Monthly Archives: September 2012

The Last Prophet
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“To be a qawwal is more than being a performer, more than being an artist,One must be willing to release one’s mind and soul from one’s body to achieve ecstasy through music. Qawwali is enlightenment itself.”

    •Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on release of his biography,1992. Statement was included in the book

I have nothing but dust from the mazars where the beloved of Allah sleep.I transform this dust through my surs into my songs. A recreation , a perennial recitation of the Holy names of Allah, the Holy Prophet(PBUH) and Ali is my heritage. I will pass it on to the next generation. Perhaps Allah likes what I do and He has opened the gates of blessings on me.I love Him. I go far and wide with the name of my Beloved on my lips. To those who do not knowlanguage I chant Allah hoo, I sing of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and sing of Ali, the people are enchanted.I claim no skill, it is because of the great men of Allah, when I was awarded the Grand Prixin Paris Uxi Mufticame to me in thr green room and said that I possessed no skill for the honour and that it was because of saintsand blessings of Allah. He was right. what is man but a handful of dust and what canhe do?  Myself, I am nothing, If I am anything it is because of my companions. An axe cannot chop wood without its handle. I also cannot do anything without my companions and friends who work with me. They are as important as a thumb is in hand. The more honours I am given , the more afraid I become, that I might not slip inthe eyes of my fans. I pray to Allah to preserve me and keep me in his favour. I need his friendship . I do not bother about the disaffections of the times.  Naheed, my wife and Nida (my daughter) are the two rulers sitting on the throne of my heart. I travel long and wide to extend their empire. But I never forget them. In my heart are two portraits. Whenever I have an opportunity I bend and see them in my heart. The strings of my heart are in their hands. Farrukh and Rahat are my two eyes. I see the world through them. The world looks so beautiful. When these two eyes open it is daylight for me when the close ,the evening strats.  My father Ustaad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, his brothers are my spritual gurus. I am their son, their acolyte. It is my duty to preserve and protect the knowledge the music that they gave me. I do a lot of experiments but the base is classical music. i ambound with ragas. I may road around the world and may acquaint myself with the western instuments I never wander from the central point. from the stage of WOMAD and from the studios of Peter Gabriel, I always emerge depths of my own music.  The musical instuments may be western but my voice never wavers away from my own ragas. it is good to make experiments and I do a lot of them but my thoughts always round the centre and that centre is the tradition of my elders and it is classical music.. the tradition of my elders and it is classical music..

The Voice From Heaven
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Known as a “Singing Bouddha” in Japan, the “Quintessence of human singing” in Tunisia, the “Voice of Heaven” in the United States and the “Pavarotti of the Orient” in France… Pakistan’s most revered Qawwal singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, made the whole world resonate to the lyrical heights of Qawwali, a secular form of Sufi song that calls to divine ecstasy. His nearly superhuman vocal abilities, extraordinary improvisational skills, troubling intensity and softness of his voice, his kindled presence on stage, his many encounters and colorful musical cross-blendings and the enduring love that millions of fans lavished upon him worldwide all helped him bring the mystical music of Sufi’s to international stage becoming one the most celebrated superstars of World Music. He simply kicked his audience into a state of trance and ecstasy , he made them cry and weep at will, he made them dance and sing along although most of foreign audience never understood a word he uttered. He brought Qawwali music from mosques and shrines of Sufi saints to the common man’s winning the applause of the most diverse audiences ever while keeping faithful to his message:

When I’m sin-ging, the distance between God and me becomes lesser”, he said. “This music brings people together”.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a living legend and a bridge between tradition and modernity,Orient and Occident, the sacred and the profane. Since his untimely death in 1997, his legacy has continued to spread among major artists .
This blog is not a tribute , its a journey of my life ( and may be yours) form now and forever exploring the great messenger whose voice made me feel the existence of God. This project is intended to feature all the untouched aspects of the Legend, and will act as a guide to get maximum from legacy to achieve the utmost peace and ecstasy.

Tere Bin Nahi Lagda with a jazz essence released online by Jim Ankan and Ritwika Bhattacharya
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Jim Ankan Deka and Ritwika Bhattacharya, the musician duo from Bangalore released ‘Tere Bin Nahi Lagda’ online, a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

There aren’t enough words to surmise Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s contribution to the world of Sufi music nor his limitless musical genius. There’s certainly no way to replicate his six-octave vocal range or his meticulous compositions. “Tere Bin Nahi Ladga”, recently covered by Rittwika Bhattacharya and Jim Ankan Deka, is an interesting rendition of the virtuoso’s soulful melody.

 ‘It’s a humble tribute to the incredibly gifted maestro’, the budding musicians from Bangalore had to say about their cover.
Tere Bin Nahi Lagda was originally composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for the movie ‘Kachche Dhaage’. It became a super hit in the late 90s.
Rittwika’s sufi styled vocals and Jim’s incorporation of jazz elements don’t simply echo Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s original composition, but paraphases it as contemporary fusion. This is the second song by the musicians together, previously recorded the famous song ‘Ganga’ by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.
The song was recorded in Eastern Fare Studio in Bangalore (Eastern Fare Music Foundation) and was released online on May 13, 2012. The song is available for streaming on Reverbnation, Youtube and iTunes.
Originally Published By: India PRwire Bengaluru, Karnataka, May 14, 2012
The Song Will Be Released Here in next post very soon…
 

Mouthpiece For The Divine
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Remembering Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his 16th death anniversary 
Originally Authored By:

Adam Nayyar on Outlook

“I do not sing to become famous or wealthy. All praise is to God that I lack nothing. But, when I sing, it’s because I inherited this talent from my great heritage. I thank our ancestors many times, I only want to impart the message that they themselves imparted and be of service to you in making you aware of this message.”

—Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, 1948-1997

On August 16, 1997, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died and the world lost one of the most dynamic singers of the century. For six centuries, Nusrat’s family have performed qawwali music at royal courts and Sufi centres. Nusrat’s father insisted that he become a physician. But after mastering the tabla at the age of 16 and visualizing dreams of himself performing at the famous Khwaja Mo’in ud-din Chishti’s shrine in Ajmer, India, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan began a 33 year journey as the ‘mouthpiece for the divine’.

At the old Mehfil-e-Sama grounds in front of Data Darbar in Lahore (now covered with ugly concrete as part of the new Data Darbar complex), we used to go to the all-night qawwali sessions during the annual Urs. It was there in 1972 that I heard Nusrat for the first time, a year after his father’s death and was amazed by the virtuosity of this round young man. The energy, the passion, pushing the music to its limits with eyes squeezed shut, everything, the world would one day know him by, were already there. An enthusiastic Lahori crowd roared its approval, galvanizing the young qawwal to even more high-pitched and painfully powerful creations.

A couple of years later, as a homesick student in Germany during the 1970s, cassettes of Nusrat from the Rehmat Grammophone House in Faisalabad were all I asked for from home. It was Nusrat’s music that during those long years filled my little room with a power and freedom that made me proud of my identity. I still remember sophisticated Pakistanis turning up their noses at his music and saying, “Adam, do we really have to have this cacophony on so loud?” Yet they were the same ones, who ten years later used to ask me superciliously, “I’m sure you haven’t heard Nusrat’s latest. Isn’t he great?”

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