Photo Courtesy of Artist
qawwali & khayal
Karachi, Pakistan
The Saami Brothers are from a heralded Pakistani musical family with a long lineage of master vocalists that goes back centuries. Their father, the revered Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, who, still in his 80s, has a rarely heard depth, power, and presence on stage, taught his sons from a very young age. Having learned at his feet, the Saami Brothers, along their father, represent the last living practitioners of a rarely heard 49-note microtonal vocal scale. Well-versed in several South Asian classical traditions, including qawwali and khayal, the Saami Brothers, with their father, are among the finest ensembles keeping the flame for these sublime sacred sounds.
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music that originated over 700 years ago, blending Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and South Asian musical traditions. Rooted in the spiritual teachings of Islam and Sufi poetry—qawwali means “knowledge of words,” while Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam—qawwali traditionally features male performers sitting cross-legged around a lead vocalist who moves the group through each song. Its rhythmic intensity, melodic improvisation, call-and-response structure, and emotionally charged repetition guide listeners toward a state of wajd—a trance-like experience of spiritual ecstasy and communion with the divine. Qawwali has been shaped and preserved for centuries through hereditary lineages known as gharanas, or musical families. The Saami are fierce guardians of the oldest and most distinguished of these lineages: the Qawwal Bacha Dehli Gharana. Equally vital to the Saami’s lineage is khayal—meaning “imagination”—a classical, largely wordless vocal tradition that laid the foundation for qawwali. While their qawwali performances have long incorporated elements of khayal, the form is rarely presented as a standalone set. The performances are not just concerts—they are spiritual events that bridge past and present, connecting audiences across cultures, time, and space.
The Saami are one of the last families continuing qawwali in its most traditional form. Over the last 50 years, a commercialized form of this tradition has gained global prominence through legendary artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. While this modern version flourished internationally, an ancient and deeply awe-inspiring strand of the tradition has been carefully preserved by the Saami family. They are capable of rendering the rare 49-note microtonal scale with subtle precision and endless melodic variation. Rauf, Urooj, Ahmed, and Azeem Saami not only studied under their father but also had the privilege of learning the intricacies of classical music from the late Ustad Munshi Raziuddin Khan, as well as their maternal grandfather, Munshi Raziuddin Qawal, a world-renowned performer.
At the Richmond Folk Festival, the Saami Brothers will perform qawwali, as well as a dedicated khayal set—an offering of this sacred and seldom-heard form. Featuring Ustads Rauf and Urooj on vocals, Ahmed Saami on harmonium, Azeem Saami on tabla, and joined by their father, this set promises a rare glimpse into the otherworldly soundscape of khayal. Listeners typically surrender to the music’s spiritual and healing power, and travel with these remarkable vocalists on a profound sonic journey.