Search - Various Artists :: Rough Guide to Sufi Music

Diverse Sufi Music from Around the Globe (3.5 of 5)

Erika Borsos | Gulf Coast of FL, USA | 03/18/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first ever Rough Guide to "-----" Music CD that disappointed me. Sadly, I feel lukewarm about half the tracks. I had high expectations and hoped for more zikr and qawwali styles. The words 'captivating' and 'trance-inducing' do not describe the music because nearly half the tracks sound so uninspired. Tracks # 4 and #5 start out slowly and leave me impatient. Perhaps in another culture and era, the music needed to evolve gradually into a fast rhythm and pace. It is likely this took several hours. The one main flaw with this CD is it covers too many different cultures and styles or maybe the problem is the sequence of music, i.e. the order in which they are played. Only 6 out of 11 tracks made a positive impression. Luckily, there are moments when the tiresome tracks redeem themselves with nice instrumentation. The arrival of the sweet sound of the ney or sensitive strumming of a lute is very welcome ...



The first track is the Turkish group, Mevlana Kultur Ve Sanat Vakfy Sanatcylary who use the lute and other string instruments to create a a wave-like undulating melody that feels natural ... like rocking gently on a ship at sea. They manage to weave ancient melodies with a modern expression and bring the message of the 13th C. Sufi philospher into modern times, telling us tolerance is sovereign (the liner notes tell us) and everything has a spirit therefore we should strive not to injure or harm anything. The music matches these words. The sound of the words sung is consistent with the melody and percussion by this group. The Sabri Brothers of East Punjab, India now a part of Pakistan, also produce a wonderful calm introduction that builds up to a very enjoyable intensity, chanting the sacred sound of "ah" ... occasionally there is a lead singer and at times a response is given by a chorus. The tabla creates an extremely infectious beat with natural progression of sound and authenticity. The two artists with the most impact on this CD, are Abida Parween, a female modified qawwali vocalist, who is dynamite and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who helped this genre travel around the world, he needs no introduction. In her rendition of "Tere Ishq Nachaaya", Ms Parween reaches a feverish pitch, with a very satisfying climb on a wonderful musical journey. I like the accordion accompaniment. There is no loss of authenticity with this instrument. While almost anything Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sings is enhanced and magnified into a great listening experience, there are far better songs than the one on this CD. Truly, this could have been had been a powerful and exciting production, unfortunately it disappoints. Erika Borsos (erikab93)"

Cross-Cultural Journey to the Heart of Sufism

Zekeriyah | Chicago, IL | 09/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In recent years, Sufism (the mystical practices of Islam) has become a popular subject in the West. No small part of this is due to the passionate and powerful singing of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the undisputed master of Pakistani Qawwali music. Naturally, he is included on this CD, but Sufism exerts a pull across the Muslim world, and this CD shows other forms of Sufi music as well. Hassan Hakmoun shows the African-tinged music of Morocco's Gnawa brotherhood, Orchestra al-Kindi (led by Hamza Shakkur) and Sheikh Yasin al-Tuhami demonstrate classical Arabic music traditions, Ostad Elahi performs the music of Iran's Kurdish dervishes, and Boubacar Diagne shows the ceremonial music of the Quadiriya brotherhood of West Africa. Fans of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are in for a treat, since there are also incredibly moving performances of Qawwali by the Sabri Brothers and Abdia Parween, as well as music from Turkey's Mevlana mystics (the famous 'whirling dervishes'). Drawing upon music from Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Senegal and Syria, this CD is an incredible journey across the Muslim world, showing many different forms of devotion to God through music. Anyone interested in the musical heart of the Islamic faith should check this CD out, as it's cheap, easy to find, and very enlightening."