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Nusrat's nephew bringing qawwali to San Jose
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Rahat Fateh Ali Khan celebrates the release
of his latest album, Charkha. Image courtesy
of Sa Re Ga Ma Pvt Ltd.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan stands in a lengthy shadow, but the Bollywood singer in time could make a pretty powerful impression of his own.
Khan is the nephew of qawwali singing legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan, famed for his dance-fusion hits and soundtrack contributions to "Dead Man Walking," "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Natural Born Killers." Nusrat died in 1997.
The younger Khan also is a singer of qawwali, an expression of the Sufi sect of Islam. He is set to perform Nov. 22 at the Holiday Inn on First Street in San Jose, a curious venue for a sacred art.
"This is my first national tour," said Amrit Dodani, the head of Sur Entertainment, which is promoting the show. "We didn't have much time. We wanted to do it in an auditorium, but we just didn't get it."
Qawwali performers and listeners aim to enter a trance-like state that brings them in tune with god through the intense, partly improvised style of devotional music.
A similar Sufist rite for reaching mystical consciousness is embodied by the whirling dervishes of Turkey; still another well-known Sufist tradition is a style of poetry whose most celebrated master is Rumi.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was involved in the "Dead Man Walking" sessions with his uncle and took the East-meets-West performance on the road with singing costar Eddie Vedder. More recently, Khan performed on the soundtrack for Mel Gibson's film about the end of Mayan civilization, "Apocalypto."
Although Khan has a new album to promote, "Charkha," Dodani said the South Bay concert will draw on his entire, diverse oeuvre.
"Even though Rahat is from Pakistan, he sings in Bollywood movies," she said. "This is going to be a good mix, his uncle’s songs, Bollywood stuff."
She said Khan, born in 1974 in Pakistan, studied under his uncle from childhood on but is developing his own voice as a solo artist.
"He's getting there. He's not there yet," Dodani said. "Even though he sounds like (Nusrat), he has his own style. He's amazing."
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