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While the Sufi musical tradition of Pakistan is well documented in the popular press because of the work of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his predecessors, the Sabri Brothers (both represented with excellent tracks in this collection), the wealth of great art from this religious culture is often left unheard. This two-CD set rectifies the problem with style and beauty. Not only Pakistan, but Egypt, Senegal, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and many other countries in Asia and the Middle East have rich traditions of devotional music from loosely defined Sufi roots, from the simplest solo singer to lush orchestras of percussion, harmoniums, and massed voices. Each of the 21 tracks on
Sufi Soul is worth your attention: the incredible passion of a women's choir from Uzbekistan; the sparse, gentle flute solo of
ney master Hassan Kassayi; a rare
tanbur (lute) and vocal track by Ostad Elahi; a Balachi song for
sorud (fiddle). There are standout tracks that need to be mentioned. The frame drum and
qanun (zither) come together in Ensemble Al-Kindi for a dramatic, almost avant-garde feeling. An amazing Persian singer, Khatereh Parvaneh, presents the poetry of Rumi in a piece in
dastgah shour; she performs with minimum ornamentation to maximum effect, accompanied only by a hammered zither. Senegalese artist Musa Dieng Kala offers one of the most stirring vocal pieces on the set, an a cappella masterwork. As with most of the Network sets, this is a gorgeous package, with great photos and excellent liner notes on the history and the music, in English, French, and German.
--Louis Gibson
