Ô Meilleur des Hommes! Celui Qui T'Amie Est le Véritable Croyant
Louange à Ali
Manaqib Khawaja Mueenuddin Chishti - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Maître des Maîtres
Track Listings (5) - Disc #2
Poème de Djelalleddin Rûmi
Oraison à I' Imam Husseïn
Ô Echanson Je Boirai Même Ta Colèe de Qateel Shafahi
Djvid-Nâma de Mohammed Iqbal
Hi et Ranjhan de Bulleh Shah
Track Listings (2) - Disc #3
Ô Dieu Vivant et Éternel
Ô Mustafa, Lumière du Droit Chemin
Track Listings (3) - Disc #4
Ô Muhammand, Appelle-Moi à Médine
Allah! Muhammad, Les Quarte Amis, Hajji Khwaja Qutb Farid
Poème Pesan d'Amir Khusrau
Track Listings (3) - Disc #5
Je Me Suis Éprise d'Un Indifférent, et J'Ai Dû Pleurer en Cashette
Ô Je Partiral Avec le Yogi
Dieu Vrai, Ali Est le Guide
Pakistani qawwali music would be far less known today if not for its most extraordinary voice, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His jazzlike improvisations of Sufi texts made their first beautiful noise in the West with a h... more »istoric 1985 concert in Paris, which forms the initial two discs of this five-CD set. Discs 3 through 5 are culled from a 1988 live performance, though to chain the whole batch together on a multidisc CD player erases any seams. Ali Khan was a breakthrough artist whose octave-spanning voice and bottomless reservoir of passion made the leap from sacred music to movie soundtracks via Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and the score to Shekhar Kapur's 1994 cult film, Bandit Queen. Though schooled in the classic style by his father, renowned qawwal Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat was far from a purist, even cutting the extraordinary pop music CD Nightsong with British producer Michael Brook. But he's at his peak in these electrifying concerts backed by his brothers and troupe on accompanying vocals, tabla, handclaps, and harmoniums. Long, stately pieces like volume 3's 33-minute "Nat-I Sharif" bend time and space as Ali Khan conveys serenity, ecstasy, yearning, and satiety in a performance with as many organic changes as the course of a major river. The shorter "Ghazal" love songs on volume 2 nudge heaven with breathtaking vocal elasticity. With a price in the range of many double-CD sets, this five-disc epic presentation is the ultimate expressive vehicle for this epic artist. --Bob Tarte« less
Pakistani qawwali music would be far less known today if not for its most extraordinary voice, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His jazzlike improvisations of Sufi texts made their first beautiful noise in the West with a historic 1985 concert in Paris, which forms the initial two discs of this five-CD set. Discs 3 through 5 are culled from a 1988 live performance, though to chain the whole batch together on a multidisc CD player erases any seams. Ali Khan was a breakthrough artist whose octave-spanning voice and bottomless reservoir of passion made the leap from sacred music to movie soundtracks via Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and the score to Shekhar Kapur's 1994 cult film, Bandit Queen. Though schooled in the classic style by his father, renowned qawwal Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat was far from a purist, even cutting the extraordinary pop music CD Nightsong with British producer Michael Brook. But he's at his peak in these electrifying concerts backed by his brothers and troupe on accompanying vocals, tabla, handclaps, and harmoniums. Long, stately pieces like volume 3's 33-minute "Nat-I Sharif" bend time and space as Ali Khan conveys serenity, ecstasy, yearning, and satiety in a performance with as many organic changes as the course of a major river. The shorter "Ghazal" love songs on volume 2 nudge heaven with breathtaking vocal elasticity. With a price in the range of many double-CD sets, this five-disc epic presentation is the ultimate expressive vehicle for this epic artist. --Bob Tarte
CD Reviews
The Essence of NFAK-
Nim from Lomza | Norman, Ok. | 05/18/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...the collaborations Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan made with western artists like Michael Brooks were, imo, a travesty and waste of time and plastic. They disgust me. Likewise the track on Rapture with the chorus of nymphs singing background, it stunk up an otherwise fine cd.
The disco influence on his death cd Swan Song is terrible and unforgiveable, although Allahu was transcendent, feedback and all, as if Allah's energy was indeed ripping through the frail human vehicle. Allahu Akbar.
But this Paris Concerts and his other relatively "pure" cd's are like the Bible, or the Koran or Gita,ftm- they transcend East and West and to each according to their knowledge, meaning is given thereof.
There is no other music that I know of that achieves the essence of music like this; vibrations conveyed by the Urdu, Hindi and Persian, the simple instruments - and by that I mean a non-verbal communication to and of Spirit- like the pure music of Ustad NFAK does. This is what the first protohumans that sang to the stars sang about."
An incomparable set of the sufi master Nusrat's vocal art
montserratblackmaddona | gastonia, NC USA | 08/18/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This 5cd collection is a truely stupendous example of nusrat's vocal art.Everything about this issue is top rate.Excellent artwork,booklet,and sound quality.These are wonderful digital recordings imported from france.I believe these recording were made live in france before a large western audience.Nusrat's 6 octave range has to be heard to believe.He is truely the pavarotti of the eastern world.I write this review of praise with much respect for Nusrat as a artist & genius,although I know very little about his persnal life,I can tell you these recordings are exceptional."
Must-have for a true Qawwali fan.
malikc22 | Los Angeles, CA United States | 08/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Pure Qawwali, that is simply Amazing. The Vocals are in one word, inspiring. A collection for those who appreciate true qawwali without any western instruments or remixes. A bonus is the transalation of the songs in volumes 3-5. The CD's are printed in English so eventhough the listing here is in French the same info and more is available in english on the cover. Quality audio and the live concert atmosphere make this a must have. And with a price so reasonable, 5 full CD's all over an hour long, for only $..., while several single CD's of this great qawwali master sell for $.... THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO BUY IT!"
Excellent
Narval | DC | 01/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a perfect set to begin or finish out a collection of Nusrat's music. Very cheap for what it is - sound quality is right on, there are extensive liner notes and translations for each of the volumes, and is especially valuable because the concerts date from 1985, when Nusrat was in much better health, and still performing traditional Qawaali unadorned by Peter Gabriel's or Rick Ruben' Western inclinations. The selections themselves are classics, and all the musicians perform like it was their last day on Earth - honestly. Essential."
A Must Buy Album
allahwho | California | 04/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a 5 cd set of 2 live shows Nusrat performed back to back in paris. It is recorded superbly, and almost every song performed is a great hit. These songs are in their full, live length, with full intros, etc. This is why some songs run a full 33 minutes long or more. The singing on this cd is unmatched. For anyone getting into Nusrat this is a really good place to start. You really get a full understanding of qwualli music with this set. The only complaint that I have is that Rahat, his student does not play on these live shows, so that you miss his great singing and the teacher student soloing duels which are great. Other then that, this collection is perfect"
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1