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Pakistani maestro showcases 49-note microtonal singing [1]

['Jennifer Sandlin']

Date: 2025-11-07  

Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami and The Saami Brothers recently performed live in the KEXP studio, and KEXP posted the brilliant performance earlier this week on YouTube. I found some time today to watch and listen to the 41-minute set, and wow, I've never quite heard anything like it. I found it mesmerizing and captivating, and strongly encourage you to watch it when you get a chance!

Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami is described on his Instagram as a "Pakistani music maestro and living legend." And The Saami Brothers state on their Instagram bio that they are "carriers of an 800-year-old lineage of Delhi Gharana" and that they perform "Devotional Khayal and Qawwali from the subcontinent." KEXP describes Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami as the "last living master of the Khayal vocal tradition," and explains that in the performance, Saami and his sons present traditions of khayal and qawwali music and give a stunning performance of "Khayal Alaap In Raag Bhairavi" along with other songs.

The World Music Institute provides more details about the Saami family and their music, describing them as the "living custodian of the Delhi Qawwal Bacha Gharana," which is a musical school of thought founded in the 14th century by Sufi poet, musician, and scholar Amir Khusrau, who created it as a combination of Persian, Turkish, Arabic and South Asian elements. The World Music Institute further explains that the Saami family is:

the last family to preserve this tradition in its purest form and are true masters of Khayal — a word that roughly translates to "imagination." As exemplary vocalists, they are capable of producing a rarely heard 49-note microtonal scale relayed in a manner that uses few words sung in unending variations.

Furthermore, the World Music Institute states that the Saami family presents "the sacred soundscape of Khayal in its most authentic expression." It describes how the Saami family takes audiences "on an immersive journey through rhythm, melody, and mystic verse." They urge you, as you listen, to close your eyes "and travel with these remarkable vocalists on a profound sonic journey."

Hear more of The Saami Brothers on their Instagram and Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami on his.



Previously:

• India: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, master classical singer, passes away

• Pakistan: traveler blogs video clips of traditional music

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