Ujala by - Sunny Jain
In an epic journey in the making for 10 years, Sunny Jain was the first in his family to return to their ancestral land, Sialkot, Punjab, since the 1947 independence and partition of the Indian subcontinent. Jain walked the streets his elders traversed, received an overwhelming “welcome home” and even found the house his father had to flee over 75 years ago. As his Wild Wild East ensemble was on tour in Pakistan during this trip, the band decided to go into the studio that very night after the remarkable finding. Recording engineers, Asad Ali Khan and Amr Kashmiri, captured the palpable emotions in the air during the session at Art Club Sugar Records in Lahore. The cover art for the singles are from a temple in Sialkot where Jain’s ancestors would worship. It’s one of the last few standing Jain Temples in Pakistan and was opened up specifically for him.
On “Ujala," meaning radiant light in Punjabi, Jain infuses Punjabi folk motifs, drum & bass, and jazz, to create a groove-driven anthem that is infectious. Vocalist Ben Parag recalls lines from Subh-e-Azadi (Dawn of Freedom), written by the famous poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, before he launches into a soaring Hindustani gamaka. Alto saxophonist Alison Shearer takes an electrifying solo supported by the driving rhythm section (Ryan Dugre on guitar, Almog Sharvit on bass, Jain on drum set). The resulting song is both soul-stirring and intellectually stimulating as it captures the feeling Jain and band felt visiting his ancestral home in Sialkot, Pakistan.
Tracklist
| 1. | - Sunny Jain - Ujala | 5:48 |
Lyrics
Subh-e azadi (Dawn of Independence) by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Yeh daagh daagh ujaalaa, yeh shab gazidaa seher
Woh intezaar tha jiska, yeh woh seher to nahin
(This stained, pitted first-light, this day-break battered by night,
this dawn that we all ached for, this is not that one.)
Yeh woh seher to nahin, jis ki aarzoo lekar
Chale the yaar ki mil jaayegi kahin na kahin
Falak ke dasht mein taaron ki aakhri manzil
Kahin to hogaa shab-e-sust mauj ka saahil
Kahin to jaa ke rukegaa safinaa-e-gham-e-dil
(We had set out, friends all, hoping
We should somewhere find the final destination
Of the stars in the forests of heaven
The slow‐rolling night must have a shore somewhere
The boat of the afflicted heart’s grieving will drop anchor somewhere)
Credits
Sunny Jain: composer, drummer
Ben Parag: vocals
Alison Shearer: alto saxophone
Ryan Dugre: guitar
Almog Sharvit: bass
Faiz Ahmed Faiz: lyrics
.
Produced and mixed by Sunny Jain
Mastered by Tony Joy
Recording engineers: Asad Ali Khan, Amr Kashmiri, Maeen Syed, Jamshaid Ali Khan, Zafar Iqbal
Recorded December 7, 2022 at Art Club Sugar Records, Lahore, Pakistan
Cover Art: Louis Cuffari
License
All rights reserved.Tags
Sunny Jain is a composer, drummer & dhol player.
“One of the leading figures in North America’s burgeoning Asian music scene. A global musical alchemist and cultural agent provocateur.”
- SONGLINES (UK)
He's the founder and dhol player for Red Baraat & Wild Wild East. He's toured the world with numerous artists across all genres.