Ep. 94: The Music of the Mystics - with Tahir Qawwal

Explicit

This week, Sah welcomes Tahir Qawwal, who, at fifteen, left his home for the Himalayas to spend the rest of his teens living as a lonely dervish, practicing the yogic path and searching for enlightenment through the purity of sound and pitch.

Later, he immersed himself in the sacred Sufi teachings of the past millennium and began his formal training in Indian Classical music (Hindustani) and Qawwali. Qawwali music weaves ancient poetry and intense rhythm with complex melodies to invoke an atmosphere of reverence and devotional ecstasy, catharsis and transformation.

In 2001, Tahir co-founded the first Western-born Qawwali ensemble and released an 8-episode documentary series: “Qawwa ...