modern ecstatic sufi music

modern ecstatic sufi music first came into my experience through the singing of nusrat fateh ali khan when he recorded with english musician peter gabriel. along with many other internationally renowned musicans, they collaborated on the soundtrack to martin scorsese’s film ”the last temptation of christ”. as with all music featuring the instruments and vocalization of artists from other cultures, the bridge between what i knew and accepted and what i needed to learn in order to appreciate, enjoy and understand nusrat’s music was large but very worthwhile.

nusrat’s chosen form of singing was the qawwali - a devotional form of song attributed to the sufis. there are a variety of qawalli forms ranging from songs sung specifically in praise of Allah to ghazals which are formed around extended metaphors connecting worldly with spiritual love.
the first time i heard nusrat singing i was stunned by the range he could achieve and then also, the real and deep passion he was able to bring to his singing. nusrat surrounded himself with incredibly talented musicians who could move quickly from being pensive and reflective in one moment, to ecstatically percussive driving power in the next.

the range of qawwali singers that is available to the listening ear is much broader now of course and from the tremendous wealth of music that has become available, i would like to share the following examples . .
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sweet pain by vishal vaid and company

longing by vishal vaid and company
finally, here is the song “intoxicated” sung by the greatest qawwali singer of all time nusrat fateh ali khan. a translation and interpretation of the lyrics to intoxicated can be read right here thanks to amitabh iyer.