1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

In Concert in Paris | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

1 of 4

HOME

THE LIST

http://www.1000recordings.com/music/concert-paris/ Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only.

BLOG

BROWSE THE LIST

In Concert in Paris

1,000 Recordings, by

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

ABOUT TOM

THE BOOK

Search the List

Artist 1,000 Recordings, by ABOUT 1,000 RECORDINGS

Title Featured Recordings

Celebrate the joy, the revelation, the mystery, the fun, the sheer shivers-

BROWSE BY GENRE

up-the-spine pleasure of great music.

Blues Essential operas. Milestone rock

Classical

albums. An education in the blues. The world of world. Classical from

Country

Bach to Bartók to Beethoven to

Electronica

Brahms. And dozens of unexpected

Folk Gospel Hip-Hop

gems, surprising discoveries, and

Utterly Magical Vocal Spontaneity Like many of the rock stars who borrowed from him, Nusrat

long-lost masterpieces. This is an online version of the list

Fateh Ali Khan (1948–1997) was in search of ecstasy when he

(published alphabetically in the

sang. He'd make single phrases sound like heroic journeys,

book). The entries in the book break

Musicals

stringing together long melismatic lines that would climb

down genre bias and broaden every

Opera

methodically toward heaven. Then he'd follow these with

listener’s horizons—think Miles Davis

Pop

shuddering dips and pitch-swerving curls that would plunge

Jazz

R&B

his listeners into unexpected terrain.

Rock

But unlike most rock stars, Khan—the most visible figure to

Vocals

emerge from the Pakistani devotional singing style known as

World Algeria , Andes, Angola, Argentina , Armenia , Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cape Verde,

to Claude Debussy to the melodic story-songs of The Decemberists. And the writing is passionate, informed, opinionated. MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

qawwali—was never in a particular hurry to reach the ecstatic state. His performances, including these recorded in Paris in the 1980s, were marathons. It could take more than fifteen minutes for a poem (many written by the ancient Sufi mystic Rumi) to unfold.

Celtic, China,

The first disc of this mountainous, careerbest five-disc set

Columbia , Congo,

amounts to an overdose of Khan's shape-shifting vocal

Cuba, Dominican

contortions, ad-libs that feel charged with paranormal

Republic, Egypt,

inspiration. "Naat" begins restlessly, with furtive scattered

Ethiopia, Germany,

phrases. Khan gathers the members of his "Party" into a

Greece, Guinea, Haiti ,

processional, and after seven minutes or so, his

Hawaii, Hebrew,

improvisations evoke a fast-moving, thundering river. Then,

Hungary, India,

suddenly, he begins singing like a worried old lady tottering

Indonesia, Iran,

along on her heels. Then like a sea creature wriggling on the

Jamaica, Japan,

shore. With each characterization, it's clear that Khan is

Klezmer, Latin, Latin

hardly thinking about the notes, or the lengths of his phrases,

1/4/2011 8:30 PM

In Concert in Paris | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

2 of 4

http://www.1000recordings.com/music/concert-paris/ Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only.

America, Madagascar,

or even how he'll respond to the somber chants of his

Mali , Mauritania ,

accompanying singers. He's focusing on something more

Mexico, Middle East,

sweeping—an enduring, lasting bliss, rare and elusive, a state

Morocco, Nigeria,

that must be actively sought. And when the nimble

Pakistan, Portugal,

Khan—whose name translates roughly as "the king of the

Puerto Rico, Romania,

opening to success"—gets close to it, he savors and tries to

Russia, Senegal, South

sustain this state. He treats it as a seeker's reward, the

Africa, Spain,

pleasure that comes after the long stair-stepping quest, the

Tanzania , Trinidad,

gateway to previously hidden realms of consciousness.

Turkey, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Genre: World, Pakistan Released: 1988, Ocora Key Tracks: "Naat," "Manaqib Ali," "Kafi" F.Y.I.: Ocora also released the concerts documented here on individual discs, as Live in Paris, Vols. 1–5. Catalog Choice: Mustt mustt (with Michael Brook) Next Stop: The Sabri Brothers: Ya habib After That: Jeff Buckley: Grace Book Pages: 422–423 BUY THIS RECORDING

RELATED POSTS ON THE BLOG Found on the Web: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - September 14, 2009 at 8:51 am If You Like the Music of Slumdog Millionaire… - February 23, 2009 at 11:34 am Found On the Web! Oum Kalthoum - October 31, 2008 at 10:26 am

Share this page:

COMMENTS: Post a Comment:

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

1/4/2011 8:30 PM

In Concert in Paris | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

3 of 4

http://www.1000recordings.com/music/concert-paris/ Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only.

Remember my personal information Notify me of follow-up comments? Submit the word you see below:

Note that your comment will be reviewed by an editor before it appears on the site.

1/4/2011 8:30 PM

In Concert in Paris | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die

4 of 4

http://www.1000recordings.com/music/concert-paris/ Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only.

ENTER YOUR EMAIL TO JOIN THE MAILING LIST

© 2008–2010 Workman Publishing. Terms & Privacy | Contact

SIGN UP

Home | T he List | Blog | About T om | The Book

site design: Juxtaprose

1/4/2011 8:30 PM