Wikipedia

Nafs at Peace

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.

Nafs at Peace
Studio album by
Jaubi
ReleasedMay 28, 2021
RecordedApril & August 2019
Studio
  • Riot Studios (Lahore, Pakistan)
  • Newtone Studios (Oslo, Norway)
Genre
Length42:38
LabelAstigmatic
Jaubi chronology
The Deconstructed Ego
(2016) 		Nafs at Peace
(2021) 		In Search of a Better Tomorrow
(2023)

Background and recording

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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 [pl] 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

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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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Thom Jurek of AllMusic     [3]
Ammar Kalia of The Guardian     [4]
Bhanuj Kappal of Pitchfork7.6 / 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

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  1. "Seek Refuge" – 2:18
  2. "Insia" – 5:15
  3. "Raga Gurji Todi" – 6:13
  4. "Straight Path" – 7:27
  5. "Mosty" – 7:40
  6. "Zari" – 5:51
  7. "Nafs at Peace" – 7:54

Total length – 42:38

Personnel

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Adapted from the album's liner notes on Bandcamp.[1]

Musicians

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ a b c "Nafs at Peace, by Jaubi". Bandcamp (album liner notes). Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Jaubi: Coltrane, Ragas & Peace". DownBeat. 2021-05-23. Archived from the original on 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  6. ^ 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.
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