Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party, also known as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Qawwali Party, was a Pakistani qawwali musical group, led by singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The group is credited with popularizing the genre of Sufi devotional music outside South Asia. Under the core lineup of Nusrat, the group earned international recognition, performing in major cultural venues and collaborating with artists from various musical traditions. They introduced various musical techniques, such as fusion with traditional qawwali, which contributed to the evolution of the genre. Active during the 20th century, their contributions to world music is recognised one of the prominent contributions in the history of Sufi music. The core lineup of the group comprised Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, Dildar Hussain, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Nusrat himself.^[1]

The group, which comprised 11 to 13 members^[2] with nine of Nusrat's relatives, including Farrukh (brother), Rahat (nephew)^[3] and Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan (cousin),^[4] gained international attention with their performance at the 1985 WOMAD festival on Mersea Island. It was the first time the group performed in front of a predominantly non-Asian audience, introducing qawwali to a non-Urdu speaking people. The performance, which took place at midnight, contributed to gain attention in the Western world such as the USA and the UK explicitly. This event helped elevate its profile in the Western nations and established a connection with WOMAD, and Real World Records, contributing to their continued work outside Pakistan.^[2][5]

While the exact date of its formation is not well-documented, the group traces its roots to the early involvement of a qawwal and Nusrat's father, Fateh Ali Khan in the qawwali tradition. After his death in 1964, Nusrat assumed role as a principal member of the group. Initially named Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan–Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan & Party, the group initially emphasized the dual vocal roles of Nusrat and his cousin, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan. As Nusrat's vocal abilities developed and his prominence grew, the group became more closely associated with his name, eventually becoming recognised as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party.^[1]

The first performance of the group under the title Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party occurred in 1971 on Radio Pakistan as part of a studio recording for an annual music festival known as Jashn-e-Baharan.^[6]

The group evolved over time as new members joined and contributed to its musical works. Mujahid Mubarak continued with the group until the late 1980s, when he formed his own musical band. The group combined traditional qawwali elements with fusion, merging traditional qawwali with contemporary influences.^[1] Following Nusrat's death in 1997, the group ceased performing.^[7]

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party primarily performed qawwali, a form of Sufi music from the Indian subcontinent. Their music was rooted in the traditions of Indian classical music, with emphasis on call-and-response vocals, tabla rhythms, and Indian harmonium melodies.^[8] Their performances followed the structure of traditional qawwali, focusing on devotional lyrics, often related to spiritual love and devotion. The group introduced the music with improvisation, a key element of qawwali, where both the vocalists and instrumentalists contributed to the nature of the performance.^[3][9]

While the group adhered to the core principles of qawwali, they also engaged in occasional collaborations with musicians from other genres, which introduced elements of Western music such as fusion. These collaborations, including contributions to film soundtracks, expanded their performance on the other side of traditional audiences but did not significantly alter the foundational aspects of traditional qawwali music.^[10]

The background lineup also included members who performed clapping, a traditional element in Qawwali music.^[11] The music, performed by the group, often began with subdued vocal exchanges between Nusrat and other vocalists, gradually building in intensity. Devotional compositions, such as "Allah Ho! Allah Ho", featured harmonies and improvisational vocal cascades, maintaining the principles of qawwali.^[12]

A 25-minutes long qawwali "Haq Ali Ali" begins with a slow introduction and featuring long passages with echoing vocals over minimal instrumentation. This was followed by the more intense "Shahbaaz Qalandar", dedicated to the 13th-century Sufi saint, and "Biba Sada Dil Mor De", where Nusrat repeatedly sang, "Give me my heart back".^[12]

The group evolved through the contributions of its members. Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat's brother, played a central role in the group with his abilities on the harmonium and as a secondary or sometimes third vocalist. He also assisted in the musical arrangements alongside Nusrat, drawing on the family's musical tradition.^[1]

Iqbal Naqibi, a former student of Nusrat, became another prominent lineup in the group. He joined the group as both a chorus member and manager. He played a central role in the group's international recognition, particularly during their tours to UK in the 1980s and 1990s. As the only fluent English speaker in the group, he acted as a mediator during international performances.^[1]

In the mid-1970s, Dildar Hussain, a tabla player from a family with a percussion tradition, became a member of the group. Initially joining on an occasional basis, he later became a permanent member. His music collaboration with Nusrat also established the musical identity of the group. Over the next two decades, Dildar remained a core lineup, serving as Nusrat's primary tabla player.^[1]

The group gained international recognition during the 1980s, performing at prominent venues such as the 1985 WOMAD festival and the Universal Amphitheatre in the 1990s. Their 1996 performance included traditional qawwali compositions, such as "Allah Hoo Allah Hoo" and "Mustt Mustt" of the same album title, presented with improvisational elements.^[13] Their work featured vocals, rhythmic tabla and harmonium patterns.

The performance included contributions from Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat's nephew, who performed solos and duets. The ensemble's music reached audiences from various cultural backgrounds, including Western artists such as Rick Rubin, Eddie Vedder, Peter Gabriel and American rock band Pearl Jam among others. Nusrat's participation in Hollywood film soundtracks such as Dead Man Walking and Passion from The Last Temptation of Christ film and Bollywood's Bandit Queen introduced their work to broader audiences, while their music remained focused on traditional qawwali, incorporating fusion music.^[13]

The exact number of members in Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party remains unclear, with Variety magazine mentions 11 members,^[13] and Discogs (a user-generated audio recording database) lists 13,^[14] and the Financial Times suggest 12 members, leaving the exact figure uncertain.^[12]

Core lineup

• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – lead vocals, harmonium player
• Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan – second, third vocalist, harmonium player
• Dildar Hussain – tabla player
• Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – background vocals
• Iqbal Naqibi – as the only fluent English speaker in the group, he acted as a mediator during International tours^[1]

Background vocals and instruments

• Asad Ali Khan
• Atta Fareed
• Kaukab Ali Khan
• Majawar Abbas
• Maqsood Hussain
• Mujahid Mubarik Ali Khan
• Rahmat Ali Khan
• Ghulam Fareed

In a 1997 publication by JazzTimes, American musician Jeff Buckley describing them as, "these men do not play music. They are music itself".^[9]

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party westernized the qawali and contributed to various Hollywood soundtracks as part of their performance outside Pakistan.^[9][10] In 1977/83, the group performed a live concert in the UK for Southall UK Concert 1983, Vol. 161 album. They performed for a song titled "Haq Ali Ali Ali Maula Ali Ali". The group also toured India in 1997 where they contributed to Vande Mataram album for a song titled "Gurus of Peace".^[5] The group also performed in Bandit Queen album which was released in 1995.^[13]

• Southall UK Concert 1983, Vol. 161 – "Haq Ali Ali Ali Maula Ali Ali" – (1983)
• The Supreme Collection, Vol. 1 – (1988)
• The Last Temptation of Christ – (1988)
• Pakistan: Qawwali: The Vocal Art of the Sufis II – (1987)
• Shahen-shah – (1989)
• Mustt Mustt – (1990)
• Shahbaaz – (1991)^[15]
• Dama Dam Mast Qalandar – (1991)^[16]
• The Last Prophet – (1994)
• Natural Born Killers – (1994)
• .Bandit Queen – (1995)
• Magic Touch – (1995)
• Revelation – (1995)
• Back to Qawwali – (1995)^[17]
• Dead Man Walking – (1996)
• Sangam – (1996)
• Intoxicated Spirit – (1996)
• Night Song – (1996)
• Novum Gaudium – (1997)
• Allah and the Prophet – (1998)
• The Final Studio Recordings – (2001)
• Sufi Qawwalis – (2002)
• Body and Soul – (2002)^[18]
• Chain of Light – (2024)

• "Haq Ali Ali Ali Maula Ali Ali" – (1983)
• Vande Mataram – "Gurus of Peace" – (1997)
• Dillagi film – song "Tanhai" (2000)^[17]

• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Live At Womad 1985 (1985)^[7]
• WOMAD, Yokohama – (1992)^[16]

• Fanna-Fi-Allah
• List of Pakistani qawwali singers

• SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. January 1996. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 26 Nov 2024.
• Kalra, V.S. (2014). Sacred and Secular Musics: A Postcolonial Approach. Bloomsbury Studies in Religion and Popular Music. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4411-0866-1. Retrieved 26 Nov 2024.