The project also mixed musicians from different cultures. Instruments from different continents were used, like the big Brazilian drum -the surdu, and the Senegalese djembe, alongside Indian tabla and harmonium, plus bass, keyboards and Michael’s invention, the ‘infinite guitar’. Everyone was excited- there really was a collaboration and that’s all we could have hoped for…” “You have language problems, but in fact you need a very simple vocabulary to talk about music if you’re playing it.” He was surprised by “the mutual enthusiasm of Nusrat and all the musicians.

Producer Michael Brook emphasises that they had no real communication difficulties. “Music is an international language,” says Nusrat, pointing out that words are unnecessary to appreciate his music. The generic term for them is Tarana, of which there are many different kinds.

These notations are selected to fit particular ragas. These are the only two songs with actual lyrics the rest are classical vocal exercises in which the words have no meaning but are used for the quality of their sound.

‘Tery Bina’ is a romantic song based upon the Qawwali style, in which a lover claims: “I cannot live peacefully without you for even a moment. The opening song, ‘Mustt Mustt’, draws upon various devotional lyrics about a particular Sufi saint, upon which Nusrat has then improvised. “I made my own style,” says Nusrat, “We update Qawwali with the times.” The Asian younger generation never used to bother with Qawwali -it bored them and was too slow. In their Qawwali performances, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Party already modify their style to suit the audience. This album shows Nusrat’s willingness to experiment with his music -to strive for new ideas and to listen to new styles -and to create more contemporary albums that could sit alongside the traditional collection. The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is today acknowledged as the great master of Qawwali -the devotional music of the Sufis- who popularised this beautiful and inspirational music beyond Muslim peoples to a worldwide audience and into a whole new musical territory.

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