Malay folk music revivalist Pak Pandir dies

Malay folk singer Pak Pandir, real name Azmi Ali, devoted his career in creating a robust and thought-provoking blend of socially-aware homegrown music. Photo: The Star/Glenn Guan

Malaysian folk singer Pak Pandir, who for nearly 40 years championed Malay roots music, died of health complications in a hospital in Selangor on June 29. He was 62.

Pak Pandir, or real name Azmi Ali, began his music career by writing songs in the 1980s for some of the biggest local artists then, such as Ramli Sarip, and Sahara Yaacob. However, as a Malay folk music revivalist at heart, the Pekan, Pahang-born singer-songwriter needed to have his own voice – and guitar – heard. It didn’t take long for Pak Pandir, who had a wry sense of humour, to find his own way in the Malaysian music scene.