Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - a prolific musician and vocalist who took qawali music to the largest possible international audience. His ability and talent places him among some of the most memorable voices of all time..Cyrus Viccaji takes a look at the life and work of the legend.

Shahen-Shah
The Spirit of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
by Andy Carvin
In 1993, a winter performance at the Gateway Theater in Chicago displayed all the ingredients of a typical rock concert: an endless, almost hypnotizing beat; hundreds of mesmerized individuals slavishly clap to the beat while dozens more dance in the aisles. But unlike a U2 or Pearl Jam show, this was a concert with a higher purpose -- rejoicing in the grace of Allah.

NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN returned the qawwali to the world. He made it popular again not just in Pakistan and India, the home of the traditional qawwali, but in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries. He performed in over 40 countries and recorded more than 150 albums and sold millions of copies worldwide.

LAHORE: Fans and artistes around the world would be thrilled to know that singing legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s lost tape recordings captured just before his death were found in a storage in Oakland, California.

The recordings are owned by Australian-Pakistani singer-songwriter Mahmood Khan who worked with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in 1996.One of the songs was recorded at music producer Rick Rubin’s house in Los Angeles and some of the sessions were taped at Iran’s mega star Morteza Barjesteh’s studio in Encino, California.

'I don't know what to do with Anu Malik'
Suparn Verma
Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanIn Bombay, the Shiv Sena will not allow him to perform or record music, in protest against the Pakistani ban on Indian artistes. It is an attitude which deeply confuses Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a simple man whose art knows no national borders.

Suparn Verma met the international superstar on his last visit to Bombay.

At first glance, the man who has taken the music world by storm in recent times looks more like a Sumo wrestler than Sufi singer.

As Indian and Pakistani artistes find themselves in the crossfire again due to rising tensions, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's lingering influence in Hindi cinema and its music feels all the more important. On his 88th birth anniversary today (13 October), we revisit the ustad's legacy.

AR Rahman says he was introduced to the genre by the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; adds that he is “ashamed” of not being able to do enough riyaaz.

Given how awash we are with copies of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music, given that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, his nephew, has bagged so many popular music awards, it seems fitting to examine the legacy of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997) who made the traditional Sufi qawwali yield stunningly new melodies.

Imagine an entire genre of music, rooted in antiquity, that lies hidden to most of the world. Its traditions stretch back 700 years, yet few know it exists. Its beautiful melodies dip and soar. But no one is around to listen.