Azam Khan - Ashi Ashi Bole Tumi
Rock Guru Azam Khan
Rock Guru Azam Khan
Younger people still hum several evergreen rock n' roll numbers of the 1970s such as Ami jare chai re, Ashi ashi bole tumi, Rail liner bostite, Abhimani tumi kothay, Shara rat jege jege and many others rendered by Azam Khan. Mahbubul Haque Khan, born on February 28, 1950, is better known as Azam Khan. A pioneering rock star in Bangladesh, he is the guru of many rock n' rollers in Bangladesh. His rock band 'Uchcharon' is the first of its kind in the country and still continues to perform.
In the mid-1960s Azam, along with Fakir Alamgir, Fuad and Sabu used to perform Gano Sangeet with the popular troupes such as Gano Shilpi Goshthi and Kranti Shilpi Goshthi to generate awareness about the oppression of the Bengalis by the Pakistanis. Later, he actively participated in the Liberation War in 1971. After the war, he introduced an energetic brand of music. His first concert on television was broadcast in 1972 on Bangladesh Television.
On the genesis of his band Uchcharan, Azam said, "Since my boyhood, I had a passion for music. I listened to a tune and used to render it closely to the original. After Independence, it was not difficult for emerging artistes to perform at BTV. My friends Firoze Shain and others went there and performed which turned out to be a total flop. It was a matter of prestige concern for my friends. It was then that Nilu, Mansur, Sadek and I began to practice with drums and guitars. I was the vocalist while Nilu and Mansur played the guitars and Sadek was on drums. Then we performed two songs Eto shundar dunia and Char kalema shakkhi. Both the songs, written and composed by me, received huge popularity. Eto shundar dunia is still a popular number. From then on we began to perform on a regular basis and later formed our band Uchcharan."
In his long music career Azam and his band have so far released only 16 albums, most of which are popular. Azam said, "I always try to touch the rhythm of the people of my time. Each track of my composition is different from others. Moreover, I give a spontaneous presentation of the songs. That's why people still listen to my old numbers."
Azam believes that band music in Bangladesh has not reached its full potential. Rather, he thinks that because of poor handling of the genre, band music in Bangladesh has been marginalised and appeals only to the younger generation of the fashionable elite class. Azam said, "The younger generation uses sophisticated instruments and recording systems. However, most of the current songs do not have a lasting appeal. One of the major causes for such transience is that many compositions are monotonous. In my view, instead of imitating the theme and tune of the western music younger people should create a distinctive style featuring the rhythm unique to Bangladeshi music."
Recently Azam Khan has released a new album titled Saleka Maleka, which is a remix of his old popular tracks. He is the recipient of a life time achievement award for his contribution to music in Bangladesh.
Younger people still hum several evergreen rock n' roll numbers of the 1970s such as Ami jare chai re, Ashi ashi bole tumi, Rail liner bostite, Abhimani tumi kothay, Shara rat jege jege and many others rendered by Azam Khan. Mahbubul Haque Khan, born on February 28, 1950, is better known as Azam Khan. A pioneering rock star in Bangladesh, he is the guru of many rock n' rollers in Bangladesh. His rock band 'Uchcharon' is the first of its kind in the country and still continues to perform.
In the mid-1960s Azam, along with Fakir Alamgir, Fuad and Sabu used to perform Gano Sangeet with the popular troupes such as Gano Shilpi Goshthi and Kranti Shilpi Goshthi to generate awareness about the oppression of the Bengalis by the Pakistanis. Later, he actively participated in the Liberation War in 1971. After the war, he introduced an energetic brand of music. His first concert on television was broadcast in 1972 on Bangladesh Television.
On the genesis of his band Uchcharan, Azam said, "Since my boyhood, I had a passion for music. I listened to a tune and used to render it closely to the original. After Independence, it was not difficult for emerging artistes to perform at BTV. My friends Firoze Shain and others went there and performed which turned out to be a total flop. It was a matter of prestige concern for my friends. It was then that Nilu, Mansur, Sadek and I began to practice with drums and guitars. I was the vocalist while Nilu and Mansur played the guitars and Sadek was on drums. Then we performed two songs Eto shundar dunia and Char kalema shakkhi. Both the songs, written and composed by me, received huge popularity. Eto shundar dunia is still a popular number. From then on we began to perform on a regular basis and later formed our band Uchcharan."
In his long music career Azam and his band have so far released only 16 albums, most of which are popular. Azam said, "I always try to touch the rhythm of the people of my time. Each track of my composition is different from others. Moreover, I give a spontaneous presentation of the songs. That's why people still listen to my old numbers."
Azam believes that band music in Bangladesh has not reached its full potential. Rather, he thinks that because of poor handling of the genre, band music in Bangladesh has been marginalised and appeals only to the younger generation of the fashionable elite class. Azam said, "The younger generation uses sophisticated instruments and recording systems. However, most of the current songs do not have a lasting appeal. One of the major causes for such transience is that many compositions are monotonous. In my view, instead of imitating the theme and tune of the western music younger people should create a distinctive style featuring the rhythm unique to Bangladeshi music."
Recently Azam Khan has released a new album titled Saleka Maleka, which is a remix of his old popular tracks. He is the recipient of a life time achievement award for his contribution to music in Bangladesh.
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