Gigamic – QAWALE – Classic Wooden Game

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This event is not only a celebration of the late Mahmood Jamal's legacy but also an opportunity to come together as a community and honour the rich heritage of Qawwali music. Join us for an unforgettable evening of soul-stirring performances, unity, and remembrance. The divine converges with the feminine in the Orchestral Qawwali Project’s music, and not just through Sampa’s vocals. British-Indian dancer and choreographer Vidya Patel performs the dance inspired by the Sufi whirling dervish in several of the group’s music videos. With arms circling like orbiting planets and her white gown undulating at her feet like water, it is a spiritual experience to watch her whirl. “I experience this more as a meditation to let go, finding the stillness within the speed, rather than a performance I am doing for the audience,” she says. Prepare to be transported to another realm as the Hussain Brothers Qawwal take you on a musical journey like no other. Their powerful vocals, intricate harmonies, and mesmerizing rhythms will create an atmosphere of pure bliss and leave you feeling uplifted and inspired.

In honour of the legendary Mahmood Jamal, we invite you to an enchanting evening of divine melodies and heartfelt tributes. The Hussain Brothers Qawwal, known for their mesmerizing performances, will take the stage to captivate audiences with their extraordinary talent and powerful voices. Unlike the hour-long crescendo of performances for one qawwali by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ranjan’s compositions are 10 minutes long at most, a compromise in length to appeal to digital audiences at the advice of Nitin Sawhney. The orchestra gracefully sweep in and out of the record. But the choral singers, Sampa, the tabla and the harmonium are its beating heart, an equilibrium experimented with by Ranjan so that “people from both sides who are steeped in both traditions can listen, and still find themselves in it”.This game reminds me a little of the two-player stone-moving dance SHŌBU, but with a lighter ruleset. I know that Qawale, like other abstracts from Gigamic such as Quoridor and Quarto, is just as beautiful as SHŌBU and I will always welcome a chance to move past Tic Tac Toe and into a handsome tabletop duel with someone from my family. Rawan, one of the marketing reps from the team at Gigamic, asked if I wanted to try the new abstract puzzle game Qawale while standing with me at their booth at SPIEL ‘22. It was clear that I was in trouble right after I accepted Rawan’s offer to play. In a male-dominated arena that lionises artists such as the Sabri Brothers, Mehdi Hassan, Nusrat and Rahat, few female qawwali singers enjoy the same adulation, save for Abida Parveen, one of the greatest Sufi singers in history. Sampa is conscious her voice is a disruption to a largely patriarchal tradition. Early on in her career, she struggled to find choral singers who would sing with a female qawwal. But some of the lyrics she sings, originally penned by 14th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrau, were written using a female persona. Performers believe they have a religious mission: to evoke the name of Allah via rhythmic handclapping, percussion, harmonium and a vast repertoire of sung poetry. A group of Qawwals is made up of a lead singer, one or two secondary singers and musicians, and wildly clapping junior members. By repeatedly and hypnotically chanting salient phrases, they transport audiences to a spiritual nirvana, a trance-like state that some describe as akin to flying. Qawwali evokes the name of Allah in many languages, from its original Persian to Punjabi, Urdu, Arabic and other languages of India and Pakistan, though the medium’s passion and intensity has the ability to move even Western ears. Unable to afford an entire orchestra, Ranjan enlisted the help of cellist Lydia Alonso, who performed several instrumental pieces for Man Kunto Maula, which he then layered together to create the impression of an ensemble.

There isn’t really much music out there that captures all the different aspects of who we are as second, third generation immigrants, who have really integrated into the culture here, but still retain part of our identity,” says Ranjan. Raised in London with Hindu Tamil parents from Sri Lanka who marked all religious holidays, Sampa started playing the veena, a classical Indian string instrument, from the age of seven. When she began singing lessons in Carnatic, south Indian devotional music which evolved from ancient Hindu traditions, Sampa discovered she had a good voice. A small oboe-like instrument with a very large reed and a sweet melancholy tone. The haunting wistfulness of the instrument can be mesmerising in the hands of a skilled player. The same instrument is known as a mey in western Turkey. A set of two small drums played with the palms and fingertips, and capable of producing an incredible range of sounds and textures. The name is an abbreviation of tabla-bayan, bayan meaning left, which is where the drum is positioned. The tabla is made of wood and the bayan of metal, both have heads made of skin, with a paste of flour and iron filings in the middle. Sampa performed at interfaith concerts for several years, where she was first introduced to qawwali by tabla player Amrit Dhuffer, whose rhythms pulsate through the record. She appeared on the second season of The Voice UK in 2013, bringing with her a fusion of pop music and Indian classical influences. But it was in qawwali that she truly found her calling.And a full game takes 10 minutes. Win, lose, or draw, resetting a game of Qawale and going again is simple. A double-headed drum tapering at both ends, made from a piece of hollowed tree trunk and played with the fingers and the palms. It comes from North Indian folk tradition and is widely used by bhangra bands, as well as Qawwali groups, although the playing techniques are different. Qawwali, a centuries-old devotional music form originating from the Sufi tradition, is known for its spiritual and transcendent qualities. Through heartfelt poetry and soulful melodies, it aims to connect listeners with the divine and evoke a sense of inner peace and unity. This concert promises to be a beautiful homage to Mahmood Jamal's contributions to the Qawwali genre and his profound impact on music lovers worldwide.