I’ve been playing music most of my life, and the thing that inspires me is when I see other people that are moved by the music, moved by the lyrics and that, it contributes, maybe just a little bit of happiness, a little bit of soul into their lives, and so it keeps me doing it, 39 years now.

Blessed with an abundance of musical talent, our featured guest today is an artist of extraordinary depth and deep compassion. A much loved and widely respected veteran of the music industry, his inspirational lyrics, soothing vocals, and soul-stirring instrumentals have reached out to touch the hearts of many.

Can you tell us what the name Kashif Saleem means?

Sure. Kashif is an Arabic name. It means “Discoverer” and “Inventer.” And in Yiddish it means a “Matchmaker.” And Saleem means “One who comes in peace”.

Wow, so that fits you perfectly – as the inventor of music and one who comes in peace and love.

I hope so. I try.

Gracious viewers, on today’s episode of Vegetarian Elite, we are proud to present musician and humanitarian – Kashif.

I think that love is in everyone. But I do think that as a seed it needs to be nurtured, watered, and fertilized so that it can grow properly and blossom beyond your own being so you can share it with other people. I think that God, if you will, the universe, whatever resonates with you, said, “We’re going to not give Kashif parents. But what we are going to do, we’re going to sprinkle a whole lot of music stuff on him, let’s get out the music dust and sprinkle on him.”

Kashif first came to musical prominence as a 15-year-old playing keyboards in the renowned funk band B.T. Express. His solo career flourished not long after with the release in 1983 of his self-titled album “Kashif” with Arista Records, containing his own compositions – many of which were written during his high school days. This debut album established Kashif as an artistic innovator willing to experiment with exciting new sounds and rhythms. It included hits such as “Stone Love,” “Help Yourself to My Love,” and “Say Something Love.”

The thing I remember about that album was that I recorded with such freedom. We did everything, recorded, on some songs I’m playing garbage cans, and others I’m doing vocal percussion – it was a lot of freedom there and I didn’t feel much pressure. That was the thing about that album that I remember the most.

And of course more success followed after that. What were some of your favorite albums or pieces or memories of performing?

I have a picture on my wall at home that says Ashford and Simpson and Kashif, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. That’s one of my fondest memories, and you know why? My junior high school teacher, his name was Robert Webbler. The guy who used to come to my house and drag me to school at six o’clock in the morning. I’m on stage, I walk on stage at Radio Music City Hall and the crowd is about to go I’m the new guy on the block. And I walk out to center stage and there sitting in the very front row was my junior high school music teacher, my musical mentor. He sat there and cried for the whole show.

That is a very strong memory for me because I think it was at that moment that I realized that I had arrived, so to speak. Because there he was representing my very humble beginning of the music and cultivation, and there I was on stage at one of the most famous venues in the world. And that was a really cool time, it was.

As a six-time Grammy Award-nominated songwriter and producer with a career spanning four decades, Kashif has collaborated with some of the greatest in the music industry, including Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Kenny G, Janet Jackson, Dionne Warwick, George Benson, and Barry White. He has received Grammy nominations for songs such as “Call Me Tonight,” “Edgartown Groove” featuring Al Jarreau, and “The Movie Song.” We asked Kashif to share with us some of his memorable moments in working with the legends of the music world.

The thing about being a producer and songwriter is that I feel like I’m always growing. Every time I walk into the studio with an artist, I learn something new, and that’s really ironic because they come in thinking I know everything. So I got a great big secret, I guess up until now – I learn something new. Whitney Houston, she comes into the studio. She’s not made any records before, and we put the song on, let her listen to it for one time. We give her the lyrics sheet and we say go out into the studio, step in front of the microphone, and just practice it a few times.

When you look through the glass, when the singer looks through the glass of the recording studio, they often times can see the recorder, and they can see whether the red light is on or not. So I had an assistant stand in front of the machine so she couldn’t see the red light, so I said, “Okay Whitney, we’re getting ready to start just rehearse it a couple of times, we’re not going to record.” And I said, “Are you ready?” She says, “Yes, I’m ready.” So engineer press play, I said press record. That 90% of what you hear on that record “You Give Good Love” is Whitney singing that song for the first time.

And so what I learned from that is that often times when the singer’s most relaxed and they don’t think anybody’s listening or paying any attention, they can do their best work. It’s when they feel like they’re under that looking glass that sometimes they get a little tense.

Kashif is well respected and admired for his spirit of generosity towards others in the music industry. He has openly shared his expertise in the industry to help other artists become successful. In 1995 he authored a book entitled “Everything You’d Better Know About the Record Industry” as the chief executive officer of his own Los Angeles-based company, “Brooklyn Boy Books, Entertainment, and Information.”

And in 1994, on the invitation of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension program, he created a course called “Contemporary Record Production with Kashif.” Besides his great passion for music, it would seem that love, and a willingness to be of service to others, is the overwhelming motivating force behind Kashif’s professional and charitable undertakings.

People often ask me how come most of my songs have “Love” in the title – “Love Come Down,” “I’m in Love,” “Back to Love,” “Stone Love” – all of these titles have “Love.” And I had to ask myself, and this is the answer that I came up with: that everything in life that we experience and all energy that we bring to every situation emanates from love.

Think about it. Wanting love, needing love, love lost, chasing love, jealousy, fear is the lack, all comes from love. So, anger is the fear that someone doesn’t love in the way that you would hope they would. Fear is not a pure emotion, it’s an outlook of anger and an outlook of not having the love, or afraid that you don’t have the love that you require at that time. Love is the absence of fear. Ultimately, I want musicians, singers, songwriter, producers, and music entrepreneurs to make music that supports the love process.

Nowadays, and I feel that it has been going on for a very long time, commercial musicians make music to make money, and that’s not what music is about. And so ultimately I want people to feel strong enough and independent enough to make the music that is indigenous to who they are, and that music supports the love process. And when you support the love process music does its rightful job. It transcends all the boundaries – language boundaries, ethnic boundaries, anything – put a good piece of music on and it does it. You don’t even have to understand the language.

Do you think that this essence of love, this theme of love that you’re putting out through your music, is this what’s really attracting people and getting people excited about your music?

Yeah, definitely. I definitely think, and I hear this all the time from my fans, and God bless them, they’ve been here a long time, and yeah people love, they feel the music, it makes them happy, and then that makes me happy.

On the occasion of Supreme Master Television’s 4th Anniversary Concert, Kashif was invited to be a part of the stellar cast of vocalists for a song titled “Let’s Love,” that was adapted from Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poem written in her youth. Applying his skills as a Grammy-nominated producer, Kashif also served as the music director for the heart touching song, which became the finale of the celebration.

“Just pass me by…” So you lean into the microphone just a little bit, (Okay, got you.) so we can hear what’s happening with your mouth. (Okay.) All right, here we go, let’s try again.

If you, brother, just pass me by
Not even once make contact our eyes

Yeah, yeah. It’s a very powerful technique. You know from being a stage performer that once you start speaking really low… People go, “What did she…?” They don’t want to miss anything. I can make that louder, but I thought the performance was really good. (Yeah.)

You and I, one identical life:
Let’s embrace and share all the joys,

Let’s gift peace to each other.

That’s it, let’s get the “to each other.”

to each other.

I can’t believe you followed me with the vibrato. Did you know that’s what I was doing?

Let’s love each other

Oh, that was nice, oh, that was nice.

“Gifting Peace,” the theme of today’s concert, was inspired by Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poem “Let’s Love.” Though it was written many years ago, it conveys a timely message of hope and encouragement.

Set to music by the renowned Mr. Al Kasha, the song “Let’s Love” will be performed by a dazzling constellation of artists. Returning to the stage are Ms. Liz Callaway, Ms. Melissa Manchester, Ms. Melba Moore, and Ms. Karen Ziemba. And they will be joined by Mr. Kashif and Ms. Leah Allers.

Mr. Kashif is a famed musician (And a friend of mine!) and a friend of John’s and a legendary record producer whose work has been recognized by Grammy nominations and a constant demand from prominent artists as a writer and producer. He’s sold over 70 million records!

He’s a friend of mine! Did I tell you that?

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy "Let's Love."

“Let’s Love”
You and I, one identical life:
Let’s embrace and share all the joys,
Uplifting ourselves in times of need
Sailing together through bitter and sweet.

Let’s love each other
The rainy season fresh and cooling
River waters, sweet nectar
Nourishing love amongst human beings
Let’s live just for each other
Let’s live on for our future.
Let’s build Eden on Earth.
Let’s gift peace to each other.

If you, brother, just pass me by
Not even once make contact our eyes
Tomorrow we might from this world depart
Both will feel reluctant – the hour of goodbye

Let’s love each other
The rainy season fresh and cooling
River waters, sweet nectar
Nourishing love amongst human beings
Let’s live just for each other
Let’s live on for our future.
Let’s build Eden on Earth.
Let’s gift peace to each other.

For love is complete and perfect.
The love of Earth and Heaven.
The love of humans.

Let’s love each other
The rainy season fresh and cooling
River waters, sweet nectar
Nourishing love amongst human beings
Let’s live just for each other
Let’s live on for our future.
Let’s build Eden on Earth.
Let’s gift peace to each other.

You and I, one identical life:
Let’s embrace and share all the joys,
Uplifting ourselves in times of need
Sailing together through bitter and sweet.

Let’s love each other
The rainy season fresh and cooling
River waters, sweet nectar
Nourishing love amongst human beings
Let’s live just for each other
Let’s live on for our future.
Let’s build Eden on Earth.
Let’s gift peace to each other

Let’s love each other
The rainy season fresh and cooling
River waters, sweet nectar
Nourishing love amongst human beings
Let’s live just for each other
Let’s live on for our future.
Let’s build Eden on Earth.
Let’s gift peace to each other
Let’s gift peace to each other Let’s love.

A devout Muslim who respects all life, Kashif practices the vegan lifestyle, and has even inspired his personal assistant James to do the same. He chose the compassionate, plant-based diet for several reasons, including spiritual growth, environmental concerns, food and energy conservation issues, and as a means to more fully participate in and promote a peace-loving way of life.

Well, I just became a vegan, so I’m still evolving into that whole existence and the challenges that I faced in the beginning. Just trying to find the simple meal was pretty big because the basic American diet, everything revolves around the meat protein that they put in your plates. And I’m a big guy, so I want some food that gives me some of that emotional satisfaction. And when you’re first a vegetarian, or you are first a vegan, you have to learn that.

But for me, being a vegan represents a couple of things. It represents [for] me, I think becoming more in tune with the universal law that says treat all other beings the way you would want to be treated. I’m always being very conscious, very sort of like an Earth child. I don’t kill bugs. I’ll put it on a tissue you know, let it fly away outside. My friends tease me but I don’t care. But it helped me get refocused about that part of my life and how important the spiritual aspect of my life is to what my ultimate goals are, and the things I get involved with.

Aside from music, what does Kashif love speaking about most? How does veganism support his faith and spirituality? What role does his painful past have in his heartfelt endeavors with the charitable iCare Foundation? Please join us next week, April 30, for the second part of our show on inspirational musician and children’s champion, Kashif.

Thank you gracious viewers for your company today on Vegetarian Elite. Coming up next is Between Master and Disciples, here on Supreme Master Television. May your day be graced with beauty, love, and splendor.