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The Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, and Academy of the Punjab in North America, present the concert of Javaid and Babar Niazi: Punjabi Sufi and Folk Songs Javaid and Babar Niazi learned their art from their father, Tufail Niazi, a student of the Kappurthala gharana and a legendary singer in both classical and folk styles. They perform a vocal music called Punjabi Sufiyana Kalam ("Punjabi Sufi Poetry"), which like qawwali, combines soaring lyrics evoking love and devotion with the rhythmic power of virtuosic percussion, performed on two tablas. They have been strongly influenced by the poetry of great Punjabi Sufi saints and have contributed years to the spiritual folklore of Punjab. Rigorous training under their father, Tufail Niazi, has blessed their powerful voices with a wide range and an ethereal quality which they put to an exalted use. They sing verses of Baba Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain and other classical Punjabi Sufi poets, Loke songs and the immortal Damadam Mast Qalandar of Shahbaz Qalandar.
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