The Embassy of Pakistan, in collaboration with Katara Cultural Village, is hosting ‘Sachal Jazz Concert’ at Drama Theatre in Building 16 on April 16 from 8:30 to 930pm. This was announced by Dr Khalid Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, General Manager, Katara Cultural Village, and Shahzad Ahmad, Ambassador of Pakistan to Qatar, in a joint press conference held at Katara yesterday.
Talking to media persons, Dr Khalid said that Katara was pleased to host the concert by Sachal Jazz Band, a musical group that presents fusion of Pakistani folk and western jazz. He said that Katara was hosting the concert with support from the Pakistan embassy in an effort to further enhance cultural co-operation between the two countries.
Ambassador Ahmad said, “I am always happy to be at Katara. It is one of my favourite and one of the most active places in Doha. I congratulate Dr Khallid about the numbers of events taking place here and some of them are really world class.”
He said, “A Pakistani band will perform at Katara on April 16. Sachal Jazz is one of the best bands in Pakistan. The band is very popular in Pakistan. Their first album has gone on top of the Jazz charts at ITunes. The band has been busy in touring the world. They have been to US, France, Japan, and many other countries. They have performed with some of the most famous musicians in the world. Some of their best performances were done in US. The musicians from East have also worked with western jazz musicians. Jazz music is all about improvisation. I hope we all will enjoy the concert and I expect people coming to Katara in large numbers.
Asked if it was the first time that the band would perform in the Middle East, the ambassador said that it was not the first time. He added that the band had earlier performed in several other Middle East countries. He said that the band would play some of its classic songs. The band is coming to Doha for the first time. Hopefully, they will get another opportunity to visit Qatar. Next time, they will bring something special for the country. He noted, “We are looking to introduce the band here and hope that they will find some kind of collaboration with other bands in Qatar.”
In response to a question on possibility of having an Asian Jazz concert at Katara, Dr Khalid said that the idea had been under discussion for quite sometime. He said that recently there was a meeting with ambassadors from different Asian countries about having an Asian Jazz concert at Katara. 
A video message was played from the group members, who said that they would present folk and cultural music of Pakistan.
Talking to the Community, after the press conference, Sadia Gohar, Head of Chancery, Pakistan embassy, said, “The idea of having the concert was initiated by the Pakistani ambassador. We contacted Sachal Studios as they have already performed at UN and at recently concluded Pakistan Super League, one of the world’s premier fanchise leagues. We have been working on increasing cultural co-operation with Qatar. We will continue to bring in artistes from Pakistan. The band is reviving ancient folk music. It will be a unique experience for international audience in Qatar to listen to a fusion of western jazz with Pakistani folk music.”
According to information shared by the embassy, Sachal Studios is home of the internationally acclaimed Sachal Jazz Ensemble. Sachal Studios is an example of creative genius that reflects Pakistan’s rich culture and heritage locally and internationally. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Oscar winning filmmaker from Pakistan, made a documentary called Song of Lahore on Sachal Jazz Ensemble, which has won a spate of awards.
The Sachal Studios Jazz Ensemble has performed worldwide at some of the most prestigious venues and jazz festivals; with Wynton Marsallis at the Lincoln Centre, New York, the Barbican in London, the Marciac Jazz festival in France, and Tokyo Jazz Festival. The band members are, namely Nijat Ali, Najaf Ali, Ijaz Hussain, Danish Ali, Nadeem Abbas, Ali Shaiba, Haider Abbas, Nafees Ahmad, Izzat Majeed, and Noor Fatima Raja.