Source: The Express Tribune, 24 February 2015 — “A ‘Sumystical’ night of Qawwali music” — https://tribune.com.pk/story/842936/a-sumystical-night-of-qawwali-music
Music enthusiasts were treated to an exhilarating performance by Hamza Akram and his troupe at The Second Floor (T2F) in Karachi, in an event titled “Mee Raqsam” — featuring Hamza Akram, Taimoor Akram Qawwal & brothers, the 26th generation of the legendary Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi.
Asked to play “something new”, Hamza chose instead to perform songs that were seemingly unheard of because they had been forgotten. He opened with a Masnavi by Rumi, then moved to more famous compositions — “Mee Raqsam” itself, “Khereyaan De Naal”, and the famous Punjabi folk poem “Tere Ishq Nachaya” by Bulleh Shah. The kalaam was a tremendous hit with the audience.
Ali Ahsan, who had heard the group’s earlier performances, said the vocalist had “come into his own as a Qawwal”: “I was in the audience when he performed two years ago at T2F but today’s performance was something really different. He seems to have grown as a musician and has come into his own as a Qawwal. His improvement was evident in the song ‘Tere Ishq Nachaya’.”
Singing in languages ranging from Urdu to Purbi, Hamza kept translating and elaborating on the lyrics to keep the audience engaged — and he spoke about what T2F meant to him: “One of my first performances was at T2F. That time many people had come to listen to me because of my illustrious background but I hope that this time and from now onwards people will come to listen [to] me.”
He thanked his teachers, Ustad Fareed Ayaz Qawwal and Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, and his father Ghulam Akram Khan Sahab, “who has supported me a lot”. The singer, grandson of Ustad Munshi Raziuddin Ahmed Khan and Ustad Qawwal Bahauddin, had already made a name for himself — a collaboration with DJ Damian Lazarus had recently been ranked number 30 on the BBC’s Most Essential Tunes list.
He also revealed what was next: a new sound he called “Sumystical”, combining Sufi and mystical music, with collaborations planned with former Coke Studio bassist Mannu and legendary guitarist Amir Zaki — fusion, he said, but with the essence and structure of qawwali unchanged.
This post is a rephrased summary of The Express Tribune’s report of 24 February 2015, shared here for our press archive. Read the original at the link above.
Leave a Reply