[SOLD OUT] Saami Brothers Qawwal: Qawwali Devotional Music from the Sufi Traditions of Pakistan
VIEW EVENT DETAILSNEW YORK, May 8, 2016 — The classically-trained Saami Brothers Qawwal perform traditional qawwali music following the two-day Lahore Literary Festival at Asia Society in New York. (2 hr., 7 min.)
Popularized by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, qawwali songs are based on the mystical poetry of Sufism. The traditional music works its way to ecstatic peaks with strong voices and percussive handclaps, seeking to transport musicians and audience closer to the divine. The Saami Brothers Qawwal is an eight–member ensemble, considered one of the most accomplished and traditional qawwals today.
The Saami Brothers were trained in classical music and the art of qawwali under the rigorous tutelage of Munshi Raziuddin Khan and their father, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami. Keeping the flame of the Qawwal Baccha Gharana alive, the Saami Brothers are well versed in a number of languages, and weave various genres of Eastern classical music beautifully into their qawwali performances. For this performance, they will sing the music of the Sufi saint Hazrat Amir Khusrau and present an art form that has endured over hundreds of years.
This program is part of Asia Society's ongoing initiative Creative Voices of Muslim Asia, supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Held in conjunction with the Lahore Literary Festival.
Event Details
725 Park Avenue, New York, NY