Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, undoubtedly the greatest Qawwal legend of his time, is often referred to as Shah-en-Shah-e-Qawwali or the Brightest star in Qawwali' for his contribution to the tradition of Qawwali & Sufi music.
Born in 1948, into a family of distinguished classical musicians, music was in Nusrat's blood. Nusrat was trained to follow in his father's footsteps early in his childhood, carrying their 600 year-old family tradition forward. After his father's untimely demise, he studied the intricacies of Qawwali music under the guidance of his uncle, and made his first public performance at his father's funeral ceremony in 1964. That performance marked the beginning of a long-standing career for Nusrat. He collaborated with many Western musicians of the world such as Eddie Veder and Peter Gabriel and took Sufi music beyond the confines of the Asian subcontinent. Nusrat went on to become not only the Qawwal icon of the 20th century, but also one of the few artistes who dissolved boundaries and brought the world together through his music.
Nusrat was initially trained within the classical framework of khayal and later absorbed into the Qawwali style of singing. Although he belonged to the traditional Qawwal fraternity, he devised a unique craft of rendering his songs - by blending the soulful alaps from the khayal style with the characteristic tempo and rhythm of a Qawwali. His performances often included short poetic verses, interspersed with sargam improvisations.
Nusrat's music has a universal appeal that transcends the barriers of language, religion and geography. It is said that one can feel him communicating with God through his music. And the force of his singing is so deep that it binds every listener such that there is unison in this offering to God.
This CD features the most treasured tracks of the artiste.
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