ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: Anyone who could dish out Rs1,000 or Rs1,500 plus for a fundraising concert was treated to some of the hit covers and instrumental performances on Friday night, courtesy some talented musicians.

The proceeds from the concert would go to the flood victims in Pakistan and the Philippines. Artists like Arieb Azhar and Natasha Humera Ejaz entertained the audience at the Benefit Jazz Concert.

The acts were interspersed with instrumental performances by the ‘Me You And Mi’ band with Mi Zhou on the keyboard, Gerry Sholomenko playing the saxophone and flute and Sarfraz Khan working his magic on the tabla.

Lending her voice to the concert also was Maria Fatima with Parham Faraed and Hassan Shaheer on acoustic guitars belting out cover tracks such as ‘Someone like you’ by Adele and Terri Kelly’s ‘Confetti’.

Maria Fatima really enthralled the crowd with her warm and clear acoustic sounds and did not let them sit against cushions in the lawn and on the sofas.

Natasha Humera Ejaz overwhelmed her listeners with passion in her performances and her songbird voice.

Not only did she sing the notes with near-perfect diction, she also understood the lyrics, letting her emotions flow while crooning numbers like ‘Moon river’ and ‘fever’, and ‘It don’t mean a thing’.

The audience did not experience what they had expected, when Me You And Mi hit stage – quieter and humbler tunes and amazing sounds of Mi Zhou’s keyboard, Sarfraz Khan’s tabla and Gerry’s Sholomenko’s saxophone.

And then Arieb Azhar and Zeeshan on electric guitar played in perfect complement — blending their instruments with consummate skill.

They created a unique voice for music that ranged in style from classical through jazz as well as contemporary.

The joy they took in their music was contagious, and their flair for tailoring their selection of songs and tunes for individual audience lent a lively freshness to each performance.

One must hear their compositions to appreciate and enjoy.

It’s easy to see why Arieb Azhar is one of the favoured singers for most amazing events.

Friday night was no different when he blew the audience away with pitch perfect vocals and the clarity of this acoustic guitar when he sang ‘Wonderful world’, ‘Black is the colour’ and the kalandri dhamaal ‘Dam lagiyaan mola’.

The event was organised by Kuch Khaas in collaboration with the Progressive Filipino Society.