Sabri Brothers

The Sabri Brothers (Punjabi, ) is a music band from Pakistan who are performers of Sufi qawwali and are closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest sufi qawwali singers of all times. Sabri Brothers are often referred as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali" (the King of Kings of Qawwali) and are also known as"Roving ambassadors of Pakistan". The band was initially founded by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri at the age of 11 years which was known as "Bacha Qawwal Party" later, His elder brother Ghulam Farid Sabri joined after insistence from their father became the leader of the group and the band soon became known as "Sabri Brothers".
They were the first ever Qawwali Artists to perform Qawwali in United States and other Western Countries, they were also the first ever Asian Artists to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1975. Sabri Brothers have given a number of soulful qawwali performances globally, and their stature in the Sub-continent is colossal.
Early life.
The Sabri brothers learned music from their father, Inayat Hussain Sabri. He trained his sons in qawwali and Indian classical music. Ghulam Farid's public performance was at the annual Urs festival of Mubarak Shah in Kalyana (now in Haryana, India) in 1946. The family moved from Kalyana to Karachi, Pakistan following the Partition of India in 1947. Ghulam Farid Sabri, Kamal Ahmed Sabri, And Maqbool Ahmed Sabri furthered their knowledge of music under Ustad Fatehdin Khan, Ustad Ramzan Khan, and Ustad Latafat Hussein Khan Bareilly Sharif. They even furthered their knowledge of Poetry under Hazrat Hairat Ali Shah Warsi who was their spiritual master (Daada Peer) too. Ghulam Farid Sabri was performing as a supporting lead in the group of his teacher Ustad Kallan Khan Qawwal. Maqbool Ahmed Sabri showed musical talent from a young age, which was noticed by his school teacher who later asked Maqbool Ahmed Sabri’s father to further instruct him and guide him in the field of music. In 1955, when Maqbool Ahmed Sabri was eleven years old his brother in - law got him employed to sing at a theatre in Karachi where he gave his first public performance, and received a lot of appreciation from the audience by singing old Hindi film songs. Later, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri decided to quit his job as some other performers of the theatre started to develop jealousy from his popularity. Later, with the help of his father, Maqbool formed a Qawwali group at the age of eleven and named it Bacha Qawwal Party. The group’s first public performance was in year 1956 at an Urs ceremony held at the home Of Mr. Jameel Amrohi, where he sang "Do Alam Ba Kakul Giraftar Daari" in the presence of many legendary Qawwals of that time. Soon afterwards after insistence by their father, Ghulam Farid Sabri joined him and became the leader of the party, which was initially known as Ghulam Farid Sabri Qawwal & Party as Maqbool Ahmed Sabri withdrew his name due to love and respect for Ghulam Farid Sabri. Later, after insistence from his friends Maqbool Ahmed Sabri gave his name as a co - lead singer of the ensemble and they started to become known as Ghulam Farid Sabri - Maqbool Ahmed Sabri Qawwal & Party, During their 1975 American tour, their promoter Beate Gordon suggested the band name was too long, so they changed it to The Sabri Brothers.
Career.
Early career.
Sabri Brothers initially started their career by performing at Sufi Shrines and private gatherings, Their first recording was officially released in 1958 under the EMI Pakistan label, was the Urdu qawwali titled "Mera Koi Nahi Hai Tera Siwa", which later appeared in the 1965 Pakistani film "Ishq-e-Habib".
1970s.
1970s witnessed the rise of the Sabri Brothers. They are the only qawwali troupe which has a "first class" status on the Pakistan Television Corporation.
In 1970 the Government of Pakistan sent them to Nepal as representatives for a royal wedding.
They released their blockbuster hits included "Bhar Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad", "Tajdar-e-Haram", " O Sharabi Chord De Peena ", "Khwaja Ki Deewani", and "Sar E La Makan Se Talab Hui".
Popular film and recording artists in Pakistan, their several qawwalis featured in films."Mohabbat Karne Walo Hum Mohabbat Iss Ko Kehte Hai" in the 1970 film "Chand Suraj", "Aaye Hai Tere Dar Pe Toh Kuch Le Ke Jaen Ge" in the 1972 film "Ilzam", "Bhar Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad" in the 1975 film "Bin Badal Barsaat", "Baba Farid Sarkar" in the 1974 film "Sasta Khoon Mehnga Pani", "Teri Nazr-e-Karam Ka Sahara Mile" in the 1976 film "Sachaii, Mamoor horha hai" in the 1977 film "Dayar-e-Paighambran" and "Aftab-e-Risalat" in the 1979 Indian film "Sultan-e-Hind".
The Sabri Brothers troupe has toured Europe, Asia and the Middle East. They were the first exponents of qawwali to the West, when they performed at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1975 promote and sponsored by Beate Gordon. They performed in the United States and Canada under the auspices of The Performing Arts Program of The Asia Society and recorded a program at Brooklyn College Television Center.
In 1972, they performed a charity concert for the construction of Pakistani Children School in Abu Dhabi. In the same year, with the co-operation of Star Agencies they performed in various cities of England such as London, Bradford, Birmingham and Manchester which become very popular. The amount of these programs donated to Earthquake relief fund Pakistan.
In 1975, Sabri Brothers toured and performed at live concerts in South Africa. Inspired with their live concerts in South Africa, Chevrolet Company gifted an automatic car to Brothers, which they donated for the development of poor children, They also donated the income of their live concerts of that tour for Famine Relief in South Africa.
In 1977, they recorded the album 'Pakistan: The Music of the Qawwal' for the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music which was later released in CD form by Auvidis in 1990.
They performed at Royal Albert Hall on 20 June 1976 in "World of Islam Festival". In April 1978, the album "Qawwali" was recorded in the United States, while the Sabri Brothers were on tour. The New York Times review described the album as, "The Aural Equivalent of Dancing Dervishes" and the, "Music of Feeling."
In 1977, The Sabri Brothers toured India, their concerts were attended by many celebrities of Bollywood. During that tour they appeared in 1979 Indian film "Sultan E Hind - Khwaja Gharib Nawaz" and recorded "Aftaab E Risalat Madine Mei Hai" which was a blockbuster hit.
In 1979, they performed a charity concert for the construction of Karachi School of Art which was later released in album "Sabri Brothers Live in Concert at Ali Bhai Auditorium".
1980s.
In June 1981, they performed at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam which was released in album "Tasleem".
In 1982, they appeared in film "Sahaaray" with their famous qawwali "Tajdar-e-Haram". The same year they performed in Midway Hotel for the construction of Al Shifa Hosiptal near Karachi Airport.
In 1983, they recorded the album "Nazre Shah Karim" to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of His Highness Prince Aga Khan, sponsored by Tajico Group. The income of this album was donated to Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi. On 3 August 1985, a stupendous program was held at Sheraton Hotel, Karachi and collect Rs. 141,500/- for Bangladesh Flood Fund.
In 1985, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri recorded a solo Ghazal album in front of live audience in Karachi, the album was released as "Awargi" which was a blockbuster hit, The album had a collection of light playful poetry written by Farhat Shahzad.
In 1988 "EMI Pakistan" released another solo ghazal album of Maqbool Ahmed Sabri titled "Tere Ghungroo Toot Gaye to Kya" which was a hit. In the same year he recorded a qawwali song for music director Anu Malik in the Indian movie Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswati which was picturesque on Mithun Chakraborty.
In 1989, The Sabri Brothers performed at WOMAD festival held in UK and France. They recorded an album in UK which was released as the album "Ya Habib" in 1990. "Ya Habib" consists of four long songs, each combining powerful, sensitive, often improvised vocals with rhythmic percussion, thudding tabla and mesmeric harmonium drones.
In 1989 and 1992, they performed at various South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation festivals.
1990s.
In 1992, they performed at The Hope Theater in Melbourne, Australia. Their tour of Australia was sponsored by Friends of the University of Wollongong.
In the same year they performed at fundraiser in Dubai to benefit Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. In 1992 they also performed in various countries for SAARC festival.
During April 1994, Sabri brothers were set to begin on a tour across Europe. They were to perform at around 30–35 shows, covering almost the entire continent. On 5 April 1994, Ghulam Farid Sabri suddenly complained of chest pain. He suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to hospital but en route to the hospital, he died in the arms of his brother Maqbool Ahmed Sabri who was left heartbroken after his death but still carried on his and his elder brother's mission. After the death of Ghulam Farid Sabri, Sabri Brothers was led by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri and "Mehmood Ghaznavi Sabri". To devote an album entirely to the Persian poetry of Jami, a luminary of the Sufi Tradition, was an ambition of Ghulam Farid Sabri which he had always cherished. He did the recordings in July 1991 at the SFB studios in Berlin, but the CD was not released while he was still alive. Thus, it becomes a memorial not only to the Persian poet, but also to Ghulam Farid Sabri.
Also in 1994, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri and Mehmood Ghaznavi Sabri led the Sabri Brothers and performed at New Jazz Festival Moers, Germany.
In 1995, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri was about to perform in Meltdown Festival Event held in the UK, A week before the event, he suffered a major accident in Lahore. Maqbool Ahmed Sabri was in a critical condition during that time, prayers were made worldwide For Maqbool Sabri's health. He recovered miraculously within a month, though he had a damaged leg after the accident and had to undergo multiple knee surgeries.
In 1996, Sabri Brothers performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music- Next Wave Festival, as part of a double-bill with alternate-rockers Corner Shop, and released a live album "Ya Mustapha (Or Ya Mustafa)" of their performance. The album became one of their greatest hits.
In 1997, Sabri Brothers once again performed at the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles for the Celebration of 50 Years of Independence of India and Pakistan together with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. They were one of the few artists who have performed at the Royal Albert Hall multiple times.
In 1998, Sabri Brothers toured Australia and also performed at Sydney Opera House. Shortly after the program in Opera House, Kamal Ahmed Sabri (second eldest of the brothers) the supporting vocalist and instrumentalist of the group suffered a heart attack, though he survived he could not take part in qawwali due to bad health conditions.
In 1999, Sabri Brothers participated in the 'Voices of God' festival in Marrakesh, Morocco in May. The group also performed in various qawwali concerts held in Morocco in 1999.
2000 onwards.
Sabri Brothers performed at Musica Sacra International Mktoberdorf Event in the year 2000 at Germany.
In 2001, Kamal Ahmed Sabri second eldest of the Sabri brothers, died after suffering from a second heart attack, after the death of Kamal Sabri, instruments such as Swarmandal and Flexatone came to end in the ensemble. Later the same year, Sabri Brothers performed live at in DOM at "On The Carpet Oriental Culture Festival" on 17 November 2001 in Moscow which was later released in 2003 as album "Live in Moscow – Diwani"
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri along with Mehmood Ghaznavi Sabri toured India in 2004 and recorded an album titled "Rabb E Akbar". which was his last official release.
In 2005, Sabri Brothers performed at Virsast Fesival held in Dehradun, India. The same year, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri was invited to perform in different cities of Madhya Pardesh, India and was awarded the Tansen Samman Award by Government of Madhya Pradesh.
In 2006, Sabri Brothers performed at Ajmer Sharif and they performed in Pune, Maharashtra during the same year. the same year , he re created and re released his old hits like "Khwaja Ki Deewani", "Mera Koi Nahi Hai Tere Siwa", "Mann Bole Mann", and "Hum Panjatani Hai" which proved to be a big hit.
The Sabri Brothers led by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri & Mehmood Ghaznavi Sabri continued to tour and performed in Russia in the year 2007,
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri did various international and national tours till his death. He performed in Hyderabad India in 2008. His last concert was organized by Hilton Hotel in South Africa which was during 2011. Since then his health conditions were not good. On 21 September 2011, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri died in South Africa due to a cardiac arrest after being treated for two months for health problems. He was buried near his elder brother Ghulam Farid Sabri.
The group is now led by the youngest brother Mehmood Ghaznavi Sabri. While other family members and disciples perform in their own separate groups to carry on the legacy of Ghulam Farid Sabri and Maqbool Ahmed Sabri.
Brawling giants.
Many consider the Sabri Brothers instrumentally more adventurous, than Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Aziz Mian mastered in presenting intoxication as closeness to God, and said more than 3,000 couplets in that metaphor, and even Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a perfectionist in discussing the beauty of the Creator of feminine attractiveness. although The Sabri Brothers even though recited many famous couplets and poetries in presenting intoxication and closeness to God as a part of Sufi culture. They mostly focused on "Hamd (Praise of God)", "Naat (Praising of the Holy Prophet)", and "Manqabat (Praising of Holy People And Saints)".
During the 1970s a squabble started between the two greatest Sufi singers when Sabri Brothers released one of their biggest hits "Bhar do Jholi Meri", while Aziz Mian released his biggest hit "Main Sharaabi". The rivalry became more aggressive when The Sabri Brothers released a thinly veiled taunt at Aziz Mian in shape of a Qawwali titled "O sharabi, chord de peena (O drunkard, stop drinking)". This qawwali became an immediate super hit, sung in the typically steady, controlled and hypnotic style. Aziz Mian was quick to strike back. He composed and recorded "Haaye kambakht Tu Ne Pi Hi Nahi (O Unfortunate, you never drank!)" on the third day of the release of Oh Sharabi Chord De Peena, And even Aziz Mian's reply was a quick super hit .
In his reply he disparaged the Brothers. Aziz Mian lamented that the Brothers were too conventional and that their spiritual connection with the Almighty was not as stark as his.
When Aziz Mian criticized the Sabri Brothers regarding their knowledge of Sufism and love of god, they retaliated and replied with their super hit "Saqia Aur Pila" which was directly focused on their intoxicated love for God and based on their knowledge of Sufism. EMI-Pakistan, which released both the records, together claimed that Aziz Mian and Sabri Brothers, sold over two million LPs and cassettes from this brawl.
Even though The Sabri Brothers and Aziz Mian had a professional competition, they maintained good friendly relations with each other.
Qawwalis featured in films.
Several of their qawwalis were featured in the films. 