Noori
Encyclopedia
Noori is a rock
band from Lahore
, Punjab, Pakistan, formed in 1996. The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Ali Noor, and his brother, Ali Hamza, who were soon joined by bassist Muhammad Ali Jafri and drummer Salman Albert. Noori is considered as one of the pioneering forces behind what is dubbed as the '21st Century Pop Revolution of Pakistan'.
Pioneers of the mainstream Pakistani
rock music
, although initially the band was formed by the two brothers, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, the latter left the band for a short while to continue his studies at LUMS
. However, Ali Noor and Muhammad Ali Jafri continued playing for the band and recruited drummer Salman Albert. Soon afterwards, Albert parted ways and was replaced by Farhad Humayun. After releasing the music video
s of the singles "Jana Tha Humne" and "Tum Hans Diyay", Humayun also left the band and was replaced by John L. Pinto. By this time, the band also recruited guitarist, Murtaza Jaffar and started working on their debut album but just before the final recordings of the album, Jaffar left the band to pursue his own personal interests. And then, Ali Hamza rejoined the band and Noori took the shape of a four member band. Noori then went on releasing their debut album, Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
, in 2003. After two years, the band went on recording and releasing their the critically acclaimed second album Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya
(2005), after which bassist, Ali Jafri left the band and started his own business. In 2006, drummer Louis J. Pinto, also left the band, as he was busy doing side projects with other bands as a session player, apart from the blood brothers, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza. The band then called for two year hiatus and then made their comeback into the music scene in 2008 by releasing their first ever song written "Do Dil
".
In 2009, the band went on performing at Coke Studio
second season, also performing at the third season in the following year. The band then started working on their third studio album. In 2011, John L. Pinto and Muhammad Ali Jafri rejoined the band, and Noori reunited to it’s original four-man line up; as it was at the launch of their debut album.
Noori started 7 years before their first album "Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
" which came in 2003. Before Noori, Ali Noor and Muhammad Ali Jaffri worked with co-VEN and released an EP called “Not in your world”. Noori has been famous for their live acts and they performed their very first concert in 1998, at Sacred Heart School, Lahore
. Their second album was released in 2005.
" had developed a cult following before the album's release in 2003 through leaks on the internet. "Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
" offers a complicated mix of sounds, starting from a folk-like "Manwa Re" that was actually written for a Pakistani film, to hard rock anthems to youth like the title track. Noori’s debut album created whirlwinds across the Urdu speaking community all over the world. A first of its kind, it introduced the genre of pop rock music to the Pakistani mainstream. In addition the album was also a departure from the beaten track of chummy love songs and focused instead on inspiring the youth of Pakistan to take up the responsibility of doing something worthwhile for themselves and others. Thematically with songs urging listeners to change the world, that life is beautiful and professing women empowerment. Their album was about youth, their innocence, their dreams and how they feel about life. After their album release in 2003, they performed a duet, Nayan Jahan, with Anaida which was a success.
Their second album was a follow up on where "Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
" left off. It talks about what happens when the ever so energetic and hopeful youth grows up and faces the realities of the world. The discontentment and suffering which arises in this growing up, creates an indifferent and self-centered individual, who finds escape routes in things like drugs and other short-lived pleasures. Noori's second album, "Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya
", on the other hand, starts off in a somewhat hopeful mood and then travels through bitter experiences and ends up with resigned despair, peppered with taunts.The album deals with a variety of subjects ranging from the problems and consequences of drug use to the collective apathy we all have descended into as individuals and as a society. Over a span of 6 years the band has put out two albums, they have performed over 400 concerts, self-produced 10 music videos and won 3 major music awards.
In 2008, after a hiatus of almost 2 years Noori came back with their new single "Do Dil
". It is the first song ever composed by the band. In fact it is this song after which the brothers decided to start the band. The video is directed by Mandana Zaidi. It begins with the actual footage from 1996, of the first attempt to record the song. The video has clips of some of those that have been a part of the Noori's journey in one way or the other.
In 2009, they performed at the Coke Studio
Sessions along with artists like Atif Aslam
, Zeb and Haniya
, Ali Zafar
, Saeen Zahoor
and many other successful musicians. They performed a duet with Saeen Zahoor
, "Aik Alif", a sufi rock song which was huge success. They also performed in the third episode of Coke Studio Sessions
with their song "Jo Meray" which was performed in the format as it was originally composed by Ali Hamza in 2000. They performed "Sari Raat Jaga" on the fourth Coke Studio Session. On 14 August 2009, Noori performed "Kedaar" from their upcoming album at the last Coke Studio Session.
On May 15, 2010, the lineup for Coke Studio confirmed that Noori will feature in the third season along with many well known artists and bands like Entity Paradigm, Aunty Disco Project, Karavan
, Abida Parveen
and many other successful musicians. On June 20, 2010, Noori performed a duet "Tann Dolay" with Zeb & Haniya at Coke Studio third season the second session, 'Will'. On July 10, 2010, Noori released the studio version of the single "Tann Dolay" which also featured Zeb & Haniya. On July 18, 2010, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza did a live interview with Abdul Rauf and Maria Memon the weekly morning show, 'Geo Pakistan', on Geo News
. On July 26, 2010, the Noori brothers did a collaboration at the fourth Coke Studio session 'Form' for the song "Hor Vi Neevan Ho" with their mother, Noor Zehra Kazim, an accomplished player of the Sagar Veena, an instrument developed by her father, Raza Kazim
at the Sanjan Nagar Institute for Philosophy and Arts.
Currently, Noori is working on their third album and that album is going to be out in September 2010. Noorie has contributed their famous song with Saieen Zahoor for the latest BBC production "West is West" starring Om Puri. The Film is a sequel of now cult film, East is East made ten years ago by the same team.
On February 14, 2011, Noori performed a live cover of Vital Signs
song "Teray Liye" through their video blog for their fans on Valentines Day. On May 6, John Louis Pinto and Muhammad Ali Jafri officially made their return back to the band after performing in Karachi
at a concert with the other two members of the band.
Former members
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Punjab, Pakistan, formed in 1996. The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Ali Noor, and his brother, Ali Hamza, who were soon joined by bassist Muhammad Ali Jafri and drummer Salman Albert. Noori is considered as one of the pioneering forces behind what is dubbed as the '21st Century Pop Revolution of Pakistan'.
Pioneers of the mainstream Pakistani
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, although initially the band was formed by the two brothers, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, the latter left the band for a short while to continue his studies at LUMS
Lahore University of Management Sciences
The Lahore University of Management Sciences, usually referred to by its acronym LUMS, is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. LUMS was established in 1984 by a group of industrialists and people belonging to Pakistan's leading private and public sector corporations, to provide rigorous...
. However, Ali Noor and Muhammad Ali Jafri continued playing for the band and recruited drummer Salman Albert. Soon afterwards, Albert parted ways and was replaced by Farhad Humayun. After releasing the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s of the singles "Jana Tha Humne" and "Tum Hans Diyay", Humayun also left the band and was replaced by John L. Pinto. By this time, the band also recruited guitarist, Murtaza Jaffar and started working on their debut album but just before the final recordings of the album, Jaffar left the band to pursue his own personal interests. And then, Ali Hamza rejoined the band and Noori took the shape of a four member band. Noori then went on releasing their debut album, Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians...
, in 2003. After two years, the band went on recording and releasing their the critically acclaimed second album Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya
Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians* Backing vocals on "Ooncha" by: Ali Azmat...
(2005), after which bassist, Ali Jafri left the band and started his own business. In 2006, drummer Louis J. Pinto, also left the band, as he was busy doing side projects with other bands as a session player, apart from the blood brothers, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza. The band then called for two year hiatus and then made their comeback into the music scene in 2008 by releasing their first ever song written "Do Dil
Do Dil
-Charts:...
".
In 2009, the band went on performing at Coke Studio
Coke Studio
Coke Studio is a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. Although it is adapted from the original Brazilian show named Estúdio Coca-Cola, it is fundamentally different from the original version where the show was a concert style show whereas the Pakistani version records its...
second season, also performing at the third season in the following year. The band then started working on their third studio album. In 2011, John L. Pinto and Muhammad Ali Jafri rejoined the band, and Noori reunited to it’s original four-man line up; as it was at the launch of their debut album.
Early years (1998-2002)
The name of the band, Noori, is not derived from Ali Noor, lead vocalist and guitarist. Noori is a Persian word which means “light” and the concept behind the band was the light which shows you things with a different perspective. Noori’s songs are about young people.Noori started 7 years before their first album "Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians...
" which came in 2003. Before Noori, Ali Noor and Muhammad Ali Jaffri worked with co-VEN and released an EP called “Not in your world”. Noori has been famous for their live acts and they performed their very first concert in 1998, at Sacred Heart School, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. Their second album was released in 2005.
Mainstream success (2002-2005)
Noori's debut album, "Suno Ke Main Hun JawanSuno Ke Main Hun Jawan
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians...
" had developed a cult following before the album's release in 2003 through leaks on the internet. "Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians...
" offers a complicated mix of sounds, starting from a folk-like "Manwa Re" that was actually written for a Pakistani film, to hard rock anthems to youth like the title track. Noori’s debut album created whirlwinds across the Urdu speaking community all over the world. A first of its kind, it introduced the genre of pop rock music to the Pakistani mainstream. In addition the album was also a departure from the beaten track of chummy love songs and focused instead on inspiring the youth of Pakistan to take up the responsibility of doing something worthwhile for themselves and others. Thematically with songs urging listeners to change the world, that life is beautiful and professing women empowerment. Their album was about youth, their innocence, their dreams and how they feel about life. After their album release in 2003, they performed a duet, Nayan Jahan, with Anaida which was a success.
Their second album was a follow up on where "Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians...
" left off. It talks about what happens when the ever so energetic and hopeful youth grows up and faces the realities of the world. The discontentment and suffering which arises in this growing up, creates an indifferent and self-centered individual, who finds escape routes in things like drugs and other short-lived pleasures. Noori's second album, "Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya
Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians* Backing vocals on "Ooncha" by: Ali Azmat...
", on the other hand, starts off in a somewhat hopeful mood and then travels through bitter experiences and ends up with resigned despair, peppered with taunts.The album deals with a variety of subjects ranging from the problems and consequences of drug use to the collective apathy we all have descended into as individuals and as a society. Over a span of 6 years the band has put out two albums, they have performed over 400 concerts, self-produced 10 music videos and won 3 major music awards.
Recent years (2005-present)
In 2005 Muhammad Ali Jafri, who was playing bass guitar for Noori, left the band and started his own business. In 2006, Noori parted ways with John Louis Pinto (aka ‘Gumby’), the band's drummer, as he was busy doing side projects with other bands as a session player, and unable to give much time to Noori. For now on Noori has two band members and they are both blood brothers, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza.In 2008, after a hiatus of almost 2 years Noori came back with their new single "Do Dil
Do Dil
-Charts:...
". It is the first song ever composed by the band. In fact it is this song after which the brothers decided to start the band. The video is directed by Mandana Zaidi. It begins with the actual footage from 1996, of the first attempt to record the song. The video has clips of some of those that have been a part of the Noori's journey in one way or the other.
In 2009, they performed at the Coke Studio
Coke Studio
Coke Studio is a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. Although it is adapted from the original Brazilian show named Estúdio Coca-Cola, it is fundamentally different from the original version where the show was a concert style show whereas the Pakistani version records its...
Sessions along with artists like Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam is a Pakistani pop singer. He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs such as Aadat, Woh Lamhe, Tere Bin, Bakhuda Tumhi Ho, Pehli Nazar Mein, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Tu Jaane Na, Tere Liye. He is one of the most popular South Asian celebrity on Facebook with...
, Zeb and Haniya
Zeb and Haniya
Zeb and Haniya is a pop group from Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The duo's songs are mostly in Urdu, but some lyrics are also in Pashto, Persian and Turkish...
, Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
, Saeen Zahoor
Sain Zahoor
Saieen Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad is a leading Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth.He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year...
and many other successful musicians. They performed a duet with Saeen Zahoor
Sain Zahoor
Saieen Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad is a leading Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth.He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year...
, "Aik Alif", a sufi rock song which was huge success. They also performed in the third episode of Coke Studio Sessions
Coke Studio
Coke Studio is a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. Although it is adapted from the original Brazilian show named Estúdio Coca-Cola, it is fundamentally different from the original version where the show was a concert style show whereas the Pakistani version records its...
with their song "Jo Meray" which was performed in the format as it was originally composed by Ali Hamza in 2000. They performed "Sari Raat Jaga" on the fourth Coke Studio Session. On 14 August 2009, Noori performed "Kedaar" from their upcoming album at the last Coke Studio Session.
On May 15, 2010, the lineup for Coke Studio confirmed that Noori will feature in the third season along with many well known artists and bands like Entity Paradigm, Aunty Disco Project, Karavan
Karavan
Karavan is a rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1997. The band is founded by former Awaz lead guitarist Asad Ahmed with the help of his friend bassist Sameer Ahmed, who were soon joined by drummer Allan Smith and lead vocalist Najam Sheraz. Karavan are regarded as one of the most...
, Abida Parveen
Abida Parveen
Abida Parveen , is a Pakistani singer of Sindhi descent and one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music . She sings mainly ghazals, Urdu love songs, and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets...
and many other successful musicians. On June 20, 2010, Noori performed a duet "Tann Dolay" with Zeb & Haniya at Coke Studio third season the second session, 'Will'. On July 10, 2010, Noori released the studio version of the single "Tann Dolay" which also featured Zeb & Haniya. On July 18, 2010, Ali Noor and Ali Hamza did a live interview with Abdul Rauf and Maria Memon the weekly morning show, 'Geo Pakistan', on Geo News
GEO News
Geo News is a Karachi-based Pakistani news channel, fully owned and operated by Jang Group. The channel started its broadcasting in November 2005 and has millions of Urdu-language viewers around the world.- Popular Shows :...
. On July 26, 2010, the Noori brothers did a collaboration at the fourth Coke Studio session 'Form' for the song "Hor Vi Neevan Ho" with their mother, Noor Zehra Kazim, an accomplished player of the Sagar Veena, an instrument developed by her father, Raza Kazim
Raza Kazim
Raza Kazim is a lawyer, activist and former politician in Pakistan. He was involved with the Pakistan Peoples Party in its initial days and, before that, with the Muslim League and, in British India, the Indian National Congress....
at the Sanjan Nagar Institute for Philosophy and Arts.
Currently, Noori is working on their third album and that album is going to be out in September 2010. Noorie has contributed their famous song with Saieen Zahoor for the latest BBC production "West is West" starring Om Puri. The Film is a sequel of now cult film, East is East made ten years ago by the same team.
On February 14, 2011, Noori performed a live cover of Vital Signs
Vital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
song "Teray Liye" through their video blog for their fans on Valentines Day. On May 6, John Louis Pinto and Muhammad Ali Jafri officially made their return back to the band after performing in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
at a concert with the other two members of the band.
Discography
Studio albums- Suno Ke Main Hun JawanSuno Ke Main Hun Jawan-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians...
(2003) - Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol DunyaPeeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Noori:* Ali Noor: lead vocals, lead guitar* John "Gumby" Louis Pinto: drums* Ali Hamza: rhythm, vocals* Muhammad Ali Jafri: bass guitarAdditional musicians* Backing vocals on "Ooncha" by: Ali Azmat...
(2005)
Band members
Current members- Ali Noor - vocals, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(1996–present) - Ali Hamza - vocals, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(1996–present) - Muhammad Ali Jafri - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1996–2005, 2011–present) - John Louis 'Gumby' Pinto - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2003–2006, 2011–present)
Former members
- Salman Albert – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1996–1999) - Farhad Humayun – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2000–2002) - Murtaza Jaffar – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(2003)
Awards
- Noori won the Award for the Best Rock Song for "Do Dil" at MTV Music AwardsMTV PakistanMusic Television Pakistan is the Pakistani subsidiary of MTV, a cable television network owned by Viacom Inc. headquartered in New York. The Pakistan franchise has been set up in collaboration with Pakistan's first satellite channel media group known as Indus Media Group . Indus TV is Pakistan's...
in 2009. - Noori was selected as "Picked Artist Of The Month" on the Pakistani music channel called "The MusikThe MusikARY Musik is a 24-hour Urdu-English music channel from Pakistan.Originally created and launched from Dubai in 2003 under the leadership of the CEO Salman Iqbal and multiple Award Winner VP Wiqar Ali Khan...
" in June 2006. - Noori has won the Best Rock Song Category Award for "Nishaan" in Indus Music Awards 2006.