Saami Brothers Qawwal Party
The tradition of the ecstatic Qawwal Bachay from Pakistan – Sufi Festival
Ecstasy with harmonium
Over 30 years ago, thanks to the activities of Peter Gabriel’s record label Real World, the Western world first learned of the existence of an ecstatic Sufi music called Qawwali. Qawwali had existed for centuries, but up to then it had hardly travelled beyond the confines of ritual assemblies and weddings, chiefly in Pakistan. The in every sense outstanding ambassador of this vocal tradition was the overweight singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who worked with rock stars like Gabriel and Pearl Jam, as well as with theatre director Peter Brook. One of the few Qawwali singers of equal skill is Ustad Naseeruddin Saami from Karachi, whose namely simply means »to listen«.
Ustad sings from a scale that covers 49 microtones, and makes reference in his music to an even older tradition called Khayál; he defends the spiritual art of Qawwali fiercely against any kind of dilution. Ustad is still active, but his two sons, whom he trained himself, have been following in his footsteps for some years, causing a sensation these days as the Saami Brothers.
The instrumental line-up is simple: two harmoniums, two drums and clapping. In the tradition of Qawwali, which is sung in several languages, the melodies are more important than the texts. In connection with Qawwali, incidentally, the word »party« refers to the group, and not to boisterous merrymaking. But things can actually turn into a party when the Saami Brothers sing themselves and their audience into a state of ecstasy.
Performers
Saami Brothers Qawwal Party
Muhammad Rauf solo vocals, harmonium
Ahmed Ghani vocals, harmonium
Muhammad Arooj Khan vocals
Muhammad Azeem Jawwad tabla, vocals
Naseem Ahmed dholak
Mohiuddin Nizami hand clapping, chorus vocals
Muhammad Jawwad hand clapping, chorus vocals
Sardar Adnan Ahmad Ali Khan hand clapping, chorus vocals
Programme
Die Tradition des ekstatischen Qawwal Bachay aus Karatschi
Festival
Sufi Festival