Qawwali is Sufi devotional music: an ensemble, a harmonium, a wall of hand-claps, and a lead voice that climbs toward the divine. It is roughly seven hundred years old, and Pakistan is its living heartland.
Start with the master
Everything leads back to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Begin with Afreen Afreen, then follow the thread outward.
The great parties
The Sabri Brothers brought qawwali its grandest drama (Bhar Do Jholi). Aziz Mian was its philosopher-provocateur — hear Teri Soorat. Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad and Rizwan-Muazzam carry the tradition today, the latter direct from Nusrat's own lineage. And Amjad Sabri, lost in 2016, remains one of its most beloved voices.
Keep going
We've gathered the essentials in one place — the Qawwali Classics collection. For the devotional cousins of qawwali, the Naatein collection is the next step.