Brooklyn Qawwali Party — In their Own Words (Extended Biography) Part 2

Brooklyn Qawwali Party

Paying tribute to one of the world’s greatest vocalists, Brooklyn Qawwali Party formed to honor the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, reworking his thunderous songs for an eclectic, eleven-piece orchestra comprised of groundbreaking jazz musicians. Funky, smart, and loving, BQP captures the joyful spirit of this Pakistani folk music in a unique instrumental blend of jazz and Qawwali. With five horns, guitar, bass, harmonium, and three percussionists, this band’s buoyant rhythm will be sure to get you on your feet and clapping.

The ensemble includes:
Tony Barba – tenor saxophone
Loren Stillman – alto saxophone
Ben Holmes – trumpet
Ryan Keberle – trombone
Brian Drye – trombone
Robert Jost – French Horn
Noah Jarrett – acoustic bass
Mike Gamble – electric guitar
Kris Davis – harmonium
Conor Elmes – percussion
Brook Martinez – drums

Click Here To Listen BPQ best

The Extended Biography

A singer does not acquire the nickname “The Voice From Heaven” for no good reason. And anyone that has ever heard Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan knows this moniker to be fitting. Yet Nusrat was more than a singer; he was an ambassador of Sufi/Islamic culture and art, as well as the modern seed of a seven-hundred-year-old lineage of qawwali singers. In his all-too-brief life, he transformed the folk music of Pakistan into something ready for – some would say craved by – global audiences

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A Voice From Heaven – A Film by Giuseppe Asaro , A Must Watch

Official Poster – “A Voice from Heaven”

Released On the first day of 21st century, A Voice From Heaven (2001) is probably the best documentary  ever made in the beloved memory of legendary Sufi qawwali singer, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

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Silsila: Infinite Qawwali

Silsila: Infinite Qawwali is a new and exciting context for setting the heaven-sent world famous voice of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahib, arguably the greatest qawwali singer of the modern era. Placing his unique voice back where it came from, among the sounds of the cosmos.

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The Voice From Heaven

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.