasir Ali, Shailey Bidwaiker, Priti Bhalla, Talat Aziz, Harpreet Singh Ahluwalia, Sasha Dabholkar, Vasant Bhandari, Lalitya Munsha, Lavanya among others graced the audio CD national launch celebration at Rude Lounge to celebrate the moment with Hariharan.
Interestingly, the musical offering Hazir2 comes at a time when Hazir1 is still available and sells off the stands even after two decades. What took this duo 21 years to come out with the next album? “I don’t know; you can't pinpoint the reason. It is just a feeling Zakhir bhai and I had to do this sequel,” says Hariharan. “In Hazir2, we have sought to further our musical trip and a whole new listening experience.”
Adds he, “Zakhir bhai is an elder brother to me. When we meet, we have fun and laughter. And we understand what the other wants. Recently, a few times whenever we met, he and I would talk about doing something again together. And so, between Zakhir bhai’s India visits and our concert schedules, our recordings took place to give shape to Hazir2.”
Calling Zakhir Hussain, a man of all genres,” Hariharan admits that this teaming up was nothing but pleasure. “Teaming up with Zakhir bhai can be nothing less than exhilarating. It has been a journey of rediscovering tradition in fresher contexts, giving a curious dimension to your perspective.”
Admitting that Ghazal is a commitment for life, Hariharan adds that releasing an album and a label in the era of free downloads, YouTube clicks, pre-release publicity and post-production economics is not easy. More so with ‘hits’ determining the artiste’s creative ability!! Yet, Hariharan is happy that the same technology has also proven to be a boon, enabling his fans to be part of his Facebook community, traversing with him on his shows worldwide.
Post a Comment