I'm taking some time off from the daily goings on of living in New York to post something that means a lot to me, both in terms of music and culture. Faiz Ali Faiz is a Qawwali singer from Pakistan and Thierry "Titi" Robin is a French musician who is known to experiment with gypsy music, flamenco and Arabic music on different occasions. They are collectively known as Jaadu ("Magic" in Urdu). For those of you who aren't familiar with Qawwali, it's a type of Sufi devotional music performed mainly in shrines in North India and Pakistan.
Even though I'm an atheist, Qawwali has always held a special place in my heart, mainly because I've seen so much of it during my childhood and the emotions behind it are so genuinely heart-felt that it would be difficult not to be moved by it. Of course, speaking the language is greatly advantageous but I wouldn't let that stop me if I were you.
I first heard of these guys at the WOMAD festival in Abu Dhabi, UAE and it was a fantastic experience. Fusion at its best. Get this if you're a fan of world music (or music in general).
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