Sunday Under The Covers - Jeff Buckley Covers Nusrat Fetah Ali Khan?
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Artist:
I have just about everything Jeff Buckley ever released, but like an great artist with a posthumous career, more and more stuff keep appearing from his back catalog that sort of cement his infamy.
After thoroughly exhausting myself on Buckley's only complete album Grace, and technically incomplete Sketches For My Sweetheart, The Drunk, I discovered his Live at Sin-é E.P., in which he does an amazing cover of Van Morrison's "The Way Young Lover's Do", which eveentually introduced me to Morrison's epic Astral Weeks album. To this day I still think Buckley managed to make Morrison's song his own the way he did with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
Anyway, sometimes it's a shame for an artist to have a more sucessful career in the afterlife, than they did in this one. Buckley's is bittersweet to say the least, because if you listen to the re-released 2 disc version of Live at Sin-é you hear what a gifted musician and performer this guy really was. If a musician is to stand trial with the music that's in his head, and his guitar in front of a crowd, and have them from note one, than this is the prime example.
Here he is, in all his quirkiness. At times it's not unlike any open mike you might go to. There's banter to the crowd, some jokes. But the shear confidence possesed by the performer and his "accumen".
The point is this, there's things you'd expect from a coffee shop performance - Dylan cover, etc. but then there is the left field choices, a choice like Qawwali singer of Sufi Devotional music. Sure Nusrat was huge in the middle east, but his music would seem difficult to cover for a white boy. Consider me surprised. I'm certainly no Nusrat expert, but this cover of "Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hai" gave me chills. It is amazing. This is not you standard coffe shop open mic night fare.
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Comments (8)
This has been a favorite of mine since it was released. A project handled by Jeff's biggest fan--his momma, Mary Guibert. Jeff's covers were my first introductions to great artists like Nusrat and Cohen.
If you are a big Buckley fan, check out Mark Geary--a guy who used to open for Jeff at the Sin-e'.
Hmmm.....while respect is unquestionably due for (1) learning how to sing such a complex song, and (2) playing it before an audience unfamiliar with Qawwali music, I have to say that I found his vocals a little too thin to really capture the depth of the Sufi devotional sound.
On balance, a grudging 7/10
Interesting... I learn something every day here on Mog. I have not heard of Nusrat. I am sure I will hear more. Thanks for the post!
Well, Nusrat is amazing. Obviously a lot is a lost over language barrier, but Qawaali is a very spitirtually moving music, andNusrat was considered a living god when it came to it. His story is very interesting and it's surprising how little the average person has heard of him in the west.
Perhaps this is what I love most about "Under The Covers Sunday" is for well known artists to expose listeneners to whole new, unheard of artists.
Well, Nusrat is amazing. Obviously a lot is a lost over language barrier, but Qawaali is a very spitirtually moving music, andNusrat was considered a living god when it came to it. His story is very interesting and it's surprising how little the average person has heard of him in the west.
Perhaps this is what I love most about "Under The Covers Sunday" is for well known artists to expose listeneners to whole new, unheard of artists.
I'm even more impressed - than getting the language - by his ability to approximate the sound of the music. Around 1995 producer Michael Brooks did a fantastic remix album of Nusrat on Real World that's well worth trying to find. Massive Attack also did a remix that I'll pull off a CD I have an post. Not as purist, but still really exciting and deep.
Well put! There is almost an attention to the nuance of the speech. Sort of phonetic hearing, that impresses me. Also the certain jangle-iness of the guitar serves his rendition well.
That Michael Brooks album is the only one I have, and your right, it's real good.
I met a girl from India in college and she told me that Nusrat's concerts were crazy (in a good way) - people would throw jewelry and money at the stage. They were in the throws of ecstasy (not the drug).
KoriLinc: Nusrat is rather underrepresented on MOG (although since many of his best tunes clock in at around fifteen minutes or more that may be due to posting technicalities.
One of his more "approachable" tunes can be found here - http://mog.com/Baudolino/blog/1291229