Pakistani ensemble Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers are set to perform on Saturday April 13, 2019 at Roulette in New York City. The concert is part of the A World in Trance series.
Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers, grandsons of the revered Munshi Raziuddin, have been acclaimed for their dazzling interpretations of qawwali, the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
This award-winning ensemble represents the 26th generation of the seven centuries-old Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi founded by Saamat bin Ibrahim, the first qawwal of the subcontinent and principal student of mystic Amir Khusrau.
Hamza has studied with the renowned Naseeruddin Saami, as well as with his uncle, Farid Ayaz Qawwal, with whom he and his brothers have toured.
The ensemble creates a state of ecstasy through rhythmic handclapping, drumming and powerful vocals (in a call-and-response manner), and performs songs that range from 13th century mystical Persian poems to more recent Punjabi poems that speak of the intoxication of divine love.
Recordings include Mere Sarkar Aaye and Sada-E-Sufi.
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn
Box office: 917-267-0363
Author: World Music Central News Room
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