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Balochistan’s mystery benjo man, part 2

How the elderly Pakistani benjo player Noor Bakhsh went from serenading his goats in the jungles of Balochistan to performing for revellers on the European festival circuit.

After hunting for four years, Pakistani ethnomusicologist Daniyal Ahmed finally finds Ustad Noor Bakhsh, an elderly shepherd and master of the electric benjo – an obscure stringed instrument with typewriter keys. With Daniyal’s help, Ustad Noor would go from serenading his goats in the jungles of Balochistan to performing for revellers on the European festival circuit.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Translation: Wajid Baloch

Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Ustad Noor Bakhsh playing electric benjo with Daniyal Ahmed on the flute Credit: Daniyal Ahmed)

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41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 7 Mar 202412:06GMT
  • Thu 7 Mar 202418:06GMT
  • Thu 7 Mar 202423:06GMT
  • Fri 8 Mar 202403:06GMT

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