“The following Article was published on January 22, 1993, just one day before NFAK’s Unforgettable performance at Meany! in Seattle Times and is posted here with their permission. Read Along”

Tomorrow: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in concert, Meany Theater, 8 p.m., sold out. 543-4880. In Pakistan and North Indian mausoleums, singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is widely celebrated as a powerful conveyor of the spiritual message. In the West his versatile voice, melodic sensibility and deeply passionate delivery have made him one of the most popular performers of contemporary world music. Last September, Khan came to Seattle at the invitation of the University of Washington ethnomusicology department as a visiting artist. Khan will be teaching there through March. Tomorrow, he gives his first public performance here, accompanied by an ensemble of nine musicians.

[caption id=“attachment_1203” align=“alignleft” width=“300”] Malkit Singh - The Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Fan[/caption]

We all know and love Malkit Singh for  the songs “Gur Nalo Ishq Mita”, “Tootak Tootak Tootiyan”, “Kurri Garam Jayee”, “Dekh li vilyait”, as well as “Chal Hun,” and “Jind Mahi” from the blockbuster Bend It Like Beckham film soundtrack.

Malkit Sing was obsessed with NFAK from late 80’s but could never get a chance to see the man himself. He kept asking people around him so make it possible as soon as possible, and the big day came as a surprise. It was a Sunday afternoon in early 1990 when he got a call from Mohammad Ayyub from Oriental star Agency for a meeting. When Malkit reached there , he was surprised, it was NFAK sitting there waiting for him…. What happened next..

Raj and Pablo sit in for Tommy Sandhu and speak to Bally Sagoo, who remixed some of Nusrat’s greats.

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Ray Khan sits in for Rupal and invites Malkit Singh to talk about his experiences of meeting the Ustad, and he’ll be performing a couple of his favourite Qawwali’s live in the studio.

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If this doesn’t blow your heads off then Nothing can, Ustad Miyan Shaukat Hussain Khan (on Tabla) .. is from same family of Diddar Hussain (Punjab Gharana) and was regarded one of the best Tabla players of his era..

The following event took place on of the Barsi’s of NFAK’s father Ustad Fateh Ali Khan ( NFAK loved him more than any one else and every year conducted a tribute Classical program that was attended by best Ustaads and music personalities of Pakistan and sometimes India too), You might have never seen such a powerful Nusrat before, truly raw,organic & classic. NFAK gave USTAD SHOKAT HUSSAIN a very hard time . but at last look at at how happy they are and how much they are enjoying..

If NFAK was the thunder that entranced the world, Farrukh was the rain of melody that followed..

“Nusrat is now the symbol of the family name and its tradition. He is the prestige that has been brought to our house. His popularity and the respect he commands has immortalized our family. Nusrat is a living legend.I think of only one thing, That may Allah reward him more and more with greater honour.  Honours such as have not been received by any other artiste. We consider his honour to be ours and his unprecedented popularity to be our own. Our hearts beat for each other, we feel each other’s pain and pleasure. We may have different names and bodies but our hearts beat as one.”

These were the words of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan when he was asked about NFAK’s unimaginable success. Farrukh was the driving soul of the party , A man with a great voice with varying texture, a prodigy of music and the greatest Harmonium player of his era , he even composed many of NFAK songs, though Nusrat always tried to credit him as the “Music Director of Ensemble”  he never took any credit… the pious soul was happy with what he had, and was forever thankful to god for being NFAK’s Brother. Farrukh was a great classical singer too, it he did many solo Jugalbandis with NFAK . He frequently used to beautify NFAK’s improvisations with his “Textured Alaap” .. very often Nusrat used to praise him in between song by nodding his head or sometimes even saying “Subhaan Allah” . He very easily used to cover the mistakes of other party members and was great at tune transitions.

It is no argument  that the World’s Music would have been a lot poorer if Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was not born. Since early days of his introduction to Western ears he was hailed as one of the greatest voices and greatest singer ever. What follows is an everlasting list speaking the man’s impact on music and World.

1. 100 Minorities who changed the World: ……..by Sacred-Bridge Click Here To See Entire List

By: o. Sano ( NFAK’s Fan from USA)

Often i get asked…what was the best concert you have ever seen. In fact.i just got asked that recently and i said the same thing i say everytime, “i have many best concerts” yet i always return to one which is when i saw nusrat fateh ali khan perform at the university of washington. to this day my mind is completely blown away by the grace, the power and pureness of his music. i recall my friend hParker telling me about his concert and how tickets were on sale at wall of sound record store…we left the spot we were standing at and purchased them immediately. it was like yesterday i was looking at the tickets and amazed i was going to be able to see such an amazing artist - little did i know i was going to see something much bigger than i anticipated.

Paying tribute to one of the world’s greatest vocalists, Brooklyn Qawwali Party formed to honor the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, reworking his thunderous songs for an eclectic, eleven-piece orchestra comprised of groundbreaking jazz musicians. Funky, smart, and loving, BQP captures the joyful spirit of this Pakistani folk music in a unique instrumental blend of jazz and Qawwali. With five horns, guitar, bass, harmonium, and three percussionists, this band’s buoyant rhythm will be sure to get you on your feet and clapping.

The ensemble includes: Tony Barba - tenor saxophone Loren Stillman - alto saxophone Ben Holmes - trumpet Ryan Keberle - trombone Brian Drye - trombone Robert Jost - French Horn Noah Jarrett - acoustic bass Mike Gamble - electric guitar Kris Davis - harmonium Conor Elmes - percussion Brook Martinez - drums

Click Here To Listen BPQ best The Extended Biography

A singer does not acquire the nickname “The Voice From Heaven” for no good reason. And anyone that has ever heard Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan knows this moniker to be fitting. Yet Nusrat was more than a singer; he was an ambassador of Sufi/Islamic culture and art, as well as the modern seed of a seven-hundred-year-old lineage of qawwali singers. In his all-too-brief life, he transformed the folk music of Pakistan into something ready for – some would say craved by – global audiences

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is more than just a great musician and sufi singer for percussionist Brook Martinez. He is the spirit that binds the 11 members of his all Caucasian band, the Brooklyn Qawwali Party, founded in 2003, which performs jazz to Nusrat’s music.

Growing up with hip-hop, sufi music did not feature in Martinez’s teenage world. Then, one evening, he saw Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on a VH1 Awards ceremony. “I heard Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for the first time then and my first reaction was ‘who is this large Pakistani guy’? That performance completely bowled me over.”

Silsila: Infinite Qawwali is a new and exciting context for setting the heaven-sent world famous voice of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahib, arguably the greatest qawwali singer of the modern era. Placing his unique voice back where it came from, among the sounds of the cosmos.

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