Pakistani instrumental outfit Jaubi traverse Hindustani ragas and spiritual jazz seemingly at will. Hailing from Lahore, Pakistan, Jaubi are composed of Ali Riaz Baqar (guitar and composer), Zohaib Hassan Khan (sarangi) and Kashif Ali Dhani (tablas and percussion). The looseness of the band’s title also functions as the group’s guiding principle: their mission is to create whatever sounds and feels good.
Their debut album Naf’s At Peace (released on Astigmatic Records in 2021) saw the core band collaborate with UK Jazz stalwart Tenderlonious (22a) and Latarnik (EABS & Bloto) and gain an incredible array of support from some of the worlds key tastemakers and publication including Pitchfork, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Gilles Peterson, Downbeat, Mr Scruff, Jazzwise, Mojo, Iggy Pop and many more. Jaubi now present their sophomore album A Sound Heart via their own imprint Riaz Records (a new stable for Jaubi and the collective moving forwards).
A Sound Heart is a record centred around the concept of love, and its various forms - be it love for a partner, family or even for oneself. Each side of the album tries to capture different stages of this primal emotion. The album also acts as a tribute to fallen heroes, paying respect to the greatness that has come before, casting new light via cross-cultural collaboration and improvisation.
Listen back to Mystic Brew to hear Jaubi join Mike Gurrieri for a chat and an intimate Studio 5 Live session.
Check out a clip of Jaubi performing 'Forgive Me' live in Studio 5 below:
