Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Page 4

A REUNION WITH THE ALI KHAN CLAN, FIVE YEARS ON

RAHAT NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN
SHORELINE AUDITORIUM "Which song are they on?" I asked the young man whom Riz was greeting with a hug outside Shoreline Auditorium, as my ears focussed in on the sound of Qawwali voices coming through the open entry door. Riz, my Pakistani-American friend and concert-organizing partner of many years past, had left me at the office of New Wave Travel until past 8:30 that evening, as he went with his family first to an engagement party, then to a wedding, from which he had returned to pick me up for Rahat Ali Khan's first Seattle performance as leader of his own Qawwali party. I had heard a lot about my old "window-climbing buddy", as I used to call him, since the time in August 1996, after Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's last performance here, when Rahat and I had tried to exit the Paramount Theatre through a fourth-story window, and had gotten trapped on a locked fire escape on the east side of the building. But for the first time, I was coming to hear Rahat as lead qawwal, rather than as supporting solo singer to Nusrat. And here I was late. Riz had assured me that it would not start at the scheduled time of 7:30 PM that night (Pakistani events, like Irish ones, rarely if ever start on schedule); but he had over-estimated how much later the concert would start. Rahat and Party were well into a high-spirited qawwali, having started without us. "They're on the second qawwali now", the man told me, and I grabbed the comp ticket out of my purse and ran for the door, as Riz paused to greet all the guys waiting outside in the rain for their own tickets in Riz's manila envelope. Sure enough, after I had turned in my ticket and scrambled into the auditorium, I heard Rahat reach the verse referring to the 13th century founder of the Qawwali genre, Hazrat Amir Khusro. The song was a qaul, a sort of ancient Sufi devotional hymn, or, one might say, a "proto-qawwali." It was not long after I came in that I noticed the familiar energy, or "vibe", that I had felt before at Qawwali concerts by Nusrat, and more recently by the Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali group. It was a kind of warmth, with a subtly moist feeling about it. And then, I felt something in the energy rush forward and throw or wrap itself around me in an embrace of still-vibrant life-essence; I had not been expecting this, though I had hoped to feel Nusrat in there somewhere. He was there all right, and I smiled and greeted him silently before sitting down. The group was just finishing the second song, and launching into the manqabat devotional song, "Ali Da Malang". I knew many of the songs that Rahat featured that evening, as I had heard Nusrat sing them with the old group many times before, both live and on recordings. I had missed the familiar opening Hamd Qawwali, "Allah Hoo", a personal favorite of Nusrat's; but there was also "Ali Da Malang", "Dam Mast Qalander", "Akhian Udik Diyan", "Tum Ek Gorakh Dhandha" and "Sajna Tere Bina", among others. I was especially moved when Rahat launched into "Ankh Utthi Mohabbat ne Angrai Lee". I still remembered photocopying that title off my cassette with that song back in 1995, the year Riz and I organized Nusrat's show at the Moore Theatre. I couldn't read a word of this title on the tape cover (it was all in Urdu script), but I figured Nusrat or somebody would be able to, and I wanted to present this to him as a special request. I gave it to Rahat during the break, and I recalled how his eyes lit up and he called out the title excitedly as he read it. They didn't get around to that selection on that occasion, unfortunately; but now, it was as if Rahat saw me in the theater and remembered that request from way back, pulling it out again and performing it beautifully. The only problem with the first half of the set was that all the mikes were up way too loud, especially those on Dildar Hussain's tabla set. When I went back and mentioned this to the sound team, they merely remarked, "That's how they want it." The volume wasn't too bad along the side sections, but it was almost unbearably intense in the middle. So, during the break, I followed a bunch of guys backstage (sabotaging the attempts by the designated security guys to keep us all out) to see if I could talk to Rahat and convince him to take charge of the sound problem himself in instructions to the sound guys. However, I nearly forgot about this mission when Rahat, as soon as he saw me, bounded forward with a delighted grin and grabbed my hand in both of his, in traditional Pakistani fashion. "I haven't seen you in five years!" I yelled, and he yelled back in agreement, among other greetings. It was as if we had last spoken mere weeks before, and yet it was an incredibly heart-warming reunion. He had hardly changed a bit in the interim, aside from a bit of hair-thinning over his forehead. He was the same friendly, down-to-earth young guy with whom I had had a number of easy, humorous chats during dinner parties in 1995 and 1996; and, contrary to rumor, he had not grown anywhere close to Nusrat's size. His build was about as average as always for a young man standing a mere inch or two above five feet. I mentioned that I had seen the photograph on his website of him standing with his father and former President Bill Clinton, in which the latter had towered considerably over Rahat's head, and Rahat bent over with embarrassed chuckles. Presently Riz came up, thinking to introduce me, and saying that I had waited nearly two hours back in his office prior to the show. "And he ABANDONED me!" I told Rahat, and the three of us convulsed with giggles once again. Rahat explained, at one point, that his planned concert tour in March had had to be cancelled, as his mother (not his father, as I'd heard) had become quite ill; but everyone in the family was fine now. It was then that I mentioned that the sound was a bit too loud in the middle segment of the room, and Rahat nodded in assent, determined to fix the situation in the second half if at all possible. Finally, I went to reintroduce myself to Rahat's father, Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, whom I had also not seen since they were last here with Nusrat in 1996. Farrukh, for some reason, was rather subdued, talked little, and looked a bit under the weather, though he smiled and bowed slightly in his chair when I greeted him. I didn't know if he was ill or just tired, and didn't bother asking. He seemed to walk with a slight limp and needed a bit of assistance in walking out of the building after the show, and didn't take nearly as many vocal solos as he had in the past. Fortunately, however, his voice and harmonium playing were still in fine form throughout the evening. His was always the most elastic voice among the solo singers in the old party; and he could usually sing both higher and lower than Nusrat's typical range. The audience, sparse though it was, was clearly enjoying the show and the chance to reconnect with Rahat, Farrukh and Dildar during and after the concert. Numerous people came up to offer money and requests written on pieces of paper during the performance, as is customary during Qawwali and Ghazal concerts. However, the audience, though mostly comprised of local Pakistani families, were a bit shy about dancing during most of the concert, even when they appeared to want to do so. This surprised me, but I waited until the closing song, "Dam Mast Qalander", to jump up and begin dancing in the right aisle alongside Riz. This catalyzed further wild dancing by several more listeners, though not as many as I would have liked. Before then, I had wanted to dance, but contented myself for a while with swaying and pitching in my seat rather than dance alone. But when the chant of "Dam mast qalander mast mast" began, there was no way I could stay put for long. After the show, Riz, Rahat, his party and numerous friends and fans retired to Caf ZumZum in downtown Seattle for a late night impromptu dinner party. Outside the Caf, we were treated at one point to the sight of Rahat running up to Riz, picking him up and swirling him around in the air a couple of times (even though Riz is at least a head taller of the two). While at this talkative, happy gathering, Rahat and I spoke quite frankly about how I had been dealing with the loss of Nusrat. Rahat, in fact, was the one who brought it up, as Riz had mentioned this to him at some point earlier, in person or by phone. I told Rahat that, indeed, I had had a very rough time dealing with this tragedy--at times wanting to die myself--and that I was still in the process of recovery of my emotional and creative faculties. While Rahat was fairly religiously stoic about his own experience of loss and grieving at this point, he has described it in recent interviews in terms of losing the best friend he ever had, someone with whom he had a father-son relationship, in addition to their uncle-nephew and teacher-student relationships.

Clearly, Nusrat has left his music in very fine hands. Rahat has had at least twenty years of training and relentless practice, and this background serves him well. He has mastered the art form of classical vocal improvisations, sargam and taan runs and raags (scales), and yet his embellishments during songs are all his own, not merely imitations of Nusrat's practice. He can pull improvised passages out of thin air with a fury, blazing through multiple octaves, and taking on mind-blowing melodic and rhythmic phrases I have never heard from Nusrat or any other Qawwali singer. With time, age and experience, he should have no trouble leading us into mystical states not unlike those we traveled in with Nusrat in the lead. However, I still miss and long for Nusrat's voice and spirit. Nusrat was a very powerful musical shaman who could transport hundreds or even thousands of people at once into blissful planes close to non-ordinary reality, and with a strong awareness of Divine Love and Presence everywhere. By the time he last performed here in 1996, I had had enough experience with his music as a mystical vehicle (both live and recorded) that I knew I could trust him to keep this journey a positive and joyful one, and to bring us all back safely to ordinary reality again. So when I felt the familiar pull from the music calling me to dance within its energy, I had no trouble or fear of slipping into the power of the song and Nusrat's voice, and bidding him to take me where he would. This is the experience that I still long for and desire to return to me. No other musician has touched me in a remotely similar way before or since, with the possible exception of the late Jacqueline du Pr, whom I sometimes call the "Nusrat of the cello." I know that they are both still here with us on a different plane, but (to paraphrase the Scottish poet Lady Nairn) how I "grudge them sair tae the Land O' the Leal"! And perhaps they both know that I still argue and bargain for their return--together, in the best of all possible worlds.

ROWLAND TO HEADLINE TAJ MAHAL CHARITY SHOW

DESTINY'S CHILD star KELLY ROWLAND has signed on to co-host and perform at India's Taj Mahal for the Eighth Wonder Of The World AIDS international benefit concert series. The Agra, India event on 12 April (06) will kickstart four years of charity shows at the world's most famous landmarks, including the Pyramids in Egypt, The Colosseum in Rome, Italy and The Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The concert series, which will benefit numerous charities including YouthAIDS, Action India and UNICEF, will culminate with a show at New York's Statue of Liberty in 2010. Rowland, a YouthAIDS Ambassador, will be joined at the inaugural Taj Mahal concert by RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN and BILAL MAQSOOD, among others. The singer says, "HIV/AIDS is a global problem that demands a global response and I look forward to participating in this most important event. "Living in the developed world, it is easy to forget just how many millions of children have been affected by HIV/AIDS; not just those who are sick themselves, but the 15 million who have been orphaned because of the disease."
28/03/2006 21:53

Chatterati
Cross border music
by Devi Cherian Cross border love continues in spite of the cross border fights between our politicians. Sufi songs and soulful renditions of qawwalis by renowned Pakistan singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan had his Indian audience completely mesmerised. Rahat is the nephew of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Besides Rahat, Pakistani pop singer Adeel, along with his Indian Punjabi counter part Harbhajan Mann, enlivened the evening. In fact, so enthralled was the audience that Adeel and Mann had to do an encore. Obviously music knows no boundaries.

The audience literally grooved to their tunes. Renuka Choudhary was the chief guest here along with people like Vandana Luthra of VLCC fame and Kapil Dev. After taking Bollywood by storm Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sure received a warm response in Delhi, with numbers like "Munde Kuriya Panwe" and "Bheege Hont Tere". Director and Producer Subhash Ghai, who was present here, has signed up the singers for his next film.

WORLD MUSIC REVIEW; A Pakistani Mystic and a Chinese Rocker
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By NEIL STRAUSS

It might have been one of the largest Chinese audiences ever to attend a performance of Pakistani qawwali music: in a mischievous example of cultural mix and match, Central Park Summerstage put together a double bill on Sunday afternoon that began with one of the leading singers of Pakistani Sufi music, or qawwali, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and closed with the Chinese rebel rock hero Cui Jian.

Mr. Khan is the nephew of and successor to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the gifted qawwali singer who brought the music to semi-popularity in America and Europe before he died in 1997. As Mr. Khan performed, excited Pakistanis (and a few American women) gathered at the front of the stage, dancing wildly, waving flags and newspapers and clambering onto one another's shoulders as Mr. Khan raised their fervor by vocally swooping through passages from mystical poems and sacred texts.

When Cui Jian (pronounced TSWAY-jenn) took the stage, the Pakistanis either left or filed to the back as the Chinese took over the front area, clapping, passionately singing each word and in at least one case diving off the stage barrier into the audience.

The differences between the two performances were not just those of culture but also of intent: Mr. Khan's music is devotional and woven into the fabric of religion, while Mr. Cui's is defiant and attempts to tear holes in the cloak that politics casts over life in China.

Accompanied by a nine-member ensemble of students and family members (including his father, Faroukh, on harmonium), Mr. Khan did an admirable job of filling his uncle's tremendous shoes. As an accompanying vocalist in his father's group, his long, melismatic excursions into the upper register of the human voice were remarkable.

As a band leader he left that role for another group member, Riaz Afredi, to define. Instead he delivered the lead recitations, showing off a voice that could move from a powerful sustain to rapid-fire staccato singing. He was more of a showman than his uncle, with more animated gestures and a tendency to sing himself hoarse, but he remains a less accomplished and intuitive singer and leader for now.

Like rappers, modern qawwal are proselytizers always willing to collaborate to spread the message (in this case, Muslim teachings) any way they can. Weeks away from recording with Rick Rubin for the American Recordings label in Los Angeles, Mr. Khan on Sunday brought out the sometime qawwali student Joan Osborne to collaborate admirably on a call-and-response song of praise before closing the show with the most popular piece in his and his uncle's repertory, ''Mustt Mustt,'' a song about an ecstatic madness.

Because he is often credited as China's first rock star, Mr. Cui's equivalent in the West is practically every rock star: Bob Dylan for his generational anthems, Bruce Springsteen for his sax-fueled rock about the difficult dreams of his constituency, and David Bowie for his constant stylistic reinventions. On Sunday, there were also times when Mr. Cui's band was reminiscent of the bottom-heavy jazz-rock of Morphine, the ska-pop of Madness, the Irish rock jigs of the Pogues and even the drum-and-bass of Roni Size. But it was not an effortless collage; it was one in which the seams were always obvious, and in many ways reminiscent of the fractured progressive rock that began leaking out of Eastern Europe in the 1970's and 80's.

Because his lyrics tend to be more metaphorical than literal and his performances and interviews are carefully navigated, Mr. Cui has enjoyed an inconsistent relationship with the Chinese authorities: sometimes they ban the festivals he is headlining, sometimes they allow them. Sometimes they deny his requests to perform abroad; this time they permitted him to play in the United States. (He is to perform at the Bowery Ballroom on Friday and Saturday night.)

During the show Mr. Cui gave equal attention to the four albums he has released in the last 12 years. His songs arced from early sing-along guitar rock ballads (he performed ''Nothing to My Name,'' the unofficial student anthem of the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989, wearing a symbolically red blindfold) to increasing consternation over the predominance of money over ideals (a true rock theme) in modern-day China and a rhythmic obsession with rap, funk and sample-heavy dance music.

His newest song featured rapping from his drummer (known as Bei Bei) and an intermittent snatch of a frenetic drum-and-bass beat: it was another defiant anthem, but this one an reaction less against the Government and more against the shadow that Tiananmen has cast over his career and his constituency. Its title: ''Get Over That Day.''

Musical notes

- The successor of the (late) legendary qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is all set to release his debut album Charkha in December. Currently at its finishing stage, Charkha will hopefully give Rahat the recognition he truly deserves. After all, 'Mann Ki Lagan' was one of the best tracks, one has ever heard in Jinnah's land. Even the youngsters of this crazy fell in love with this melodic single the minute it came out. And no, this song's success has nothing to do with the fact that it was in an Indian film but everything to do with its music and great lyrics. No Rahat is finally coming out with an album. And the VS have a lot to do with it. It must be remembered that Shahi produced 'Mann Ki Lagan' and the greater part of the Paap soundtrack while Rohail Hyatt is producing Charkha. But until RFAK's debut album hits stores, one can see him sing for another Indian film. The track 'Dhadak Dhadak' will be featured in Kalyug – a Mukesh Bhatt production which will be directed by Mohit Suri (Zeher). The song has been composed, arranged and produced by Rohail Hyatt and Faisal Rafi under the brand name Fried Junkies. "The album for the film will be released in India on the 25th of October and World Wide on the 28th of October on HMV/Saregama. We are sure pirated copies will appear in Pakistan sooner than later," says the press release. The soundtrack for Kalyug must have hit stores by now, so do check up and see how Rohail Hyatt's 'Dhadak, Dhadak' differs from Shahi's 'Mann Ki Lagan'. But we have a feeling the real thing will be the album Charkha. Rohail's musical sensibility is simply too nuanced to fit comfortably in a typical Bollywood Bhatt production.

- Thank the Lord for the synergy that is building bridges between East and West. Telenor (the communications giant whose advent onto the mobile network market helped in lowering all our mobile phone bills), put the millions they make to good use by sponsoring a huge concert in Oslo, Norway. Bands from all over the globe were invited to play along side some very talented Norwegian bands. And from Asia, the only presence was that of Fuzon, our local pop phenomenon. Held at Spectrum Arena in Oslo, Fuzon played to an audience of 10,000 people and collaborated with a Norwegian band Fryd, who play modern folk Norwegian music and jazz. The Fryd–Fuzon band duet was a stand out act in jointly performed with Fryd band members in a show, which had approximately 30 acts to showcase. As Shallum Xavier puts it, "It was a great experience to perform with so many talented people". After the concert was over, Shallum took the initiative to do another show in Oslo to raise funds for the earthquake victims here at home. With the help of the band members of Fryd, Fuzon did another small concert and all the money that was generated was given to Red Cross Foundation. By the way, did we mention that Fryd is an all–woman band? " They were superb, they played with us and helped us out when we wanted to do another show to raise funds." Now that's what we call real hospitality. Three cheers to Fryd and Fuzon for not only playing a great show but also for having the realization that the earthquake victims need all the help that they can get. The Fuzon boys just keep on hitting sixers. Here's hoping their new album does the same.

- The people who brought us the comical Rubberband are back with a brand new video. It is as opposite from their last single 'Rubberband' as possible and quite nice if one really lets the lyrics take over. Their last song 'Rubberband' was a mockery of our leading artists with a hint of sarcasm, totally funny and perhaps even offending to some but nonetheless thoroughly entertaining. 'Tu Kahan Hai' – the new song is sung by (no, it's not Fawad nor the big man Butt himself) EP's brilliant drummer and backing vocalist Salman Albert. Albie boy has grown his hair, and looks in character with the white shirt and those brimming eyes. Ahmed Butt has directed this dark video, which may look a little haunting at first when one sees a male model walking around without a shirt, but that impression easily fades away into oblivion once one really listens to the song. We will not explain the concept because it can be interpreted at various levels and it depends on a person how he really wants to understand this video. Salman's voice is not like Fawad, who sometimes sounds like Scott Stapp (Creed). It's rather soft but compliments this song thoroughly. The anguish and pain of missing someone beloved is amplified to the max in this video but it's not overdramatic. Ahmed also appears in the video and plays the role of a madman and amazingly carries it off well. There are no happy endings here because there was no need for it. The graphics and moving of cameras from one face to another is very done beautifully. Do check out the video– you're bound to like at least something, if not the video, then the song or vice versa.

Originally posted by: Qwest

Rowland, a YouthAIDS Ambassador, will be joined at the inaugural Taj Mahal concert by RAHAT FATEH ALI KHAN and BILAL MAQSOOD, among others.

Agra people are really fortunate must say. I am sure this will be a great concert. I hope they show the recording too sometime on TV. Usually these days Zee News and few other news channel show live such programs.

Thanks Bobda for the article.😃

Wow , great articles ,dada.Wish I could also go to Agra and listen.I have never been to Agra..

BTW, dada..remember you are supposed to do somthing today !!!😆

Originally posted by: Bhaskar.T

Agra people are really fortunate must say. I am sure this will be a great concert. I hope they show the recording too sometime on TV. Usually these days Zee News and few other news channel show live such programs.

Thanks Bobda for the article.😃

Thanks Bashka Da, Surprising you and Adi read I really thought no one will touch this thread. Aj kal (IF) Ki mahol kuch Badle hai.

Originally posted by: Qwest

Thanks Bashka Da, Surprising you and Adi read I really thought no one will touch this thread. Aj kal (IF) Ki mahol kuch Badle hai.

dada I always read the articles.Sometimes not immediately..but I definitely do.It was mainly the musical articles that pulled me to SRGMP forum..to aquaint myself with this rich heritage..😳

Originally posted by: Qwest

Thanks Bashka Da, Surprising you and Adi read I really thought no one will touch this thread. Aj kal (IF) Ki mahol kuch Badle hai.

Bobda whatever be the mahol when it is articles related to music I read each of them 😃

Thanks for getting these threads up. Get more if not for anyone then us.....😊