nusrat fateh ali khan best qawwali free download mp3

Those listeners couldn't have been prepared for what was about to erupt. The audience was slowly drawn in, first through the plush harmonium, beautifully played by Khan's brother, Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan (who has since died as well), and the constant murmur of tabla and the hand claps of the group's chorus. It starts out with one of Khan's signature songs: 'Allah Ho', which is also known on other recordings as 'Allah Hu' or 'Allah Hoo.' It's a hamd, or praise song, and the traditional way of opening a qawwali performance. This 1985 concert marks Khan at his most traditional. (Sufi shrines and gatherings have been targeted for violence by Muslim extremists, both in South Asia and elsewhere.) As Sufism spread from Persia and what is now Turkey to northern India some 800 years ago, its poetry and music were blended with local styles.ĥ0 Great Voices Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: The Voice Of Pakistan These devotional songs are, in places including Pakistan and India, a core part of Sufism - that is, the mystical branch of Islam that emphasizes a personal connection to God, and embraces the qualities of tolerance, peace, and equality as core principles. (There are some low-quality videos of this performance online, but the sound on this album release, carefully digitized and remixed, is excellent.) Whether for longtime fans or new initiates, Live at WOMAD 1985 is an album to be treasured.Ī bit of background for newcomers: qawwali - whose root means 'utterance' in Arabic - is a uniquely South Asian musical style. It's a recording that has languished in the archives for 34 years. It was the performance that was hailed as Khan's first real introduction to non-South Asian audiences. Live at WOMAD 1985 by Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanĪnd yet, here we are, with a brand-new issue of Khan captured at his vocal prime, recorded when he was just at the precipice of becoming an international phenomenon: a midnight set recorded in 1985 at England's WOMAD festival, which was co-founded by Peter Gabriel five years earlier to showcase international music and dance talent.

Nusrat fateh ali khan best qawwali free download mp3