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Article: Obituary: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- August 18, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1997 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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At the Hackney Empire, East London in 1990, Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan, "Shahen-shah-e-qawwali" - "the brightest shining star of
qawwali" - sat cross-legged and barefoot on the concert stage. To
his left were the other members of his "party": an eight-man
chorus, a tabla player, two hand- pumped harmonia, and furthest
from him, the youngest member of the ensemble, his pupil. Over the
drone of the harmonia the chorus set up a slow pattern of
handclaps. As simple as that. The clapping initiated a rhythm of
expectation, a yearning that cried out for the Voice which would
become the medium of still greater yearning. As soon as you heard
it - minutes into a performance which lasted for hours and left ...