Ustad Noor Bakhsh

Discovered by the world in his late 70s, Ustad Noor Bakhsh is a master of the benju, a rare keyed zither from Pakistan’s Makran coast. Born into a nomadic family in Balochistan, he has spent a lifetime honing his craft, transforming the benju into an instrument of hypnotic, spiralling melodies and trance-like sounds. Played with one hand plucking strings and the other tapping typewriter-style keys, electrified through a small amplifier, the benju sings with a bright, resonant tone that carries the deeply emotional Balochi tradition of zahirok. Now touring internationally, Noor Bakhsh’s performances are joyous, spellbinding, and full of spiritual energy, a chance to witness a living master of Balochi folk music in London.