P a k i s t a n – with music from Abida Parveen, the Qawal and the Makran.
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Abida Parveen was born in 1954 into a deeply devout family with close ties to the shrines of Sindh and Punjabi Sufi saints. Today, she is the most famous female exponent of Pakistani ghazals and Punjabi kafees. Due to her deep immersion, she is often compared to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. While her art shares Qawwali’s deeply mystical orientation, it does not encompass Nusrat’s contemporary fascination with crossover audiences and his pioneering modernization of stylistic traditions. Abida Parveen has been called the queen of Sufi song and routinely delves into the repertoire of Sindh saints.
CD. Visal – Abida Parveen. LABEL: World Village (2002), code: 479010. Video
2- The music of the Qawal.
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in the northern regions of present-day Pakistan and India. Although the form of qawwali is believed to have originated in Persia, modern-day Iran and Afghanistan, the form of qawwali performed in this 1977 recording probably dates back to the Mughal Empire (about 1526–1857) on the Indian subcontinent. Qawwali music became popular in the 20th century through the recordings of Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The songs on this recording are performed by an ensemble of ten musicians led by Haji Ghulam Farid Sabri and four of his brothers. The singer/musicians accompany themselves on harmonium, flute, tanpura (a plucked instrument with a long neck) and various percussion instruments.
CD. The music of the Qawal. LABEL: Auvidis (1990), code: D 8028. Video
3- Music of Makran.
The remote coastal area of Balochistan called Makran is the setting for a fusion of musical cultures from the Middle East, Indo/Pakistan and Africa, which have developed over the centuries into a tradition of great intensity and beauty. Featuring vocal and instrumental genres that demonstrate a high level of musicality and improvisational artistry, much of this selection is drawn from the repertoire performed during healing ceremonies, music specifically devised to create suitable conditions for a state of trance. As such, it places demands on a listener, whose full appreciation of its subtlety depends on adopting a different “way of listening,” but whose efforts will be greatly rewarded.
CD. Music of Makran. LABEL: Topic Records (2000), code: TSCD 916. Video
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