Open Web Player
The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was one of the greatest, and most passionate performers of qawwali music in all time. His performances showed the world the incredible beauty and intensity of Sufi music, the mystical traditions of the Islamic faith. These traditions have taken hold not only in Pakistan, but across the Islamic world, from the coast of West Africa to the islands of Indonesia, so it is only fitting that other Sufi musicians from around the world have gathered together on this two-CD set to pay their respects to one of the greatest masters of qawwali music.
Lovingly packaged and complete with a booklet about the artists and the life of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (including a picture of his tomb), this set contains a hauntingly beautiful collection of devotional music. The first CD opens with an older performance by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself, "Na Ruk Te Hai Aansoo" or "Love Has No Destination", and continues with performances by other Sufi artists. Sheikh Hamza Shakkur of Syria and Julien Jalal al-Din Weiss perform classical Arabic music of the Mawlawiyah brotherhood, Azeri singer Alim Qasimov performs a mournful mugham, Munadjat Yulchieva sings an Uzbek poem, and Senegalese pop singer Cheikh Lo (himself a Mouride) offers the zikr song traditionally used to introduce Sufi ceremonies. Two outstanding Pakistani performers are included, Abida Parveen and Shafqat Ali Khan, along with Kurdish singer Sharam Nazeri who draws upon the poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi.
The second CD opens with Punjabi singing from Mehr and Sher Ali, themselves Chistiyya Sufis like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It then continues forth with a classical north Indian performance of dhrupad from the Mallik Family, another poem from Alim Qasimov, classical Persian rhythms of the Kurdish Kamkar Ensemble from Iran, another Uzbek song from Munadjat Yulchieva and a duet between Salamat Ali Khan and Shafqat Ali Khan. This second CD shows some of the best examples of classical and devotional music from the Indian subcontinent. The CD closes with a performance of the famous "Mera Pia Ghar Aaya" (My Beloved Has Returned Home) done by Asif Ali Khan.
This CD set is beautiful, intense and ephemeral. There is a depth of emotion here rarely seen in music these days, no doubt because this collection is focused on love and loss, devotion and divinity. It also showcases the mystical side of Islam, pure love of God, something that western news media tries to exclude from the public these days sadly. This set is an essential buy for fans of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, something that will bring back memories of one of the greatest qawwali performers of all time. But it also introduces a number of other great Sufi singers, and showcases some of the greatest musicians from across the Muslim world. Odds are you will fall in love with their performances and go seeking out more from, say, Cheikh Lo, Abida Parveen, Sheikh Hamza Shakkur, the Kamkars Ensemble or Alim Qasimov.
If you liked this CD, I'd also recommend checking out Sufi Soul: Echos du Paradis, and Ambiances du Sahara: Desert Blues, both from the same label. Both are boxed sets featuring two CDs. The former focuses on global Sufi music, and includes some of the same artists featured on this CD (Munadjat Yultchieva, Sheikh Hamza Shakkur & Ensemble al-Kindi, and of course Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) alongside many other well known Sufi singers. The second focuses on music from the deserts of north and west Africa, inlcuding performances by Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Dimi Mint Abba, Abdel Gadir Salim, Aster Aweke, Hamza el Din and Mahmoud Ahmed. Both are excellent compilations, and I strongly recommend them.
