ABOUT
The music of this group has its origins in the Talvandi classical school of Hindustani music. Meher and Sher Ali were born in the Pakistani border town of Kasur in the early 1950s and received their early training in classical music from their father, who was a court classical singer at the small Sikh principality of Patiala (now in India). Their father then became the disciple of Fateh Ali Khan, the father of the famous Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and young Sher Ali was the student of Bakhshi Salamat Ali Qawwal. Meher Ali and Sher Ali thus acknowledge that the family of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is their “Ustad Gharana” or “Teacher House,” a term imbued with veneration among musician circles in Pakistan and North India. Meher Ali was taught by Muhammad Ali Fareedi, an ordained Sufi qawwal of the shrine of the 13th-century Sufi, Baba Farid. Meher Ali was thus trained in Sufi philosophy, poetry, texts, and rituals. All qawwals must have a deep knowledge of Sufi poetic texts. In practice, this often means sacrificing musical quality to retain the purity of text. Meher and Sher are qawwals who have achieved the rare combination of both musical quality and authentic text rendition: Sher is known for his ability to understand the importance of rhythm (lai-kari) and render classical modes in a strong voice, while Meher's heart-rending high-pitched voice strikes the heart (zarb-ul-qalb) when the poetry contains words of entreaty or sorrow. Amjad Ali on the tabla generates more classical detail on his tabla than is normally expected of a qawwali tabla and says, “I strive to recite poetry with my hands.” The group feels that their music brings harmony and peace to the soul and projects the message of love and unity for all. “We sometimes go into a trance during our performance, so moved are we by the text and music,” says Meher Ali. They believe that qawwali goes beyond the limitations of orthodox religion and is a universal invitation to all living beings to share in the feelings of the powerful emotion of pure love, the pain of separation, and the joy of union. The journey began in the 1960s when the Ali brothers started professional Qawwali. Their talent was first discovered by Radio Pakistan Multan. Then in 1978, Ustad Meher Ali and Sher Ali had their first visual performance on Pakistan Television. Then they never looked back, and one after another, stories of success became regular news for them. Their first album was released in 1980. In the same year, they went to South Africa, England, Dubai, and Syria. In the same year, they performed Hajj. They were first recognized on a government level in 1995. The Government of Pakistan sent them to England in 1995. The King of Morocco invited them to Morocco in 1996. The year 1997 was a busy one for Meher Ali and Sher Ali as they visited Holland, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Lebanon. In the same year, they paid a visit to Amir Jamalat and England. In 1998, the Asia Society of Music invited them to perform in America. In 1999, the American World Music Institute invited them to give an honorary lecture on Qawwali music. In 2000, Meher Ali and Sher Ali participated in the World Music Festival. In 2001, they had a big concert in London. The 2002 concert in Spain brought a success story. In 2004, they visited Morocco for the Faiz Festival and the Summer Festival in Japan. In 2005, they visited France for Music the Loire Valley. Recently, in 2006 and 2007, Meher Ali and Sher Ali visited India, England, and Kuwait. Meher Ali and Sher Ali have about 40 music albums on the market, and they have worked for filmi Qawwali. In many other countries, CDs and audio cassettes are released. On the 14th of August 2007, Governor Punjab Khalid Maqbool awarded them with the Pride of Performance.
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