Not Forgotten: Songs for Afghanistan is a compilation CD that was produced in 1999 – 2000 and released for the sole purpose of raising awareness about the plight of the Afghan people under the Taliban regime in the late 1990s. Nearly 24 years after the CD was released, the message of the album is sadly still relevant today.
In January 1999, I approached my good friend, George Winston, about a fundraising project for the women and children of Afghanistan. George had always been interested in Afghanistan, my father’s birthplace, and he asked me to send him my first song idea. “One Last Glance” was originally composed in 1985 for the Afghan refugees fleeing from the Soviet Occupation which lasted for 10 years, during which time 1.5 million Afghans perished.
George agreed to collaborate on a small fundraising project with me, and it evolved into an album of original songs, traditional Afghan songs sung by my father and cousin, and new interpretations of Afghan folk songs. Not Forgotten: Songs for Afghanistan was a true labor of love, recorded over two years at Different Fur studios in San Francisco, CA.
We created the album to raise awareness about the inhumane conditions and oppression under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and to raise funds to help Afghan women, children and people in their struggle to live with dignity under those terrible conditions.
Twenty-four years later, the situation in Afghanistan is dire, the Taliban have returned to power, and the people are struggling to survive in one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the planet. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have fled and once again Afghan women and girls find themselves living in a nightmare without basic human rights, their freedom and dreams shattered under the weight of barbaric tyranny.
The Artists
This album is dedicated to the memory of my father, Hasan Nusratty, my cousin, Fatana Kohzad, and my good friend, George Winston, who all passed away too soon from the ravages of cancer.
Khorshied Machalle
Khorshied Machalle is a singer, songwriter, women’s rights activist and former actress. She wrote the words and music and sings on “One Last Glance,” “Don’t Turn Your Faces Away,” and “Stillness.” Khorshied produced this album with Howard Johnston in 1999 – 2000.
George Winston (1949 – 2023)
George Winston was a multi-talented pianist, composer and harmonica player, who is frequently credited with being at the forefront of New Age music. George was a multiple Grammy Award winner and sold over 15 million albums. George appears courtesy of RCA Records/Dancing Cat.
M. Hasan Nusratty (1933 – 2009)
Khorshied’s father, M. Hasan Nusratty was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and emigrated to the U.S. in 1955. Hasan could sing and recall hundreds of songs and poems by heart from his Afghan heritage, and inspired his children to appreciate music, culture and the art of the world. In fact, all three of his children lived and worked in Afghanistan because of their love for Hasan and their Afghan heritage. It is with great pride that Hasan appears on the album, singing “Amade Budi” and “Delberrah.”
Fatana Kohzad (1958 – 2023)
Khorshied’s cousin, Fatana Kohzad was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lived in the U.S. starting in 1973. A self-taught singer, Fatana sung songs in English, Farsi, French and Italian. Her amazing voice and great love of singing inspired her cousins and those around her for many years, and she appears on the album singing “Ai Sarabon” and “Mai Han.”
Sakhi Karimi
Sakhi Karimi is a harmonium and keyboard player and singer from Kabul, Afghanistan. He is married to Khorshied’s cousin, Qadria, and lives with her in Southern California. Sakhi plays harmonium on “Amade Budi” and “Ai Sarabon.”
Jawad
Jawad is from Afghanistan, was a freedom fighter during the Soviet occupation and was a political refugee from that war. It is common in Afghanistan to use only one name. Jawad plays harmonium on “Amade Budi” and “Ai Sarabon.”
Toryali Hashimy
Toryali Hashimy was living in refugee camps in Pakistan for over a year before he was granted refugee status in the United States in 1998. Toryali plays tabla on “Amade Budi” “Delbarrah,” “Ai Sarabon,” and “Mai Han.”
Omar Naim
Omar Naim was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, is a gifted singer and songwriter of Afghan-American songs and plays harmonium on “Mai Han”.
The Songs
One Last Glance
Amade Bude
Ai Sarabon
Don’t Turn Your Faces Away
Attan Meli
Mai Han
Delberrah
Stillness
Credits
Not Forgotten: Songs for Afghanistan was recorded at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco, CA from January 1999 until December 2000. The album was produced by Khorshied Machalle and Howard Johnston. Howard Johnston handled the engineering with additional engineering by Justin Lieberman. The CD was mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles, CA.
Photo credits:
Steve McCurry – Afghan Mother and Child, Ghazni, Afghanistan (cover photo)
Harriet Logan – Kabul through a Burqa, Woman under the Burqa
Luke Powell – Afghanistan landscapes, Afghan Women in Burqa
Robert Mizono – Khorshied Machalle (portrait)
Video Credits:
Masoud Nawabi, Creative Director at TOLO Music, produced the One Last Glance video.
With special thanks to Saad Mohseni, Moby Group, for his support.
Website Credits:
Tulio Cardozo designed and built the Artists for Afghanistan Foundation website (www.forafghanistan.org), and provided essential guidance throughout the process.
Special thanks to my good friends Beverly Parenti and Chris Redlitz for their friendship, guidance and support for this project. (www.thelastmile.org)