Music Planet Collection has released a series of documentaries covering world music artists. For this release we get an insight into the talent of Nusrat Fayeh Ali Khan. Khan is a leader in world music hailing from Pakistan, where he has literally been treated like a king for years. The type of music he plays is traditional Qawwali, an ancient Soufi music that is said by traditionalists to be sung on earth by prophets of Mohommad and Khan is known as an ardent traditionalist and interpreter of this form. Qawwali tradition also dictates that the teachings be passed down to the eldest son and in Nusrat’s case to his nephew as he has no male children.

Through the foundation which he formed, Peter Gabriel discovered the music of Nusrat and promoted him to the western world. This was achieved not only through performances at the WOMAD and Real World festivals and promotion from his French record label, but also through his inclusion on the Peter Gabriel soundtrack to Last Temptation of Christ. From this exposure Nusrat also had songs featured on soundtracks to other films, including Dead Man Walking and Natural Born Killers. He has also performed with well known western artists Bjork and Jeff Buckley. This exposure lead to extensive touring of the west, whilst maintaining his heavy performing schedule in his native area.

Made in a documentary style, this feature is basically an interview with Khan together with several different performances. These performances can also occur during an interview, as Khan demonstrates something he may be talking about at the time. There are also interviews with Peter Gabriel and a Real World producer, but the majority of this release is in discussion with the musician himself. Much of the footage is also in Pakistani with subtitles provided for spoken words but not songs.

I must admit I had only heard of this performer through my listening to Peter Gabriel, but to hear this style of music in its natural form was a bit of a chore at first. For a westerner who has had little exposure, this wailing form of music was a little tough on the ears, to begin with anyway. After 20 minutes or so, however, I found myself understanding why this is such a popular form of music in Pakistan and surrounding regions.

Sadly Khan passed away in August 1997, but has thankfully left behind a legacy of music. He has also passed on his teachings to his nephew who shall continue the tradition, with plans for future releases on a western record label. If you are curious about world music then Khan’s work is a good place to start. Let’s remember that western music is not necessarily the music of the world...

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and not 16:9 enhanced, this made for television special suffers from few problems. Being predominantly a fixed camera filming the artist while talking there is little need for stunning vision. Picture is generally sharp throughout and colours are natural. There is occasional grain and aliasing, dependant on footage, but these are minimal issues. Overall, this vision is as good as it needs to be and that is more than sufficient.

Audio is supplied in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and is more than adequate for this type of feature. Dialogue appears to be clear throughout, however as I don’t speak Pakistani I cannot be certain of this. There are no synch problems and levels are generally good, apart from the beginning of the documentary where a taxi driver is speaking, this section seems slightly muffled. Generally however the sound offers decent quality.

There are a couple of extras with this release. Firstly there is a discography, which is simply a one page text screen and secondly there are two teaser trailers for other releases in the Music Planet Collection.

Overall this is a release that offers quite an interesting look at this artist and this form of music. It only has a brief running time, but demonstrates enough for viewers to decide if they should extend their CD collection by adding some of his previous work. Fans should also be satisfied by this release as it gives some excerpts from live performances that I doubt would be available anywhere else. Video and audio are as strong as is required and although light on in the extras department, this release is worth a look for fans of world music.