Audiopile Review: Pakistani spiritual jazz visionaries Jaubi finally offer their sophomore release after absolutely flooring us with their 2021 debut, Nafs At Peace. Split into two distinct halves—“Desire” denoting the first half and “Devotion” taking up the latter half—Jaubi continue to expand on their cross-pollination between jazz and Hindustani classical music. The “Devotion” half carries through from the kinetic energy of Nafs At Peace and amplifies it even further, reaching a fiery new apex not yet seen by the ensemble. The hip-hop slanted drumming and cyclical piano lines drive the pace while the lineup switches between ecstatic solos of flute, tabla, synth or the soaring sounds of the sarangi, played with a deeply emotional ferocity by Zohaib Hassan Khan, a 7th generation sarangi maestro. As the title suggests, the “Devotion” half of A Sound Heart is where the group move into calmer waters, nodding to greats like Mingus and Evans along the way. Flitting from the cool jazz trumpet/guitar/drums/piano quartet of “Soothing Mercy”, to the placid Eastern-fusion of “Raga Bairagi Todi” or the flute & Fender Rhodes-fronted ambient jazz of “Forgive Me”, Jaubi embody the mellow giants of the past while wiring in their own imprint. Honestly, this might be even better than Nafs At Peace.

For Pakistan’s JAUBI, “A Sound Heart” is the next chapter for the collective both sonically and spiritually, which follows on from their critically acclaimed debut album “Nafs At Peace” (Top 10 Global albums in The Guardian, Best of 2021 albums in Bandcamp) which also received praise from Downbeat and Pitchfork amongst others.

“A Sound Heart ” is the next chapter for Jaubi both sonically and spiritually. The title is inspired from a verse in the Holy Qu’ran (26:89) which declares that neither wealth nor children will be of any help to a person on the Day of Judgment “except [those] who will come to God with a sound heart”.

The heart in this context is the spiritual Heart (Qalb) for it is our heart which is the basis for our engagement with God. A Sound Heart is sincere, without doubts and free of ignorances, vices and materialistic attachments.

Importantly, it refers to a state where the heart is spiritually healthy and content with only God. A Sound Heart’s basis is goodness, rooted in love and in this case, it is love for one’s creator. Everything is done with the sole purpose of pleasing God. This album is therefore in simplistic terms a love album for one’s lover who could represent God, a partner, family or even love for oneself.

The title track is inspired by Bill Evans and a dedication to not only Evans but also to the bandleader’s father who is portrayed on the album cover in a state of raw contemplation and vulnerability. The photo is a snapshot of long conversations between the father and son, navigating through a tough period of emotional landscapes in their relationship. It thus represents a son coming back to his father after repairing their relationship and yearning for the fatherly love from before.

Each side of “A Sound Heart” tries to sonically capture different types of love and different stages of love, with side A (Desire) representing the stage with one yearning and craving for passion whilst Side B (Devotion) is the contemplative and heartfelt section of the album, signifying when one is vulnerable and has the sophistication to look inwards to come to their lover with a purified or sound heart.

This album is dedicated to God…whoever or whatever that means to you