Live at Colston Hall  Bristol UK.
Sufi based ghazal, African Riff. Udru lyrics. 

African River - Bristol Lantern

Black is the Colour – Traditional, Composed & arranged by Najma Akhtar & her band (6’23’’) 
Celtic folk song, Psychedelic rock, shades of Tabla & Indian Daff (Indian Frame Drum) shapes it into a beautiful Celtic (Irish / Scottish) Ghazal.
Unrequited love is the prevalent theme.
The voice, melody and arrangement capturing the emotions of desire, longing, pain, sadness, yearning.
Najma’s observation and inspiration or impetus for Five Rivers and totally in line with her past music, is that even though the Irish / Scottish / Celtic connection with Indian musical genres has been explored time and time again, it has never been looked at or even performed using the Indian voice and instrumentation as the main vehicle of poetic expression and Voice at the forefront. To Najma this song is the perfect Celtic Ghazal’ or you could say ‘folk song Ghazal’.
By adding the Indian Daff (Framed drum like a bodhrán) and flourishes of tabla coupled with her voice and Rock she subtly takes the song to the Indian Sub-continent and back to the west” uniting the Urdu Ghazal with the western Ballad.
Najma, “…what I would call, a wonderful beautiful Celtic Irish / Scottish folk song / Ghazal”

1. Black Is The Colour Of My True Loves Hair - Edited Version

Cryin'  Crazy - © Najma Akhtar - - arranged by Najma Akhtar & her band.
Blues goes subtly Indian. 
Hearts broken by deceit, unfaithfulness and loneliness.
With poetry as the essence and the voice as the medium, this song connects the Indian sub-continent with the Mississippi Delta through the filigreed embroidering of Najma's voice applied to the minimalistic imagery of the poetry of the Delta. The slide guitar intro connects with the Sitar sound and ambience, Indian Tabla and Vocals, create the mystery whilst the Violin and Guitar solos add to the Blues element.

Najma, “I feel that capturing the expressive similarities between the Sitar and Delta Guitar style intro, the vocal Alaaps and the Indian scatting, immediately brings home the synergies that naturally connect East and West. Traditionally speaking the Ghazal lyric and melody is strictly measured and metered and has complicated vocal ornamentation whereas the Blues is very simple and seems to have little or more notable in the past, no rules and this is what I found interesting.

Even though the arrangement is quite western, I have written this song with simplicity and kept both traditions in mind”.

2. Cryin' Crazy - Edited Version

Young Girl Blues  3'.59’’  Arranged by Najma Akhtar and band. Words & Music by Donovan Leitch ©1967 Donovan (Music) Ltd/Peermusic - arranged by Najma Akhtar & her band (3'.59’’)    
Exploring depression and loneliness via a Ghazal theme, western folk and the ballad.
The sense here is that central to the 'swinging sixties' (losers are groovin') was the all-night cafe scene, fast moving trendy city life, drugs and alcohols indulgence opens the doors to temptation of all sorts. 
For some, this new life style is overwhelming. Resulting in loneliness, desperation and depression. Thus, 'such a sad light (half-hearted belief in belonging) and fading dreams dissolving before her eyes.  Are things so very different for a young girl making her way in the London of 2019?
Najma, “ I thought ‘how interesting’, that a struggle of emotions and depression could be sang about in this way purely because popular Ghazal never goes down the path of this type of expression.  (This same thought also applies to a number of songs in Five Rivers).
Dreamy, seductive, melancholically haunting and yet spiritual, I feel my voice, backing vocals and the arrangement change the whole approach to the song. 
Apart from keeping a light 60’s to a contemporary feel, nothing was really forced upon this song in terms of instrumentation so the song developed in a natural organic way. 
The Police siren was an act of God. As I was recording my vocal microphone accidently picked it up, but uncannily in the right place in the song. I liked it and there it stayed. How apt for a city Girl!’”

3. Young Girl Blues - Edited Version

The Song of Wandering Aengus - Ghazal Of Wandering Aengus (4'16") Words/Poem by W.B. Yeats. Used by permission. Composed by Najma Akhtar 
A poem of desire, endless search for love till the end of time.
Poetry based on a magical romantic encounter, The Song of Wandering Aengus", is a perfect ghazal i.e. ‘’Ghazal Song of Wandering Aengus"
Full of longing, love lost, intrigue, yearning, sadness, desire and the power that intoxicating love can have even until the end life itself.
The very description is of a romantic notion that touches the heart and soul.
It’s deep, descriptive verses full of melancholic beauty and mystery is  haunting.

Yeats revises the original myth of Aengus: a god of love and beauty in Celtic mythology. But here, Aengus doesn’t seem to be a God, but an ordinary man who goes to the Hazel Wood to go fishing. Makes his own fishing rod out of a hazel stick (or "wand"), hooks a berry to it. He catches a trout.
Each verse has its own magic and finally in the end ,when he finally finds her, he'll kiss her and hold her hands, walk among grass, and together they'll pluck the "silver apples of the moon" and the "golden apples of the sun" until the end of time.  Najma, ‘How can one better that?’ A Romantic Ghazal through and through.

4. The Song Of Wandering Aengus - Edited Version

Ngoni Taraana – 4’.52” (Urdu) ©Najma Akhtar
Taraana is an Indian classical vocal riff which is very similar to a Jazz 'scat'. By taking this style slightly away from the more traditional and expected arrangement of busy vocal, tabla and Indian bowed or plucked instrumentation, Najma has presented this in a very simple vocal form and uses the traditional African stringed instrument called the Ngoni as the main riff and links perfectly with the ‘Five Rivers' Journey.

5. N'goni Taraana - Edited Version

Old man - Bryan MacLean (Love), arranged by Najma Akhtar & J.Eoin (3'.40")
From Love's ‘Forever Changes’ album, considered by many to be the ultimate expression of Psychedelic Rock. Jac Holzman (founder of Elektra Record) wrote of Najma's interpretation, 'Najma, I so enjoyed what you did with Bryan's song, one of the unsung gems on Forever Changes. Your take is original, understated and true to the spirit of the original. Most important - it works!'.
Najma, “I began this song with a vocal alaap (improvised notes from the scale) as this is always used to introduce the raag and melody in a traditional Ghazal and I thought it would be appropriate to make this connection in order to express the universal depth & soul of this song and also to introduce a subtle world music vibe. This is a deceptively simple song and one that I found to be very challenging to sing. This is an early demo that I made which I am very fond of and, although it has since gone through several changes, I am pleased for it to be heard in its original state. I love the way in which the guitar keeps the pulse steady and how, coupled with the shimmering flourishes of strings, carefully placed minor chords and the Indian raag vocal at the mid-point and end of the song helps to further enhance the melancholic, haunting, and imaginative sense of mystery and reminiscence transports the listener into a different plane. Spiritual and timeless.”

6. Old Man - Edited Version

Death Don’t Have No Mercy 5.06” Rev Gary Davis / ©Najma Akhtar 
Ghazal, Delta Blues, Blues, sad, Blues Jazz, Indian Harmonium
The ever-present portent of Death casts a shadow across all human activity but, with the possible exception of Blind Willie Johnson's 'Dark Was The Night And Cold Was The Ground' has it been expressed with such existential angst as in this song by the Rev. Gary Davis. The ultimate end, that no matter what, no matter who, no-one  escapes death.

With Poetry as the essence and the Voice as the medium this song connects the Indian Sub-Continent with the Mississippi Delta through the filigreed embroidery of Najma's voice applied to the minimalistic imagery of the poetry of the Delta
Najma, 'I have tried to express the melancholic cry of death, pain and anguish and the unpredictability of not knowing who would be next on this inevitable day of reckoning through my voice and arrangement of this beautiful song.
I have tried to capture the expressive similarities between the Sarod and Slide Guitar in the intro and, coupled with the Indian harmonium and vocal, I think that this song is the perfect vehicle to demonstrate the synergies that are central to 'Five Rivers'.

7. Death Don't Have No Mercy Short - Edited Version

Season Of The Witch - (4'.44") Arranged by Najma Akhtar and band. Donovan Leitch Words & Music by Donovan Leitch © 1966 Donovan (Music) Ltd/Peermusic. 
To borrow the words of Stephen Stills, 'Paranoia strikes deep’, into your heart it will creep. This is a song that resonates with the edginess imposed by self-aware displacement in a society in which everything is not always as it seems and in which reliance on 'self' is the only means by which the sensitive might hope to survive & thrive, 'You've got to pick up every stitch'.
Najma, “This was another song that intrigued me as popular Ghazal never goes down this path of expression. (This same thought also applies to a number of songs in Five Rivers)’. Psychedelic Rock of the sixties with modernity. Very wild and haunting nothing was forced upon this song to make it more Eastern and the song developed in a natural organic way”.

8. Season Of The Witch - Edited Version

Dancing Waltz  - 5’.58” (Urdu/ English) ©Najma Akhtar
This Bi-lingual song /Ghazal exuding, loss, mystery, passion and a 
longing for the past in which everything is centred around the love shared.

9. Dancing Waltz - Edited Version

You Upset the Grace of Living when you Lie (4'26") – Arranged by Najma Akhtar and band. Written by James Timothy Hardin. Published by Trio Music Co Inc/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd and Faithful Virtue Music Co Inc/Carlin Music Corp © 1967. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

After hearing Tim Hardin’s amazing live recording of this song Najma wanted to develop his hypnotic groove and direction by opening it up into the World Music arena but not to lose sight of his unique way of writing about love and loss. He was truly one of a kind.
Najma, 'By introducing a psychedelic vibe to the arrangement of this song I have endeavoured to give it a whole new sound whilst remaining true to both Tim Hardin and the premise of 'Five Rivers'

10. You Upset The Grace Of Living When You Lie - Edited Version

Red Balloon   4’.50” Arranged by Najma Akhtar and band. Written by James Timothy Hardin. Published by Trio Music Co Inc/BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd and Faithful Virtue Music Co Inc/Carlin Music Corp © 1967. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Again, using the violins as a Rajasthani backdrop and vocal intro Aalaap starts the journey.

11. Red Balloon - Edited Version

Pioneering World Music artist, British-born Najma Akhtar, vocalist, songwriter and actor is the very first artist to have created a place in World Music history by creating a new musical genre, introducing Jazz to the traditional genre of the Ghazal (Urdu ballad).
Having been at the forefront of the World Music scene for the last two decades, Najma has proved to be a successful and versatile artist and is renowned for not only using modern jazz influences with Indian vocals creating a beautiful fusion of eastern and western styles but push the sound barriers once again by introducing Blues, rock and other eclectic influences to even newer and undiscovered frontiers as with her last collaboration with guitarist Gary Lucas on the album ‘Rishte’ which received phenomenal reviews.
Eight critically acclaimed solo albums and collaborations with many world-class artists, as diverse as Jah Wobble, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Andy Summers (The Police), Basement Jaxx, Jethro Tull, Philip Glass, Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart) and many more has set her on the path for the release of ‘Five Rivers’
A musical journey, 'FIVE RIVERS’ begins in India at the River Ganges and continues on to Africa and the River Niger, Great Britain, with the River Thames and the River Shannon and across the Atlantic to the majesty of the great Mississippi River exploring the various synergies that exist between the ancient poetic art form of the Indian Ghazal and the Western traditions of song.

'FIVE RIVERS' is the first project in which Najma's essential focus has been on the Western canon of song through her interpretations of the works of artists as diverse as Donovan, Tim Hardin, The Rev Gary Davis, WB.Yeats, Brian MacLean (Love) and Mick Jagger & Keith Richards who have all, in their individual and inimitable ways, addressed the issues of unrequited loss, tragedy & disillusionment that are central to the Indian tradition of Ghazal.

Inspired, influenced and encouraged by her experiences and collaborations, Najma has absorbed the distinct musical traditions of West Africa Blues, the Mississippi Delta, the Western Folk tradition, World Jazz, Irish / Celtic Folk Music, Alternative Rock, Ghazal, Sufi, Rock Music, Jazz & Psychedelia, taking only that which would serve to demonstrate their interconnectivity with her interpretations of these carefully selected songs.

Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records, wrote of Najma's interpretation of 'Old Man' from the Love 'Forever Changes' album, 'Najma, I so enjoyed what you did with Bryan's song, one of the unsung gems on Forever Changes. Your take is original, understated and true to the spirit of the original. Most important - it works!'
'FIVE RIVERS' can be best described as a confluence of the musical, poetic and linguistic traditions of the East and the West through the purity and beauty of voice.

Some  Collaborations
‘Rishte’, with Grammy nominated guitarist, Gary Lucas.
The Optimist with Stan Harrison.
Dot Com with Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull.
Basement Jaxxs co-wrote Mere Paas with Felix Buxton, Simon Ratcliffe the single, Good Luck.
MTV Unplugged with Led Zeppelins Robert Plant and Jimmy Page for the album No Quarter. Toured with Page & Plant in the USA, Ireland / UK.
Liquid Days with Philip Glass accompanied by the Crouch End Choir, conducted by David Temple.
Take Me To God with Jah Wobble.
The Golden Wire with Andy Summers of The Police.
Black Science with Steve Coleman.
Divas with Steve Copeland.
Colonial Cousins with Hariharan and Leslie Lewis.
In my Mind with the Armenian / Persian Singer Andy Madadain.

Najma Akhtar

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