Nafs at Peace
| Nafs at Peace | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Jaubi | ||||
| Released | May 28, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | April & August 2019 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:38 | |||
| Label | Astigmatic | |||
| Jaubi chronology | ||||
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Nafs at Peace is the debut studio album by the Lahore-based jazz quartet Jaubi. The album was released on May 28, 2021, via Astigmatic Records.
Background and recording
[edit]Jaubi consists of Ali Riaz Baqar, Zohaib Hassan Khan, Qammar "Vicky" Abbas, and Kashif Ali Dhani.[1][2] The band formed in 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan.[3] After a collaboration on Ed "Tenderlonious" Cawthorne's 2020 album Ragas from Lahore, the band gained wider international recognition.[3][4] The music in Nafs at Peace draws from two recording sessions, both including Marek "Latarnik" Pędziwiatr of EABS and Tenderlonious.[3] The first session took place in one day at Riot Studios in Lahore in April 2019, while the second took place at Newtone Studios in Oslo, Norway in August 2019.[3][1]
The album's title comes from the Sufi word for "self".[3] The self is described in the Quran as having three parts; due to this, the album is split into three parts.[2] According to Dhruva Balram of DJ Mag, the album is entwined with themes of "death, divorce, unemployment, drug addiction and religion".[2] The album cover is the mother of Ali Riaz Baqar.[5]
Music
[edit]Critics have found elements of spiritual jazz,[3][2][6] Hindustani classical music,[3][6] hip-hop,[2][3] funk,[3] ragas,[3][6] and ambient[3] in the album. The album uses the tabla, electric guitar, sarangi, flute, saxophone, keyboards, synths, drum kit, and electronics.[3]
The opening track "Seek Refuge" is ambient and uses electronic drones and vocals from Oslo's Vox Humana choir.[3][4] "Insia" was described by Thom Jurek of AllMusic as "elliptically funky".[3] "Straight Path” is the album's thematic and musical centerpiece according to Bhanuj Kappal of Pitchfork.[6] Its title comes from the first chapter of the Quran.[6] Jurek described "Zari" as a contemporary jazz jam.[3] The eight-minute closer "Nafs At Peace" takes influence from John Coltrane's A Love Supreme and is the closest on the album to a more traditional jazz sound.[2][6]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Thom Jurek of AllMusic |   [3] |
| Ammar Kalia of The Guardian | [4] |
| Bhanuj Kappal of Pitchfork | 7.6 / 10[6] |
Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars and wrote "simply put, Nafs at Peace is stellar".[3] According to Dhruva Balram of DJ Mag, Jaubi "have created an album that functions as a balm for souls in need of calming".[2] Bhanuj Kappal of Pitchfork gave the album 7.6 points out of 10, and praised it for pushing Hindustani classical music to new places.[6]
Track listing
[edit]- "Seek Refuge" – 2:18
- "Insia" – 5:15
- "Raga Gurji Todi" – 6:13
- "Straight Path" – 7:27
- "Mosty" – 7:40
- "Zari" – 5:51
- "Nafs at Peace" – 7:54
Total length – 42:38
Personnel
[edit]Adapted from the album's liner notes on Bandcamp.[1]
Musicians
[edit]- Ali Riaz Baqar – guitar, composer (all tracks except 5), photography
- Zohaib Hassan Khan – sarangi
- Qammar "Vicky" Abbas – drums
- Kashif Ali Dhani – tabla, vocals
- Ed "Tenderlonious" Cawthorne – flute, soprano saxophone
- Marek "Latarnik" Pędziwiatr – rhodes, keyboards, synths, composer (track 5)
- Vox Humana choir – vocals (track 1)
Additional personnel
[edit]- André Viervoll – audio engineer
- Farhad Humayun – audio engineer
- Rhys Downing – mixing
- Paweł Bartnik – mastering
- Łukasz Wojciechowski – executive producer, A&R
- Sebastian Jóźwiak – A&R, photography
- Oliver Reeves – A&R
- Uzma Rao – photography
- Animisiewasz – graphic design
- İlkay Kanar – calligraphy
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Nafs at Peace, by Jaubi". Bandcamp (album liner notes). Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g Balram, Dhruva (2021-06-18). "Spice Rack: the modern spiritual jazz of Pakistan's Jaubi". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Jurek, Thom. "Nafs at Peace - Jaubi". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ a b c Kalia, Ammar (2021-04-30). "Jaubi: Nafs at Peace review – Pakistani band battle ego with improv". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "Jaubi: Coltrane, Ragas & Peace". DownBeat. 2021-05-23. Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kappal, Bhanuj. "Jaubi: Nafs at Peace". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.