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It's hard to overstate what a milestone this festival was for Khan. In a qawwali performance, the main singer is usually accompanied by one or two harmoniums to provide melodic support as well as percussion, while a small chorus sings and provides heartbeat-like claps. In all, it was a very truncated performance - in more traditional settings, qawwali concerts can go all night - but it was enough to hook listeners in. But he was also an exemplary improviser in the Hindustani classical style, using solfege-like swara syllables to race up and down the span of his range, darting between intervals large and small, and always with an ear to the technical and emotional demands of a particular raga.Īt WOMAD in 1985, Khan led his neophyte listeners through a very typical qawwali performance arc: after praising God in "Allah Ho," the group moved to "Haq Ali,", a song devoted to the Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law (and a figure revered by Sufis of both the Sunni and Shi'a sects) "Shabaaz Qalandar," which honors a 13 th century, Afghanistan-born Sufi master and a more contemporary love song, "Biba Sada Dil Mor De," which opens with the line "If you can't remain in front of my eyes, please give me back my heart." (This style of song, called a ghazal, can be understood as a secular love song or, more mystically, as a devotee's love of the divine.) Without question, he was on fire when he sang - lovers of soul and gospel will find much common ground here. There was a strong adherence to classical music in his family tradition, which you can hear in Khan's own performances. His first public performance came at his father's funeral, when he was just 16 years old. He learned the family business from his father and uncles - though his father, who was primarily a Hindustani (North Indian) classical singer, dreamed that his son would become a doctor. Khan - who is often reverently called by the honorific Khan Sahib - was literally born into this style: his family had been qawwals for over 600 years. 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
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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.
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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.