Listen to Songs of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan by Riyaaz Qawwali

A UNIQUE QAWWALI GROUP
Riyaaz
Q awwali

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.

About Riyaaz Qawwali Group
Riyaaz Qawwali represents the unique diversity and plurality of South Asia. The ensemble’s 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 Qawwali’s 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.

Wadali Brothers Songs
Most of the musicians in Riyaaz Qawwali have fulltime
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.

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.

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.
. 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 York’s GlobalFest which is the launching pad for
upcoming world musicians! We had the chance to perform at The
Webster Hall. Isabel Soffer, the festival’s co-director exclaimed that it’s
been her dream to have qawwali represented at GlobalFest!

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.

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.

Contact Us
6910 Hidden Treasure, Friendswood,
Texas, 77546, USA
Phone Number: +832-875-4139
Email: riyaazqawwali@gmail.com

T h a n k You!
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