نصرت فتح على خاں

Thats Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in Urdu. I don't listen to Qawwali music but I have to admit this man had charisma. He truly is Shahenshah-e-Qawwali,(The Emperor of Qawwali).
His lyrics, his passion, his range, everything about him was brilliant.I know music in another language can be hard to understand, especially when the lyrics are what makes it special. At least in this case, but I listen to a lot of Françoise Hardy and Jacques Dutronc. It might be French but it sure is beautiful. I understand Urdu, but actual poetry written by great poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Mirza Ghalib is something which requires additional help. Its deep, but hard for someone who doesn't speak Urdu that well.Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music is like that. Its poetic and sensual,even though I don't understand all of it. But the way he sings and from what I can make from each song, his work is utterly moving.I don't cry unless the song is absolutely great, and I have to say some of his work has made me teary-eyed. If you happen to catch a glimpse of one of his performances, you can tell. There's something raw and genuine about his style. There's no processed sounds, no added beats from the keyboard, nothing but his voice and the Dhol (Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of electronic sounds) But he's pure magic.
Jeff Buckley was a great admirer of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as well.
Heres what he had to say
http://www.liquidgnome.com/JeffBuckley/nusrat.html

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Nephew, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is excellent as well. His vocals were featured in Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's tracks to check out:

Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai
Sajna Teray Bina.
bin Nahin Lagda.
Aaj Koi Baat Ho Gaye
The Long Road(with Eddie Vedder)



Pure Transcendence.



Translations are available at
http://nusrat.info/category/translations/