Ghulam Sabir Nizami singing Qawwali with sons and nephews, Delhi August 2011
Mohammed Akbar Nizami singing Qawwali with sons and nephews, Delhi August 2011
In 2010 and 2011 I had the pleasure of working with two of the well-known Nizami Brothers, broadening the scope of the project to include Qawwali, Sufi devotional music. The emphasis is on group musical making and the passionate expression of devotional ltrics. The children do receive a grounding in classical music—either singing or tabla. Some are being groomed in vocal music by my vocal teacher Aslam Khan in Mumbai, the last great representative of the Harpur Gharana and a master of Agra Gharana repertoire.
See North India films page (film #6) for Dekhiyem Sikhiye, Parakhiye, a 45-minute film by Nicolas Magriel.