{"title":"Ustad Saami","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"pakistan-is-for-the-peaceful","title":"Pakistan Is For The Peaceful","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing his critically acclaimed debut, God Is Not a Terrorist, 49-note scale microtonal vocal master Ustad Saami returns with an epic part two. Pakistan is for the Peaceful presents an even more immersive work, comprised of just three extended tracks and again produced 100% live at the master’s rooftop home in Karachi by Grammy-winner, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Zomba Prison Project, The Good Ones) with musical accompaniment provided by Ustad’s four sons.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUstad Saami is the last living Surti master, a precursor of the ancient, Islamic devotional music of qawwali. Even under threat of Islamic fundamentalists, the master has spent his life as a dedicated practitioner of a vanishing art — one that has been passed on from generation to generation since the 13th century. As The Quietus noted: “when Ustad Saami dies, these forty-nine notes die with him.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glitterbeat","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50464362824011,"sku":"1103112","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4ffb206c-c5ae-4cb6-87ef-5ea006740873_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727273431"},{"product_id":"god-is-not-a-terrorist","title":"God Is Not A Terrorist","description":"\u003cp\u003eHypnotic, unvarnished recordings by one of Pakistan’s most revered and iconic classical singers. The roots of Saami’s music go back to the 13th century - but it’s message is contemporary and universal: “to sing is to listen.” Produced by Grammy Award winner Ian Brennan. Vol.5 of Glitterbeat’s acclaimed Hidden Musics series. 75-year-old, Ustad Saami risks his life daily in Pakistan to keep alive his microtonal, pre-Islamic, multilingual (Farsi, Sanskrit, Hindi, the ancient and dead language of Vedic, gibberish, Arabic, and Urdu) music. Handed down by his ancestors for over a thousand years, he is ‘the only practioner of Surti left in the world’ and when he passes, this music will die with him as well. Extremists resent his work as they do anything else pre-dating Muhammad. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaster Ustad Naseeruddin Saami has spent his entire life mastering the nuances of every given note. “To sing is to listen.” These are the words of the master. The translation of his own last name, Saami, even means “to hear.” The master shapes the notes with his hands as he sings like conducting a Theremin. Most master’s now hide their knowledge, possessively passing their skills down through family only. Subsequently, traditions have died and wither. Master Saami’s mission is to share his knowledge with the world, so that the music may live on freely.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glitterbeat","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50526687953227,"sku":"1053847","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/4698b0c7-b849-421d-9d46-ef9209950737_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728046948"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/ustad-saami.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}