The idea of a religious singer whose ecstasy-inducing opuses commonly run over 20 minutes having "greatest hits" borders on the hilarious. But when you consider the fanatical following the Pakistani qawwali star has gained around the world, the top-of-the-charts concept becomes less far-fetched. Upon hearing the great qawwal in person, Pakistanis in foreign cities were known to bang their heads against the stage until they bled. This set of four pieces was released in 1997, the year Nusrat died. By the t   [ read more ]

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Recorded live in London in December 1989, this four-volume series available separately is an exemplary illustration of the sort of repertoire the listener would hear at a qawwali concert where the audience is made up largely of Muslims of Asian descent or Indians of other religions. (Khan tends to adjust his repertoire and performance style to take account of the style of venue, the devotional situation -- for example, his presence at a Sufi shrine -- or the composition of his audience.) ~ Ken Hunt, All    [ read more ]

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The devotional music of Sufi Muslims is hypnotically beautiful, blending tabla, harmonium and voice in a heady, mystical brew. Certainly no one delivered it with more fire and intensity than the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. While his previous efforts with Michael Brook may be more accessible to Western audiences, this collection of selected recordings offers an excellent introduction to his music. You also get liner notes by the late Jeff Buckley, which place Nusrat at the center of the mystical    [ read more ]

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This follow-up release to Shanachie's generally stronger first greatest-hits volume dips further into the archive of Nusrat's Pakistani recordings. This set of Sufi devotional pieces -- the music called qawwali -- starts out with a surprise, a slow, waltz-like song featuring qanun (zither) and sarangi (violin) in addition to the party's standard harmonium, tabla, and wall of male voices lineup. The strings reappear on other tracks giving the set of five songs a somewhat unusual character and indicatin   [ read more ]

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This, the second of four Pakistani releases licensed by Shanachie, was a big seller when it arrived in U.S. record stores at the height of Nusrat-mania. It's a live recording featuring four long pieces. The sound is crisp and unfettered, decidedly less rich than on the Real World sessions, but good enough to let the listener enjoy another incendiary Nusrat session. The opening piece, "Yehjo Halka Halka Saroor Hai," unfolds through successively intense passages of composed melody and improvisa   [ read more ]

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Soon before his death in 1997, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performed at one last concert in Pakistan, the Pakistan 4 U concert, which was televised internationally, also marking the first time that a Pakistani music production on film was broadcast beyond the subcontinent. The next year, this album was released -- a recording of the final concert. There are a couple of good points to the album and a couple of less-enjoyable points. Nusrat's performance and execution were, of course, outstanding, and the    [ read more ]

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There's no doubting the remarkable power of Nusrat's voice, with its ability to transport the listener as he transports himself. These two albums (the first from 1995, the second a posthumous collection from 1999) offer the full range of his traditional music, although the former is more adventurous than the latter, with some soaring vocal work and sterling support from his group, or "party." Even though one eclipses the other, that's not to say the second disc is bad, by any means; there's some remar   [ read more ]

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