One of the many compilations of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan recordings released after the singer's early -'90s breakthrough (courtesy of Peter Gabriel's Real World label), 1996's The Prophet Speaks is, unlike many of the others, strictly traditional Qawwali: no beat-heavy remixes, no Western instrumentation, no attempts to cut down these lengthy performances to fit jaded attention spans. These are three lengthy (13, 17, and 20 minutes apiece) improvisations by Khan & Party that ebb and flow organically, with the singers and instrumentalists led throughout by Khan's indescribable vocal power and emotion. Unfortunately, the skimpy liner notes are barren in terms of recording and personnel information, making it a frustrating first purchase for a neophyte who wants to learn more about this unique and fascinating performer.

Qawwali is the devotional music of Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, which originated in the 10th century in what is present-day Iran. The word qawwali means utterance, and the qawwal, meaning a wise or philosophical utterance, is the voice of (or the mouthpiece of) divine power. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was the best qawwali singer of his generation, and this 1994 CD documents this legend's brilliant vocal abilities. All four tracks revolve around love and/or worship. "Maki Madni" is a chant sung by Nusrat and party to the prophet Muhammad. "Sahib Teri Bandi" is centered on the ecstatic love a woman has for an unknown spiritual leader or Sufi saint. "Gunj-E-Shakar" was written to celebrate the Sufi saint, Baba Farid Shakar Gunj. Finally, the story of "Sochan Dongian" revolves around the deep depression of a woman who has been rejected by her lover. In a hypnotic and passionate recording, Nusrat and company will take you on a musical ride as mesmerizing as it is educational.

The Rough Guide to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan celebrates the singer who died tragically young four years ago, and who single-handedly put the Pakistani qawwali style on the international map. The music's mystical peace and love message may have made it a laudable export, but its freewheeling modes can be initially hard on the Western ear. What sold it to audiences was this man's extraordinary vocal virtuosity. He could holler with rasping roughness, or he could weave the most delicate melismas. He was adept at pacing his long solos--these 10-minute tracks are mere excerpts--and at building to a blazing climax. All these songs are ecstatically in praise of Allah and his saints, but they range from intimate religious rituals to orchestrated numbers complete with attendant female choruses almost in the Bollywood mode. The liner notes are by Jameela Siddiqi, author of the relevant Rough Guide chapter, and they're exemplary: she places this music in its historical and religious context with lucid authority. "Out of a thousand listeners," said Nusrat, "even if just one feels closer to his Creator, then my work is done." Listen attentively to this marvelous record and you'll see what he meant.

The idea of a religious singer whose ecstasy-inducing opuses commonly run over 20 minutes having "greatest hits" borders on the hilarious. But when you consider the fanatical following the Pakistani qawwali star has gained around the world, the top-of-the-charts concept becomes less far-fetched. Upon hearing the great qawwal in person, Pakistanis in foreign cities were known to bang their heads against the stage until they bled. This set of four pieces was released in 1997, the year Nusrat died. By the time the world discovered Nusrat in the late '80s, he had produced literally hundreds of recordings, so whether you consider these archival selections "hits" or not, they are significant and worthwhile additions to his catalog.

Tremendous series of archival CDs by this late, rarely documented Iranian master of the tanbur lute, Ostad Elahi (1895-1974). This first volume features recordings from Tehran, 1964-72. For music of transcendational quality via stringed instruments, these are some of the most important releases of recent vintage. "Ostad Elahi is a fascinating figure, a unique 20th century musical giant. His whole adult life he worked as a magistrate in Iran, yet he was acclaimed as a musician embedded in a tradition of Islamic mysticism stretching back to the tenth century. Even after retiring aged 62, in order to devote himself full time to music and spiritual research, he never performed a concert either in public or for the radio. Elahi's instrument of choice was the humble Kurdish tanbour, a long-necked lute associated more with the epic ballads of central Asian nomads than the sophisticated delights of Persian classical music. In fact, Elahi doesn't play Persian classical in the strict sense, though that is one of the many traditions he studied. He is a prime example of a musician stepping out of the tradition, drawing on Persian, Azeri, pre-Islamic musics, even Kurdish popular tunes, stretching all forms to his own visionary purpose.

Recorded in the wake of the late Khan's triumphant performance at the 1985 WOMAD festival, this 10- track collection features the lighter, folkier side of the Pakistani classical music singer's repertoire. Accompanied by his nine-member "party" on acoustic guitar, mandolin, and a full complement of tabla and harmonium, Khan unleashes typically stunning vocal phrases marked by blinding speed, cutting tone, and unearthly ornamentation. The infectious "Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka," with lyrics in praise of Muhammed, finds the qawwali singer at his most effervescent, while the ghazal (love song) "Mast Nazroon Se Allah Bachhae" features an insistent hand-clapped rhythm and the full Party chorus singing together in unison.

International Record Review, March 2005. Taking us into the sixteenth century is 'Music for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor' from Chapelle du Roi and Alistair Dixon. Charles (1500-58), Spanish King and much else besides, became the most powerful man in Europe. He was cultivated too, and valued music, employing some of the most eminent composers of the age. We get to hear six motets - several written for specific occasions in Charles's life - as well as the magnificent Missa 'L'homme armé' by Spaniard Cristóbal de Morales. Chapelle du Roi (14-strong here) sings with clarity, purpose and (as in Morales's Jubilate Deo) real passion - Simon Heighes

The music of Ostad Elahi bears one of the best testimony to the allusive power of sounds. While it seems absolutely simple, it immerses the listener in an ocean of sublimated emotions, constantly bringing him back to the center of himself, through its essential nature. A continuation to the Celestial Music of Ostad Elahi (CMT 2741026), these two records are almost entirely dedicated to the little lute of Persian mystics, the tanbur, with its muffled tone, so incredibly efficient. Master of sobriety, Ostad Elahi is capable of expressing a vast array of feelings in the interval of two parent tones, as in "Khbn" in the Haft Khan-e Rostam suite, or to carry the listener away through the repetition and subtle variations of a short and seemingly innocuous musical phrase. And when, in his hoarse voice, he begins to sing one of these ancient Sufi poems, long kept in his memory, his chant is like a drop of water which would alone quench the thirst of the traveler after the longest journey in the desert.

Rooted in a tradition that has remained secret for several centuries, Ostad Elahi's music is truly remarkable and unique. Eluding classification in any of the conventional categories, this music has historically been reserved for devotional contexts. For Ostad, music was above all a means of contemplation and prayer, and he would therefore only play alone or in small gatherings of family and close friends. The recordings that currently remain of his work were made towards the end of his life under simple and nonprofessional conditions, often without his knowledge. While these recordings (totaling some 40 hours) have mostly been edited and made available after his passing, those who actually had the opportunity to hear him play were profoundly affected by his music, including several renowned artists and musicians.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was the leading exponent of traditional qawwali music until his death in 1997. Developed as devotional music by the ancient Sufi poets, the qawwal often serves as a conduit between the worshipper and the Creator. This music also has a secular side to it, too, when it appears in the form of a love song, or ghazal. This CD features both songs of praise, and songs of love and beauty. For example, "Shamas-Ud-Doha, Badar-Ud-Doja" is based thematically around the worship of Mohammed, Allah's prophet, while "Kehna Ghalat Ghalat To Chhupana Sahi Sahi" is a ghazal sung in Urdu about a hypocritical lover. Nusrat was recognized as "Shahen-Shah-e-Qawwali," which means "The Brightest Star in Qawwali." SHAHEN-SHAH confirms this assertion.

As music was above all a means of reflection and prayer for Ostad, he always played alone or in small gatherings of relatives and friends. However, in 1960 Musa Marufi, a master of classical Persian music, discovered Ostad and in a long article detailed how he had been overwhelmed by Ostad’s music. Marufi’s account aroused the curiosity of musicologists, and from that day forward great artists and musicians such as Maurice Béjart and the late Yehudi Menuhin sought to visit Ostad and hear him play. Some of these musicians would later provide testimonials regarding the profound impact of Ostad’s music on the listener. Combining extraordinary technique and spiritual inspiration, certain pieces of Ostad’s music are so complex that attempts by Ruhollâh Khâleqi, Director of the National Academy of Music, and others to transcribe this music have met with little success. A few recordings of his work remain, which have been gradually digitized and released since 1995.