Fans of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and John Coltrane: look out!
Radiohead took the Israeli-Indian band Junun along on their 'A Moon Shaped Pool' tour, in '16, and Damon Albarn has confirmed his love of Mali on many an album. Now Chris Martin (Coldplay) has also fallen for the Canadian-American qawwali-band Fanna-Fi-Allah. Basically: Global Sounds have become an integral part of our Western World. Ready for an exquisite Indo-Pakistani double bill?
FANNA-FI-ALLAH
Recently signaled in the home studio of Chris Martin: Canadian-American qawwali-band Fanna-Fi-Allah. This seven-member group maintains the qawwali tradition – a centuries old form of Sufi devotional music from Southern Asia – just like, say, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan did in the '80s-'90s. Even though they have been active for 20 years now, it seems as if the band has only just broken through to a broader audience this year.
RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA
Pitchfork described his style recently as 'jaw-dropping' and called him 'one of the finest saxophonists going'. AllMusic has also praised him and titled it with: 'One of the strongest voices of the jazz scene.' His latest album 'Agrima' reflects 'the vibrant presence of Indian rhythmic and melodic elements in a charged, modern improvisational framework born of the New York jazz scene'.