Call of the Soul (2011)
3 tracks, 41 minutes
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I’ve mentioned qawwali quite a few times here but we’ve not had a proper album of the style yet. So, with this album, it’s probably a good time to ask…what is qawwali?
Qawwali is a style of sung poetry popular in South Asia, originating in the 13th century with the works of the poet and musician Amir Khusrow. It is a devotional form sung by followers of a mystical branch of Islam called Sufism, and its words talk of an all-consuming love of God and the Prophet through often deep layers of metaphor, often evoking erotic love or intoxication on wine (Sufis are also responsible for many incredible musical and artistic traditions around the world, from the Bayefall and Gnawa of West Africa to the Mevlevi of Turkey to the Qasidah of Indonesia and lots in between). Musically, qawwali is descended from many sources, with Indian and Persian classical music, Punjabi and Rajasthani folk and Arabic music all contributing to the sound. The modern qawwali ensemble consists of one or two soloists and a chorus of between six and ten, with one tabla and a couple of harmoniums being played between them.
And so we go back to Call of the Soul and Raza Khan. As you’ve guessed, Raza Khan is a qawwali singer, a Sufi and a Christian.
…wait, what? How can he be a Sufi AND a Christian? Because the world is just bloody excellent, that’s how. He applies Sufi teaching and practice to his Pentecostal beliefs and just gets on with it. And part of just getting on with it is apparently becoming a master qawwal. His voice is simply stunning. The ease at which his voice caresses the poetry that he sings – and the wordless syllables he improvises with – as if they are made of silk. His fingers move across the keys of his harmonium with a sharp dexterity, and the range of his voice at least equals the instrument’s. When he breaks from the rolling groove to soar into the sky, the heights he reaches are incredible…and then he goes even higher.
Qawwali is intense music and a spectacle for the ears and the heart. Naming the album Call of the Soul is no overstatement. When you listen to this music, it transports you, spiritually, to another place, whether you’re religious or not. And Raza Khan proves that the religion of the singer doesn’t matter too much either; it doesn’t matter which gods and prophets are being praised, this music brings them a little nearer to us.
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