Aamir Zaki - Move To The USA

Move To The USA

Zaki's advent into his twenties was far from prodigious. His father died and he looked after his family business of exporting local handicrafts. Two years later he'd had enough. He got out of the frying pan into the proverbial fire by getting married and got divorced another two years later. He was an emotional wreck; and so took off for the States where he spent all his money in Las Vegas.

A poet said "Our sweetest songs tell of our saddest thoughts", and on his return, Zaki found enough inspiration to start composing his first, (and to date, only), solo album - "Signature". It featured one Urdu song, two English songs and the rest were instrumentals. He put his own money into releasing this high-risk venture. He produced the CDs in England and got Sonic to release them locally. This behind him, he got cracking.

The next year Zaki toured extensively with "Vital Signs" the grand-daddies of Pakistani pop and played on their album "Aitebar" as well as an unplugged album. Then, for a period for two years, he did absolutely nothing. The offers didn't excite him, the talent didn't excite him, he went into a shell till his landlord knocked on his door and asked for the rent. It brought Zaki down from cloud nine. He started playing with Awaz after their guitarist Assad Ahmed left them for hard rock odyssey with Karavan. Ostensibly, Zaki would follow suit after some concerts and no albums. Sure enough once he discovered that there was good money to be made by doing small shows with his kind of music he left the band. He played at the Karajazz Festival and many a time at Cafe Blue (Karachi, Pakistan) that marvellous haunt for live music lovers, which has now gone to the dogs. It was here that his listeners turned up week after week to hear him play. His bass playing shone on these occasions. Zaki plays the bass like the guitar and the sounds he elicits from it are unlike anything you've heard before. No wonder a man in the audience shouted "spank the bass" repeatedly.

Sadly enough, despite being one of the most accomplished guitarist in the country and definitely the best musician in the pop/rock brigade, Zaki has come out with only one solo album. That is because he refuses to compromise on the music he makes. He maintains that there is no bass player or drummer competent enough to play with him, except Gumby, who has chosen to float along the mainstream tide with Junoon. Hear Zaki play and you will agree with him. He has the capacity to make any instrument emote. Zaki's guitar can make it wail or strum a sweet melody with equal ease. Zaki's tragedy is that he is some light years beyond the local music scene.

Come 2001, and Aamir Zaki seems to have found his niche. Last year, he set up a recording company called Manhattan West Productions in Santa Monica, California with a partner. He is back with the intention of getting talented musicians out of here. Zaki has turned producer and has three albums up his sleeve: an Asian Pop Collection featuring the likes of Indian girl band Sansara, a fusion album with Hamid Ali Khan and two American singers and his next solo album that he has composed and played on by himself. He is also doing an English album with Hadiqa Kiyani and is producing two songs for Ali Azmat's upcoming solo album. It is a chance for him to make money. Zaki can be a commercial session player, but his own music has never been commercial. Once his plans are in full swing, he will probably take up Zakir Hussain's offer to play with him in England. Knowing Zaki ideals, he might even drop his production plans to do that.

Now it remains to be seen if Zaki can take the bull by its horns and come out on top. Currently Zaki is working as a guitar teacher in a government funded Music & Acting School.

The Institute, which is called NAPA (National Academy of Performing Arts), couldn't keep him for long, and he left after staying for about a year. He stayed in Canada for about a year or so, and came back recently to karachi. It has been a long time since we heard anything coming from him, as the last song on screen was with Hadiqa Kiani "Is baar milo".