Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died on August 16th, 1997. The news of his death broke while I was hosting my program, and has always been closely associated for me with doing my radio program. This year, my annual Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan memorial show will also feature the 8th of 12 concert recordings for 2019. As a reminder, for 2019, I have chosen 12 exceptional concert recordings to program with one each month. I have set a couple of simple rules: the recordings will be played in their entirety and represent a single concert. These 12 recordings feature some of my favourite artists, and in many of the cases, also represent the very best from these artists.
There are many incredible live recordings of Nusrat to choose from, his legendary Ocora Live in Paris albums featuring several concerts, live recordings from Islamabad, New York City, Birmingham and many other cities. I chose a concert recording from late in his career, a 1994 performance at the Royal Albert Hall. A wonderful set that culminated in a spectacular version of one of his greatest pieces, "Haq Ali Ali": Listen to Nusrat stretch out and play with those phrases at the start then trading it off with the 2nd soloist, possibly his nephew Rahat, this is Greatness. The long sublime introduction until the song and the rhythm break at 11:45 or so. Then the song proper continues with each phrase building tension higher before suddenly Nusrat interrupts and adds in a classical Sargam vocal improvisation in duet. Unbelievable. Genius. Nusrat is peerless.
Painting of Nusrat by Mawra Tahreem
| Zikroulahi Cheikh Lo - Hommage a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Network |
| Tere Lariyan Ne Ummar Gawayi Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party - Live at The Royal Albert Hall - MIL |
| Mera Piya Ghar Aaya Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party - Live at The Royal Albert Hall - MIL |
| Kise Da Yaar Na Wichre Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party - Live at The Royal Albert Hall - MIL |
| Haq Ali Ali Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party - Live at The Royal Albert Hall - MIL |
| It was a 1975 recording of "Haq Ali Ali" which really launched his fame in Pakistan and it was always a signature piece which he performed and recorded many times. Though the basic structure and melodies of the piece were the same, it varied greatly in presentation with enormous range of improvisation which made performances last anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 or more (I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than hour long performances in various Urs in Pakistan during the 70's). Nusrat could also vary the piece by adding improvised Sargam as we heard in the 1994 performance. We will hear another live performance recorded in one of his many appearances in Birmingham, where he first began his international career in 1980. This performance was recorded in 1983 and is one of the longest I have heard at over 40 minutes. In this earlier performance, we hear some superb solos from Nusrat's cousin Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan who left to lead his own Qawwali party in the mid-80's. One final wonderful thing about Nusrat was his South Asian audience, particularly in the diaspora always comprised of multiple religions, not just Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, but Sikhs, Hindus, and secular. |
| Haq Ali Ali Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party - Live in Birmingham - Oriental Star Agency |
| Nusrat's alap Levon Minassian & Armand Amar - Songs from a world apart - Long Distance |
| Saada Kaliaan Da Jee Nahin Lagda Shafqat Ali Khan - Hommage a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Network |
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