News Desk |
In a big news for qawwali fans worldwide, it has been revealed that a rare and high quality recording of maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is set to be released soon.
The recording is a high quality version of the midnight performance recorded at the WOMAD festival in 1985. The festival was co-founded by Peter Gabriel. It was with Gabriel’s label Real World that Nusrat went on to release his recorded albums.
Read more: Nusrat Fateh Ali’s daughter to sue people stealing his music
A number of low-quality recordings of the performance exist online, including YouTube versions. However, the sound does not do justice to Nusrat who was said to be at his vocal prime in the performance.
For fans of #Qawwali music, today is a gift from the God of all beauty: A new recording of the classic 1985 #WOMAD recording of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at the peak of his powers has been discovered. https://t.co/NTFqNrcypB
It's sublime!#Sufi #NFAK #Nusrat #NusratFatehAliKhan— omid safi (@ostadjaan) July 18, 2019
The performance at the WOMAD festival was the first time the maestro performed in front of an audience that was not exclusively South Asian. As Gabriel brought his powerful vocals to the world, Nusrat’s appeal was understood to transcend the understanding of the language he sang in. This performance is unarguably the first step of his global appeal.
The recording has been hidden away in some distant archive for 34 years, overlooked perhaps because a huge volume of work has existed despite its exclusion. However, the work which has a unique place in Nusrat’s life and career is finally set to to hit the market. Live at WOMAD is set to be released on July 26. However, you can temporarily stream it online here.
The first track on the album Allah Hu, a hamd sang in the praise of Allah and traditional way to begin a Qawwali performance. The track would go on to become a staple of any Nusrat Performance throughout his life.
34 years ago, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistan’s gift to world music, performed live in the UK. The recording has only just been released and you can stream it, thanks to @nprmusic First Listen. A sublime treat! https://t.co/9HeemzJRrG
— Hannah Bloch (@HannahBloch) July 19, 2019
The second track is titled Haq Ali, another one of Nusrat’s most recognized tracks and an ode to the cousin and companion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
The third track is called Shahbaz Qalandar, and the fourth is titled Biba Sada Dil Mor De. All in all a wholesome and rewarding experience of Nusrat at his best like he has never been heard before.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died in 1997, only two months shy of his 49th birthday. Despite the small number of years he lived and perfomed, his music remains timeless and transcends barriers of language and geography with its soulful quality. “My music is a bridge between people and God” Nusrat once said.