Benju Maestro, Ustad Noor Bakhsh, from the Makran Coast of Balochistan, plays at End of the Road festival this month (28th-31st August), with more UK dates in October at Band on the Wall, Firth Hall and Barbican Centre.
Released in 2022, Ustad Noor Bakhsh’s debut solo album, ‘Jingul,’ offered a breathtaking journey through sound and history, a masterclass in the artistry of the Benju. From the Makran Coast of Balochistan, the music of this Benju maestro is a testament to the region’s rich cultural tapestry featuring African, Persian, and Arabian influences.
Captured live during a magical sunset on the Shadi Kaur creek near Noor’s village, the album has a raw, emotive power. For the recording, Noor used his electric Benju, an instrument amplified by a vintage pickup and a Phillips amp he found in a Karachi market three decades ago. This instrument’s history is as expressive as Noor’s playing: it supposedly originates from the Japanese Taishōgoto, which Baloch musicians transformed in the 20th century into a refined folk instrument.
The album’s title track, “Jingul,” is named after a bird whose song inspired its melody, a fitting tribute to the natural beauty surrounding Noor’s village. This is the world Noor’s music wanders through—a landscape of migrations and seafaring, of historical intimacies with the greater Indian Ocean world. ‘Jingul’ is an unforgettable sonic pilgrimage.
Watch this new video performance of ‘Sanj’, a tune composed by the legendary Bilawal Belgium, one of Noor’s biggest inspirations. Jamadar Goharam and Rahmdil join him on Damburag, a traditional Balochi instrument.