Farid Ayaz & Abu Muhammad

February 17, 2018 5:22 AM

Farid Ayaz & Abu Muhammad sing “Kaan Roz ke Rooh” & “Adam Amad Babadan”

The Dream Journey: every year since December 2014, six friends travel different areas of Pakistan for ten days to discover and record the vanishing traditions of Pakistani vocal music. They are slowly uploading their locally recorded videos to YouTube.

The crown jewel in these recordings is the music of Farid Ayaz and Abu Muhammad from Delhi, singing a form of Sufi devotional music called Qawwali, best known in the West through the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The two brothers lead a gharana that is nearly 700 years old and currently features their younger brothers and other family members.

[Qawwali previously: 1, 2, 3]

posted by mahershalal (9 comments total)

Delhi?
posted by infini at 8:39 AM on February 17, 2018

probably sacrilegious to say this but I mean it in the best possible way: GODDAMN! that's good stuff
posted by gorbichov at 8:48 AM on February 17, 2018

What is the chew? Tobacco you suppose, or qat? I love the music and the spirit of it as it reminds me not all is amiss in the world of the mystics. It is probably easier to film this band in India, and then the women don't have to cover their heads, and the film crew can shoot without flak jackets.
posted by Oyéah at 9:41 AM on February 17, 2018

WOW! what a great performance! thanks for the post.
posted by dhruva at 10:04 AM on February 17, 2018

Delhi?

Good (though succinct) question. From the interview linked above:

Farid Ayaz is the eldest and was born in Hyderabad Deccan while Abu Mohammad was born in Karachi. “I learnt from my father and started singing in Karachi,” says Abu Muhammad. ”I was a student at the Grand Folks School when my father asked me to give time and effort to qawwali.” Coming to Karachi from Delhi after the partition, their father sang with Manzoor Niazi and Bahauddin who were also his cousins.

The videos were shot in Karachi, Pakistan, according to the description.


GODDAMN! that's good stuff

Indeed! I recommend checking out other groups as well. Be advised though, it's a rabbit hole. I haven't listened to much else these last couple of weeks.
posted by mahershalal at 10:09 AM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

What is the chew? Tobacco you suppose, or qat?

According to my source it's paan.
posted by mahershalal at 10:25 AM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

re: the chew -- I also thought betel nut, based on the color and what I've seen of betel nut chewers in Taiwan.

This was extremely easy to enjoy even though I know nothing about it (and I could tell right from the start, when I couldn't quickly figure out when the claps would be).
posted by batter_my_heart at 6:02 PM on February 17, 2018

If it's paan then yes it should be their variation of betel nut mix
posted by cendawanita at 7:06 AM on February 18, 2018

Wow. That was amazing. Such a delightful surprise. Thanks for the joy, mahershalal.

So poignant to think of Adam's soul refusing to enter his body and then the "beauteous heavenly beings with the lilting voice of David sang to him 'Enter' and it entered". It was an unusual thought, poetic and charming. Had to look up the qawwali and some of the back story.

Aan roz keh rooh-e-pak-e-Adam ba badan

Guftand dar aa, na meshad az tars ba badan

Khwandan Malaikah ba lehn-e-Dawood

Dar tan dar tan, dar aa dar aa, dar tan dar tan.

[On that day (of Creation) the pure soul of Adam said (to the body)

I am scared to enter the mortal body

(Upon God’s instruction) sang the angels in Dawood’s melody

Worry not and enter this body, enter this body...]
posted by nickyskye at 7:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]