Listen to Songs of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan by Riyaaz Qawwali

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A UNIQUE QAWWALI GROUP
Riyaaz Qawwali
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Definition of
Qawwali
Qawwali is a venerable yet refreshing musical
tradition that dates back to the late 13th
century. The word qaul refers to an "utterance
(of the prophet)" and the first Qawwals (qawwali
artists) repeated these qauls by making them the
subject matter of their qawwalis.
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About Riyaaz Qawwali Group
Riyaaz Qawwali represents the unique diversity
and plurality of South Asia. The ensembles
musicians, who are settled in the United States,
hail from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and
Bangladesh and represent multiple religious and
spiritual backgrounds. Trained in eastern and
western classical music, the members have been
professionally performing qawwali for the past
twelve years. With conservative growth and
heightened attention to quality, Riyaaz Qawwali
has performed across the continental U.S., in
Panama and Europe. Riyaaz Qawwalis mission is
to expose qawwali to new audiences, while still
paying homage to traditional qawwali that has
been in existence for 700 years. The ensemble
wants to expand the reach of the genre to new
stages and people of other faiths and
traditions. The founding members of Riyaaz
Qawwali chose the qawwali genre of music because
it houses unique musical elements in its
repertoire that are not found in any other form
of South Asian music.
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Wadali Brothers Songs
Most of the musicians in Riyaaz Qawwali have
full- time jobs, employed in oil gas, in
healthcare, and even higher education. They are
all too familiar with corporate expectations and
the demands that of such an environment. We can
relate to the 9 to 5 grind. Listen to famous
Wadali brothers songs.
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Riyaaz Qawwali combines this with poetry from
famous South Asian poets of multiple linguistic
and religious backgrounds to create a universal
message of oneness (Riyaaz Qawwali incorporates
works from poetic giants like Mirza Ghalib, Amir
Khusrow, Bulleh Shah, Mir Taqi Mir, Sant Kabir
and Guru Nanak, and in doing so, hopes to expose
these poets works to new audiences and younger
generations). Riyaaz Qawwali also uses numerous
languages to represent the linguistic and
cultural diversity that exists in South Asia.
These languages include Urdu, Punjabi, Persian,
Gujarati, and Hindi.
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Ghazal in USA

• A Ghazal is a collection of couplets called shers
  that rhyme and have a common refrain. Spend an
  amazing evening full of satin words and
  wonderful spirits. Enjoy Ghazal in USA. Integral
  to our mission is performing at new places and
  sharing qawwali with new audiences.
• Last year, we did just that! 2015 started off on
  a high, with a performance at New Yorks
  GlobalFest which is the launching pad for
  upcoming world musicians! We had the chance to
  perform at The Webster Hall. Isabel Soffer, the
  festivals co-director exclaimed that its been
  her dream to have qawwali represented at
  GlobalFest!

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Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
The songs which constitute the qawwali sung by
Riyaaz Qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and
Punjabi (almost equally divided between the
two), although there are several songs in
Brajbhasha and Persian. The poetry is implicitly
understood to be spiritual in its meaning and
the central themes are love, devotion and
longing (for the Divine). With a harmonious
blend of South Asian and the Western influences,
Sonny K. Mehta leads the ensemble as the artistic
director for Riyaaz Qawwali. His eastern musical
influences include Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ravi
Shankar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sher Ali Mehr
Ali, Jagjit Singh, Jasraj, Bhimsen Joshi and
Abida Parveen.
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His poetry favorites are Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid,
Amir Khusrrau, Saint Kabir, Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza
Ghalib and Shiv Kumar Batalvi. He is equally
moved by western artists in diverse genres
including blues, pop, rap, gospel, country and
spoken word.
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Contact Us
6910 Hidden Treasure, Friendswood, Texas, 77546,
USA
Phone Number 832-875-4139 Email
riyaazqawwali_at_gmail.com
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Thank You!
Website http//riyaazqawwali.com/