> > > > Long before 9/11 and the subsequent drum beat of a war on terror and
> > talk of
> > > > a clash of civilisations between Islam and the West,Nusrat Fateh Ali
> > > > Khan,Pakistan's greatest musical export, sang ecstatically about the
> > Oneness
> > > > of God and love for humanity.Muslim,Jew,Christian, Hindu,all people,
> > with or
> > > > without faith, who tuned into the power and emotion of his voice were
> > > > transported to another place, beyond the self created ghettos of the
> > mind
> > > > and into a spiritual wonderland of joy and transcendance.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I was first introduced to Nusrat in 1990 by the Pakistani cricket
> > > > captain,Imran Khan, for whose cancer hospital we did a fundraising tour
> > of
> > > > concerts together.Having been born in Lahore and grown up in New York,my
> > > > musical leanings were the blues and classic rock:John Lee Hooker,Robert
> > > > Johnson,Led Zeppelin,The Beatles and Pink Floyd.As a result, I felt a
> > little
> > > > out of place arriving at Lahore's Alhamra arts council carrying a
> > > > stratocaster and a guitar amp to my first Qawwali rehearsal with the
> > > > celebrated Nusrat. He sat onstage,cross legged on a persian
> > carpet,looking
> > > > like a Punjabi Buddha,while his qawwali group brought out the
> > > > harmoniums,tablas, and cups full of Lahori chai.After the traditional
> > > > greetings of "Salaamualeikum" (peace be upon you) I nervously asked
> > Nusrat
> > > > what he wanted me to play on the first song "Mustt,Mustt" (lost in
> > you),he
> > > > replied with a childlike innocence: "do whatever your heart tells you to
> > > > do". It turned out to be the strongest piece of career and personal
> > advice
> > > > anyone could've offered me.Nusrat's voice and the songs performed that
> > day
> > > > and later on the tour had a profound impact on my music.To modify a
> > Nirvana
> > > > lyric,his music is "addictive and contagious".The poetry and the
> > melodies
> > > > opened doors inside my head which allowed Rumi,Bulleh Shah and Iqbal to
> > > > enter and coexist with John Lennon, Jimmy Page and John Lee Hooker.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Nusrat also helped pave the way for my band, Junoon, to take the risks
> > we
> > > > did when we married electric guitars to bhangra drum and dhol grooves
> > while
> > > > chanting traditional sufi texts considered sacred by the orthodox. In
> > fact
> > > > it was Nusrat who broke the traditional mould of the Qawwali singer,
> > when he
> > > > collaborated with Peter Gabriel,Michael Brook and Eddie Vedder of Pearl
> > > > Jam.In one particular conversation I had with him about about his
> > brilliant
> > > > album NIGHT SONG /with Michael Brook,he told me that he favored fusion
> > > > because in the Quran its mentioned that God loves diversity, and Nusrat
> > felt
> > > > the most powerful way to celebrate and express diversity was through
> > music.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Years later,in 1998, when Junoon's song Sayonee raced up the pop charts
> > in
> > > > India to help us become South Asia's biggest rock band, it was a special
> > > > poignant moment for me because our album,Azadi (Freedom)/EMI had been
> > > > dedicated to the memory of Nusrat who had sadly passed on a year earlier
> > > > while only 48 and with all the music still inside of him.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan left behind a universal DNA in his songs, for all
> > > > people to share and celebrate the yearning, the joy and the timeless
> > message
> > > > of Oneness.Can music help build the bridge of Unity between East and
> > West?
> > > > Nusrat certainly had no doubts!
....... and i like jazz 
