Lockdown Legends ( Day 14) : The Rebel Qawwal

There are a few songs which catch the attention of public in such a manner that it becomes like an anthem, liked by one and all. Such songs, if they are from films, tend to spread like wildfire and there is no one who is unaware of the song. Today's artiste is credited with singing the song which captured the imagination of the whole nation and the singer is Aziz Nazan. The song? We'll come to it ...


Aziz Nazan was born ( in 1938) in Kerala in an orthodox Muslim family, which meant that music was discouraged and every time he was found to be singing by his family members, he was punished badly. Only after the death of his father ( he was 9 then)could he pursue his inclination for music which he had shown from the early age.He joined Orchestra and began to sing the songs of Lata Mangeshkar. After some time he joined the famous Qawwal, “Hamein to loot liya mil ke husn walon ne” fame Ismail Azad’s party as a chorus singer. Gradually he got a recognition as an individual qawwal.
 

His non-film career took off when, in 1958, He signed a contract with The Gramophone Co. In 1962,his record “Jiya nahin maana” was released and became a big hit. With this album he cemented his place as a Qawwal.In 1968 his record “Nigah e Karam” was released and it became a great hit among Qawwali fans.
Around the same time he sang a qawwali for the film Palki, " Main idhar jaaoon ya udhar jaaoon"


  
                             

In 1970, he recorded a song with Columbia  Music Co. and   this number was hugely popular.In 1973 film “Mere gharib nawaz” was released. In the middle of the film, a 20 minute reel of Aziz Naza, singing this number shown and  because of this number film “Mere gharib nawaz” got significant success.  In 1974 I.S. Johar added this song “Jhoom barabar jhoom sharabi” in his film “5 Rifles” and  all hell broke loose ! 
The song was an instant hit with the masses and is still considered one of the highlights and reasons of success for   Johar's film.


                                  


 In his early life he used to go to the house of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab, who lived in the same area of Bhendi Bazar, Many of the Ustads of the Indian classical music gathered at his house every day. Aziz Nazan used to listen to them singing or playing, and of course learned a lot from them. After he got fame, he became shagird of Mohd. Ibrahim Khan Sahab, younger brother of music director Ghulam Mohd. And assistant of music director Naushad, and he began to take regular lessons of music.

After some time he got a chance to learn music from veteran music director Rafiq Ghaznavi, who was the Ustad of music director Madan Mohan and Ghulam Mohammad.

He learnt classical music and to play many instruments like harmonium, tabla, bongo etc. He had a good sense of rhythm. Being a Malabari,his mother tongue was Malyalam and he got his institutional qualification in Gujrati mediam, but to sing Qawwali he had to learn Urdu, so he learned Urdu from a Shair named Sadiq Nizami.

He, thus, equipped himself to sing one of the most difficult genres of music and excelled in it due to his hardwork and innate talent.

Madan Mohan invited him to his recording studio for a song which he sang with Amnar Kumar, Mohammad Rafi and noted qawwals Shankar-Shambhu.



                          
He composed and directed music of all of the non-film Qawwalies he sang. His created music which was beyond the tradition of the Qawwali, so he got the title “Baghi Qawwal” or “The Rebel Qawwal”.  In an era when Qawwali was based only on tabla and harmonium, he introduced western instruments like mandolin, bass guitar, congo, bongo, wind instrumental section   to Qawwali. besides this he introduced new rhythm patterns and tough challenging music parts and music arrangement to the Qawwali.
  Aziz Nazan became a big name as a playback singer also. He sang in many films there after like Rafoo cakkar (bhajan bina chain na aaye , Fakira (hum to jhuk kar salaam karte hain 1976), Nehle pe dehla (sun le tu binti meri haji ali), and Trishna (1978) to name a few of them. In Trishna he acted in a special appearance and song “Husn wale kisi ke yaar nahin hote hain” was picturised on him.In Qubani , he sang the title song.

Leaving you with a non film Qawwali by Aziz Nazan , who passed away in 1992.