Ustad Nizami

Peace of Soul (SufiSpirit)

To say music runs deep in the family of Ustad Nizami is a practically comical understatement. The Pakistani multi-instrumentalist is a 17th generation musician and descendant of a court musician for the 16th century Mughal Empire. Fittingly, Nizami has performed for three U.S. presidents, Nelson Mandela, and Queen Elizabeth II, among other dignitaries. The Sufi poet and spiritual mystic arrived in Austin on a Fulbright Scholarship in 2008 and settled in the area after a stint teaching music at the University of Texas. Peace of Soul is a deeply spiritual and hypnotic mix of original compositions and traditional Sufi music dating back hundreds of years. To the average set of Western ears, one track may be indistinguishable from the next, yet it’s easy to get lost in Nizami’s swirling chants and the mesmerizing sounds he masterfully charms from the sitar and tabla.

***

This article appears in July 6 • 2012.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Thomas Fawcett has been freelancing for The Austin Chronicle since 2007. He likes good music and does not fake the funk.