Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers Return to NYC
The performance is on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM.
By: Stephi Wild Mar. 24, 2025
Pakistan's award-winning Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers, grandsons of the revered Munshi Raziuddin, return to Roulette after their mesmerizing performances in 2019 and March of 2024. They have been acclaimed for their riveting interpretations of qawwali, the ecstatic improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. With lively rhythmic hand clapping and drumming, joyous melodies, inspirational poetry and powerful vocals (similar to gospel in its call-and-response manner), they will perform songs that range from 13th century mystical Persian poems to more recent Punjabi poems that speak of the intoxication of divine love. The ensemble features Hamza Akram (lead vocals, harmonium) and his brothers Taimoor Akram (tabla - pair of hand drums, solo vocals) and Abdul Akram (harmonium, solo vocals), who will be joined by their father Ghulam Akram (supporting vocals, chorus) and several other artists.
Qawwali is a musical tradition that dates back to the late 13th century and is typically associated with Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam popularized throughout the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa through various “brotherhoods.” Qawwali means “utterance” in Urdu and is derived from the Arabic word qaul (saying). Said to have been introduced to the Mughal court of India by the Persian mystic, poet, musician and philosopher Amir Khusrau, it is essentially a form of sung poetry. The qawwal engenders a state of transcendence in his audience, drawing on verses that ponder the meaning of Divine love through allegory, or are devoted to the sayings of the Prophet (Mohammed) or a particular Sufi saint.
Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers represent the 26th generation of the seven centuries-old Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi founded by their ancestor Saamat bin Ibrahim, the first qawwal of the subcontinent and principal student of mystic Amir Khusrau. Hamza, who was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1992, has studied with the renowned Naseeruddin Saami, as well as with his uncle, Farid Ayaz Qawwal, with whom he and his brothers Taimoor and Abdul have toured. Hamza's father, Ghulam Akram, is a senior member of the Farid Ayaz Qawwal party. In 2017, Hamza became the first qawwal since Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to compose film music, writing and producing music for the Pakistani feature film Rangreza. That same year, the group won the Lux Style award. To date they have performed extensively, appearing throughout the US, Europe and the UAE.
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