While we’re on the subject of Sounds of Kolachi, a band spearheaded by the inimitable Ahsan Bari, we must admit that their newly released debut album, Elhaam, which is available for streaming from Patari and Saavn, is a thing of beauty.  The 10-piece ensemble unit, having developed an excellent reputation for their exceedingly original concerts, has been playing shows for nearly three years now and late last month, held a show in Karachi in which they played material from their new album.

Apart from emerging at the peace jam in Sehwan Sharif alongside Ali Gul Pir this weekend, the band is also gearing up to play shows across the United States next month, courtesy of Center Stage, a cultural exchange program initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Beginning in March, the band will open their tour with shows in Washington and will head to other states like Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia before playing the last show in April in New York. In addition to Sounds of Kolachi, Sanam Marvi will also be a part of the tour.

Past participants from Pakistan include Arieb Azhar, Zeb and Haniya, Noori, Khumariyaan, Poor Rich Boy and Very Live (feat. Ali Gul Pir and Danish Ali).