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:
love the harmonim sound in there, makes for a great sound with the trumpets and the drum (that is a drum, not a dhol, right?)
Folks, I am overwhelmed by the response (hits) to this post. Was just informed that
as of now, this post is No. 10this post went at least as high as No. 7 on the Top 100 Posts of the Day on WordPress… It seems that it attracted a fair number of non-Pakistani Jazz fans. [Edited 2.31 a]I should also say that like Khalid and MSK, I too like the original very much. However, not sure if the comparison should be between the original qawalli and this version. Since these two are very different genres of music.
I am with Khalid. The original qawalli anytime.
I was finally able to click the image and listen to this.
It is ‘interesting’ but I think mostly because it is different take on something we are familiar with.
http://www.geocities.com/karachiiterulez/nfak.html
I wonder how people who have never heard NFAK react to this.
I still prefer the original NFAK work. This is a little to jazzy for me.
The point Prof. Najam makes about the shaddi band is the right one. That is what it reminded me and made it more interesting for me.
Great band, BQP recently changed name to Brooklyn Qawaali Party since Brook is taking time off the band.