Jazz meets Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Posted on July 22, 2006
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Music, People
23 Comments
Total Views: 31985

Adil Najam

I am not sure how ATP readers will react to this, but let me say that I have been totally mesmerized by this music and have had it on auto-repeat play for the last three days.

But, first let me thank Zeeshan Suhail, on whose blog I found this wonderful fusion/jazz band called Brook’s Qawwali Party (BQP).

BQP produces a captivating sound based on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s classic works and turn it into a unique and peculiar fusion of sufi qawalli rhythyms and jazz. But I will let them explain what they and their music is about. According to the BQP webpage (since unavailable):

What would happen if New York jazz musicians were to play and improvise around the melodies of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan? From this idea, Brook’s Qawwali Party was born. BQP consists of fourteen musicians: five horns, three percussionists, guitar, acoustic bass, harmonium and three designated clappers. The exuberant sound of BQP has been enthusiastically welcomed in New York City and across the globe.

According to Sepia Mutiny “Brook’s Qawwali Party is … made up of non-desi Brooklynites who get together in Park Slope… [they are] probably one of the only Sufi bands with Jewish members in existence.”

Of the half dozen audio clips that I have heard, my favorite is ‘Beh Haadh Ramza Dhasdha’ (He Manifests Himself in Many Forms)

I am a big fan of the original by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (in the album Shahbaaz) — I believe it is a tribute to Mansoor Hallaj shouting Ana al Haqq, even as he is executed on the gallows.

The BQP version has a very different quality to it and in the beginning I could not pin it down. But as I hear it again and again it seems to me that because they are using horns, their version has a shaadi waala band sound to it (I say this as a compliment because I am a huge fan of shaadi waala brass bands).

Anyhow, do listen and make up your own mind.

Of the other clips on their site, I also like Tou Kareemi very much. It again has that interplay of horns that reminds me of a good military band playing at a shaadi. Both of these are rather ‘fast’ numbers. If you are looking for mellower sounds you should try their rendition of Man Kuntou Moula. Their versions of Mast Mast and Allah Hou, Allah Hou are not bad but these seemed much more like instrumental versions of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s originals and, especially in the later, the chant of ‘Allah Hou’ gets a little too Americanized in accent for my taste.

(UPDATE: The clips I had first written about are no longer available. Here are some newer YouTube renditions:

23 responses to “Jazz meets Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan”

  1. listner says:

    –this is a typical western music form which is dominated by Harmony and Rythm. qawali is mainly based upon two important pillars: rag and tal. Rag is the melodic form while tal is the rhythmic.
    Brooklyn qawali is a corruption of western and eastern musical forms and lack of devine notes, is like shouting and without classical music constraints.

  2. listner says:

    sounds like Balkan Gypsy band.
    Aistaguca – Balkan Gypsy Wedding Band! – Iag Bari

  3. salam wale kum ,i m naviin from india & i play a uniq bow instrument called belabaharr which my father has invented wish to showcase my art of tabla & this instrument in Pakistan ,its my dream for d people there to see & enjoy my music & it wud also b my privelege to b with them interact & also touch the pakistan soil,inshahallah m hoping ur reply on +919820207827
    thanks regards

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HepqyIEzDBA

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPja12NPpfA&feature =related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOJDbucUGt4

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIP8c6twdqU

    thanks ,regards

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