The Score Magazine - Archive April 2009 issue! | Page 29

Recently a team from The Score Magazine had
an opportunity to talk to the latest rage in the
local Sufi music scene; a trio from Nagore per-
forming under the stage name ‘Nagore Ses-
sions’, Their soul stirring Sufi music in Tamil is
first of its kind, and has recently got the much
deserved recognition not only within our bor-
ders, but even beyond Indian shores.
Chennai based world music label EarthSync
launched an album of unique musical collabo-
ration featuring the three dargah singers from
Nagapattinam; the first ever such adaptation
of Sufi form of singing in Tamil. It’s success is a
testimony to their sincerity.
The dargah singers, Abdul Ghani (57), Ajah
Maideen (42) and Saburmaideen Babha Sa-
beer (65), had earlier worked with EarthSync
on the Laya Project. Soon after that EarthSync
took the trio abroad to stage their sufi music
shows in Bombay, Israel and Australia.
The families of the trio have been into this
form of music since their formative years. They
have been composing and setting them music
in a form with only a Dayereh (Tambourine like
instrument) as an accompanying percussion.
Until they were discovered they were confined
to the stage offered by the darga.
Their simple straight appeal to the soul of
a common man, brought them to Chennai.
While making the album for the first time with
other instruments and artists of other musical
forms, they felt it opened up a world of pos-
sibilities to learn and incorporate different
forms of music including Carnatic music.
They agree that this venture and effort have
brought a religious harmony and a feeling that
all religions lead to the same God.
Their album is a successful collaboration of
several popular and well known artists, includ-
ing Zohar Fresco on Middle Eastern percus-
sion, horns by Monks from the Tashi Lhunpo
Monastery, sarangi by maestro Murad Ali
Khan, rhodes and programming by Patrick
Sebag, harmonium by Palakkad Sreeram and
bass by David Saban.
The songs in the album are mostly on the
early Sufi saints from Iraq (Baghdad), Ajmer
Haja, Nagore Andavar and the miracles they
performed. Their songs typically depict bhakti
(devotion), gyana (knowledge seeking), and
philosophical pondering.
For Sufi mystics, each experience is different
and no one session is similar to the other.
Whether it’s singing, listening or whirling, Sufi
music reaches the soul of the mystic Muslim
and awakens the soul’s consciousness. Sufi
music is not only based on God’s remembrance
and on the prophet. Certain schools use the vi-
brations emanating from this purpose to tran-
scend the physical realm into the spiritual one.
A deep spiritual connection is established and
the Sufi releases all the worldly attachments,
to be able to dissolve into God’s light and pow-
er. Sufi music is easily qualified as “soul music”
for Muslim mystics.
The Nagore trio has lead the way with this
new genre of music and we owe it to them for
bringing this lilting, musical form into the spot
light.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
29
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