[March 25 Note: this concert has been cancelled because the artists have not been issued visas].
Award-winning Pakistani ensemble Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers, grandsons of Munshi Raziuddin, will perform qawwali music on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at Roulette in Downtown Brooklyn. Qawwali is the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The performances feature lively rhythmic handclapping and drumming, joyous melodies, inspirational poetry and powerful vocals. Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers will perform songs that range from 13th century mystical Persian poems to more recent Punjabi poems that speak of the intoxication of divine love.
Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers represent the 26th generation of the seven centuries-old Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi founded by their ancestor Saamat bin Ibrahim, the first qawwal of the subcontinent and principal student of mystic Amir Khusrau.
Hamza, who was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1992, has studied with the renowned Naseeruddin Saami, as well as with his uncle, Farid Ayaz Qawwal, with whom he and his brothers have toured. Hamza’s father, Ghulam Akram, himself is a senior member of the Farid Ayaz Qawwal party. In 2017, Hamza became the first qawwal since Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to compose film music, writing and producing music for the Pakistani movie Rangreza.
The concert is presented by Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance and Roulette.
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn
Box office 917-263-0363
More information at www.robertbrowningassociates.com/hamza-akram-qawwal–brothers.html
(headline photo: Hamza_Akram Qawwal & Brothers – Photo by PNCA Pakistan National Council of Arts)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.