The Saami Brothers featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami

Flanked by four of his sons and an array of Pakistani musicians, Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami provides a conduit to nearly a millennium of two of the world’s most powerful and transcendent musical traditions, Khayal and Qawwali. Now in his 80s, Saami is believed to be the last living master of the 49-note surti, a scale he began learning when he was 10 and that he is transmitting to his children in their ensemble, The Saami Brothers. His voice a caduceus of pain and redemption, faith and anguish, Saami himself remains an engrossing singer, whether delivering the words of Khayal or the pure tones of Qawwali. His sons—Muhammad Rauf, Urooj Khan, Azeem Jawwad, and Ahmed Ghani Naseeruddin—flesh out the sound, their voices moving in perfect dynamic tandem.

These traditions hinge on patience and committed collective playing, with the voices rising one step at a time and the dramatic vocal ululations lifting the whole ensemble to a higher plane. The music adds to the rapture, from the harmoniums moving in tandem and several tablas and dhols to the mournful and hypnotic pleas of the sarangi, a short-necked and bowed instrument that reinforces the voices above it. With their father, The Saami Brothers function as custodians of Delhi Qawwal Bacha Gharana, a centuries-old synthesis of Persian, Turkish, Arabic and South Asian strands. They are emissaries for it, too, taking it around the world from their Pakistani homes. Big Ears is honored to host this family of rapturous singers, keepers of a tradition that sounds like nothing else.