In Concert in Paris

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

album cover

Utterly Magical Vocal Spontaneity

Like many of the rock stars who borrowed from him, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948–1997) was in search of ecstasy when he sang. He'd make single phrases sound like heroic journeys, stringing together long melismatic lines that would climb methodically toward heaven. Then he'd follow these with shuddering dips and pitch-swerving curls that would plunge his listeners into unexpected terrain.

But unlike most rock stars, Khan—the most visible figure to emerge from the Pakistani devotional singing style known as qawwali—was never in a particular hurry to reach the ecstatic state. His performances, including these recorded in Paris in the 1980s, were marathons. It could take more than fifteen minutes for a poem (many written by the ancient Sufi mystic Rumi) to unfold.

The first disc of this mountainous, careerbest five-disc set amounts to an overdose of Khan's shape-shifting vocal contortions, ad-libs that feel charged with paranormal inspiration. "Naat" begins restlessly, with furtive scattered phrases. Khan gathers the members of his "Party" into a processional, and after seven minutes or so, his improvisations evoke a fast-moving, thundering river. Then, suddenly, he begins singing like a worried old lady tottering along on her heels. Then like a sea creature wriggling on the shore. With each characterization, it's clear that Khan is hardly thinking about the notes, or the lengths of his phrases, or even how he'll respond to the somber chants of his accompanying singers. He's focusing on something more sweeping—an enduring, lasting bliss, rare and elusive, a state that must be actively sought. And when the nimble Khan—whose name translates roughly as "the king of the opening to success"—gets close to it, he savors and tries to sustain this state. He treats it as a seeker's reward, the pleasure that comes after the long stair-stepping quest, the gateway to previously hidden realms of consciousness.

Genre: World, Pakistan
Released: 1988, Ocora
Key Tracks: "Naat," "Manaqib Ali," "Kafi"
F.Y.I.: Ocora also released the concerts documented here on individual discs, as Live in Paris, Vols. 1–5.
Catalog Choice: Mustt mustt (with Michael Brook)
Next Stop: The Sabri Brothers: Ya habib
After That: Jeff Buckley: Grace
Book Pages: 422–423