The Legend of voice, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He rests while his voice casts the spell.
Faisalabad’s claim to fame may not be cricket stars but it has given to Pakistan as well as rest of the world one of the most gifted singers from the sub-continent. The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan whose very own brand of classical and Sufi music made him popular across the world was born here. (more…)
The only time I can really cry is when I’m vacuuming. My vacuum cleaner came from Sears and cost $449 (although I got it as a floor model for $200 off). It’s called something like a WIND MACHINE or WIND TUNNEL. It has powerful suction and is as loud as a riding lawn mower. When I feel like crying, I drag out my vacuum cleaner and I put on my CD of Eddie Vedder and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing, “The Long Road,” which is from the score of the movie Dead Man Walking. The song is sixteen minutes long and goes like this: (more…)
Qawwali
by David Courtney, Ph.D.
INTRODUCTION
Qawwali is the traditional form of Islamic song found in India and Pakistan. The word qawwali is derived from the Arabic word Qaol which means “axiom” or “dictum”. A Qawwal is one who sings qawwali, or the dictums of the prophets and praises of God. The Qawwali is closely linked to the spiritual and artistic life of northern India and Pakistan. (more…)
Biography
Without doubt the most important qawwal is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party — “Party” is a generic term for a qawwali ensemble but is also used in Sikhism and to describe some classical music ensembles, for example, shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan & Party.
Dubbed Shahen-Shah-e-Qawwali (the Brightest Star in Qawwali), he was born on October 13, 1948, in Lyallpur in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. He made his first recording in 1973 in Pakistan and a number of early EMI (Pakistan) albums jointly billed him with his uncle Mubarak Ali Khan. Since these mainly cassette albums were invariably undated and numerous, it is difficult to place them in any more accurate chronological sequence than catalog-number order. Between 1973 and 1993 his recorded output could only be described as prodigious, with more than 50 album releases to his name on numerous Pakistani, British, American, European and Japanese labels. (more…)
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