A rare foray into Bollywood by Qawwali titan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
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Artist:
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Album:Aur Pyar Ho Gaya
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Track:Zindagi Jhoom Kar
In 1997, whilst his popularity was at his peak, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan lent his remarkable Islamic Sufi-trained qawwali vocal cords to two Bollywood films, singing this one track and appearing as a special guest in Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, directed by Amar Haldipur and Javed Akhtar.
The film opened on 15th August 1997; sadly, whilst en route to the USA for urgent kidney surgery, the singer had collapsed in London four days earlier, and he died the day after the film opened. he was 48 years old. his funeral was attended by thousands of mourners.
Comments (6)
I like the music.
I listened all the way thru. This style of vocalizing is difficult to jump into cold...without a guide to help us understand just what makes this so compelling...to some
There's a wealth of information out there on the Interweb about his vocal style; many "classic" qawwali songs clock in at between ten and twenty minutes, with much complex vocal interplay. Jeff Buckley covered him, and he recorded with Eddie Vedder. You can hear him in a number of mainstream Western made films (although he was unhappy about his music being used in Natural Born Killers, which was hardly in keeping with the devotional beliefs of the Sufi).
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (with his group Party) has been a favorite of mine since I first heard him 20+ years ago. I have never, until now, liked the fusion stuff. The Eddie Vetter thing included. Here, his qawwali style is melded with Indian popular styles to great effect.
His performances with Party and others generally begin with a melody and lyric that repeat and build gradually over that ten to twenty minutes to a spiritual frenzy. Repeating, rocking and soaring lead to a very deep experience of the meaning of the piece. This man was a great master and man. I was very sorry to hear of his death. He had a nephew, I think, who carried on the music.
I recommend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's album "The Last Prophet".
There is a wonderful Italian DVD (in English) with appearances by Rick Rubin, who produced his last sessions, and Michael Brook. Both very articulate and astute. I was fortunate to be present at the 1996 Berkeley concert which is depicted in the documentary. Check out Netflix or a deep inventory video store--it is quite informative.
Great music, great voice!