Globalfest is an annual concert put on at Webster Hall in NYC that features the hottest up-and-coming world music groups including BQP in 2009. They have recently begun a touring fund to help large world music groups like BQP cover their touring cost. We applied and received the grant and will be putting it toward the upcoming shows in upstate NY. Thanks Globalfest!

Check out this new review of BQP...

Built on a foundation of hand claps, tablas, harmonium riffs and urgent, husky harmonies, the Sufi devotional music of the Pakistani Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948-97) was captivating, his high tenor swirling above the appealing rhythms. In his lifetime, Mr. Khan collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Eddie Vedder and many others. Since his death, his music has been remixed for the dance floor or used in dance-company soundtracks. But the Park Slope-based percussionist Brook Martinez has found the most innovative adaptation of Mr. Khan's music yet: It's the repertoire for an 11-piece big band called the Brooklyn Qawwali Party.

Mr. Martinez, who is 33, formed the band in 2004, and it soon began playing monthly at Tea Lounge in Park Slope. Its following has since grown via gigs at Joe's Pub and globalFEST. On Saturday, the group will perform at Barbès.

"I was really impressed with how well they captured the spirit of the music," said Bill Bragin, director of public programming at Lincoln Center, who booked the band during his days as director of Joe's Pub. "It's not a dalliance. Brook has a lot of integrity and a real serious interest in this music."

During his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Martinez met Nate Chinen, now a music critic for the New York Times, who introduced him to key jazz recordings. The music of John Coltrane, in particular, resonated. "So much of what I heard was based in spiritual practice, not entertainment," Mr. Martinez said last week over tea at a wine bar in his neighborhood. "It interested me far more than pop music."

Then, to pursue his interest in music, the percussionist from Ambler, Pa., transferred to New York University in 1998 and took a part-time job at the Manhattan-based World Music Institute, a leading presenter of traditional dance and music. At NYU, he fell in with a crowd playing free jazz, but he began to grow dissatisfied with the music. "It was exciting to play," he said, "but I felt it wasn't connecting with the audience."

The World Music Institute had been one of the main presenters of Mr. Khan's concerts in New York, and its library of discs provided Mr. Martinez with access to a formidable catalog of the Pakistani artist's work. Mr. Martinez made mixtapes and gave them to his musician friends. They were so enthusiastically received and circulated that sometimes the tapes found their way back to him, sent his way by people unaware he'd put them together.

After several years of enthusiastic study of Asian music and culture, Mr. Martinez began thinking about merging his Eastern and Western musical interests. "I related so well to Khan's music," he said. "There was a lot of call and response, improvisation and simple melodies." He structured his band to parallel a traditional Qawwali combo—with horns to mirror the voices, percussion, harmonium—and then added his own twist: bass and guitar.

Kris Davis, a pianist and composer who plays harmonium in the band, said she was attracted by the tightly structured spontaneity within the music. "The improvisations are shorter," she said via email. "They are little interjections in between a repeating melody, and those sections get passed around many times within the group."

The Brooklyn Qawwali Party has released one self-titled recording on its own label, and its four tunes ably capture the urgent harmonies and intricate rhythms of Qawwali while incorporating new influences, most notably a snarling guitar riff to the classic "Mustt Mustt."

"We're a bit too world music for most jazz clubs and a little too jazz for some nonjazz clubs," said Mr. Martinez, citing a shortage of proper venues for the band.

In the Brooklyn Qawwali Party, Mr. Bragin sees a parallel to Antibalas, the Brooklyn-based Afrobeat ensemble that began as a tribute band focused on the music of Nigerian superstar Fela Anikulapo Kuti but has emerged with a sound all its own, as well as to Red Baraat, a Brooklyn band that blends northern Indian music with rhythm-and-blues brass playing.

"There's an edge, a versatility, and a sense of the hustle it takes to survive here in their music," he said. "It's all so distinctly New York."

—Mr. Johnson writes about jazz and popular music for the Journal.

Don't Miss...

***BQP + Nation Beat + Tall Tall Trees + DJ Turmix***

"Is America Part of the World?" Concert Series. Part III.

Friday
December 10th
8 pm - doors

at

Littlefield
622 Degraw Street
between 3rd and 4th Avenue
Gowanus, Brooklyn

"Brooklyn's new Global Music series" (National Geographic) continues with its third installment on Friday, December 10. After two successful concerts at the Bell House and the BKLYN Yard we move to another Brooklyn hotspot, Littefield for Is America part of the World? Part III. In the past year, the series hosted such venerable artists as Forró in the Dark, Rupa & The April Fishes, Red Baraat and DJ Nickodemus. This time on we have Nation Beat, Brooklyn Qawwali Party, Tall Tall Trees and NY mixocologist DJ Turmix on the bill for another eclectic night of dance, beats and sounds of the East, West, North & South.

More Info at http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/event/20767

$10 adv tickets available at http://www.ticketfly.com, $13 at the door
21+ w/ ID

Click here for link to facebook event page.

Columbia University is hosting its annual Eid Al Adha dinner on Monday November 23rd from 7-9pm, officially titled "The Sights and Sounds of Muslims: Unity through Diversity". They will be showcasing the cultural diversity of Muslims and will feature BQP.

Check 'em out! We had a great time and were thankful that the rain didn't pour down on the 2500 in attendance!

Find your local time to watch below!

FULL SCHEDULE:

4 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
5 KTVA Anchorage, AK 0.132 AK 6/7 3PM
6 K13XD Fairbanks, AK 0.032 AK 6/7 2PM
7 KXLJ-LP - S Juneau (Sitka/Ketchikan) 0.000 AK 6/7 5:30am
8 KUBD - S Juneau (Sitka/Ketchikan) 0.000 AK 6/7 5:30am
9 KTNL Juneau (Sitka/Ketchikan) 0.022 AK 6/7 5:30am
10 KEYE Austin, TX 0.583 CT 6/6 1PM
11 WAFB Baton Rouge, LA 0.285 CT 6/7 10:00a (WBXH)
12 KFDM Beaumont-Port Arthur 0.145 CT 6/14 11:30AM
13 WIAT Birmingham (Ann, Tusc) 0.646 CT 6/14 11:00a
14 ENKY Bowling Green, KY 0.070 CT 6/7 10:30AM
15 WBBM Chicago 3.052 CT 6/7 12:00n
16 KRCG Columbia-Jefferson City 0.156 CT 6/7 1:05a
17 WCBI Columbus-Tupelo-West Point 0.165 CT 6/7 11:05p
18 KZTV Corpus Christi, TX 0.172 CT 6/7 6:30AM
19 KTVT Dallas, TX 2.175 CT 6/14 5:30a
20 KCCI Des Moines-Ames 0.378 CT 6/21 12:00n
21 KDLH Duluth-Superior 0.151 CT 6/7 11AM
22 WEVV Evansville, IN 0.255 CT 6/14 6:00a
23 KFSM Ft. Smith-Fay-Sprngdl-Rgrs 0.260 CT 6/7 1:05a
24 WFRV Green Bay-Appleton 0.388 CT 6/7 12:35a
25 WXVT Greenwood-Greenville 0.061 CT 6/7 12PM
26 WHLT Hattiesburg-Laurel 0.096 CT 6/20 4:30a
27 WHNT Huntsville-Decatur (Flor) 0.338 CT 6/7 11:30a
28 WJTV Jackson, MS 0.292 CT 6/20 3:35a
29 KCTV Kansas City, MO 0.819 CT 6/21 2:30p
30 WKBT La Crosse-Eau Claire 0.188 CT 6/28 12:00n
31 KLFY Lafayette, LA 0.202 CT 6/7 11AM
32 KVTV Laredo, TX 0.059 CT 6/7 6:30AM
33 KGIN - S Lincoln & Hastings-Krny (Grand Island) 0.000 CT 6/14 11:00a
34 KOLN Lincoln & Hastings-Krny (Grand Island) 0.246 CT 6/14 11:00a
35 KTHV Little Rock-Pine Bluff 0.495 CT 6/14 4:30AM
36 KLBK Lubbock, TX 0.138 CT 6/23 1:35AM
37 KEYC Mankato, MN 0.046 CT 6/7 11AM
38 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
39 WREG Memphis, TN 0.589 CT 6/13 4:36a
40 WDJT Milwaukee, WI 0.791 CT 6/14 12:00n
41 KCCO - S Minneapolis-St. Paul (Alexandria/Walker) 0.000 CT 6/7 7:00a
42 KCCW - S Minneapolis-St. Paul (Alexandria/Walker) 0.000 CT 6/7 7:00a
43 WCCO Minneapolis-St. Paul (Alexandria/Walker) 1.512 CT 6/7 7:00a
44 WKRG Mobile-Pensacola (Ft Walt) 0.470 CT 6/14 2:05a
45 WAKA Montgomery-Selma 0.216 CT 6/20 4:30a
46 WTVF Nashville, TN 0.888 CT 6/14 12:00n
47 KOSA Odessa-Midland 0.124 CT 6/7 7AM
48 KMTV Omaha, NE 0.360 CT 6/7 3:30a
49 KFVS Paducah-Cape Girardeau 0.344 CT 6/14 5:30a
50 KHQA Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk 0.091 CT 6/7 10am
51 KIMT Rochestr-Mason City-Austin 0.126 CT 6/7 5:00p
52 WIFR Rockford, IL 0.165 CT 6/7 1:05a
53 KXII Sherman-Ada 0.112 CT 6/7 7:00a
54 KDLO - S Sioux Falls(Mitchell) (Florence/Reliance) 0.000 CT 6/7 6:30AM
55 KPLO - S Sioux Falls(Mitchell) (Florence/Reliance) 0.000 CT 6/7 6:30AM
56 KELO Sioux Falls(Mitchell) (Florence/Reliance) 0.227 CT 6/7 6:30AM
57 WIBW Topeka, KS 0.154 CT 6/7 11:00a
58 KYTX Tyler-Longview(Lfkn&Ncgd) 0.232 CT 6/7 6:30AM
59 KWTX Waco-Temple-Bryan 0.000 CT 6/7 11:00a
60 KBTX Waco-Temple-Bryan 0.288 CT 6/7 11:30a
61 WSAW Wausau-Rhinelander 0.161 CT 6/21 11:00a
62 WRGB Albany-Schenectedy-Troy 0.486 ET 6/14 6AM
63 WBKB Alpena, MI 0.015 ET 6/7 7:00a
64 WRDW Augusta, GA 0.222 ET 6/14 8:30a ERDW
65 WJZ Baltimore, MD 0.963 ET 6/14 4:30AM
66 WABI Bangor, ME 0.127 ET 6/13 12PM
67 WVNS Bluefield-Beckley (Lewisburg) 0.125 ET 6/14 5AM
68 WBZ Boston (Manchester) 2.105 ET 6/14 5:00a
69 WOWK Charleston-Huntington 0.419 ET 6/14 5AM
70 WCAV Charlottesville 0.067 ET 6/7 12:30p
71 WDEF Chattanooga, TN 0.320 ET 6/20 3:00p
72 WKRC Cincinnati, OH 0.800 ET 6/14 6AM
73 WDTV Clarksburg-Weston 0.095 ET 6/7 6:30AM
74 WRBL Columbus, GA 0.187 ET 6/13 3:30a
75 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
76 WWJ Detroit, MI 1.684 ET 6/7 6:30a
77 WENY-DT Elmira (Corning) 0.084 ET 6/7 8:30AM
78 WSEE Erie, PA 0.138 ET 6/7 11AM
79 WNEM Flint-Saginaw-Bay City 0.407 ET 6/22 12:00n
80 WINK Ft. Myers-Naples 0.445 ET 6/7 5:30a
81 WANE Ft. Wayne, IN 0.241 ET 6/14 12:00n
82 WGFL Gainesville, FL 0.114 ET 6/14 1:30p
83 WFMY Greensboro-H.Point-W.Salem 0.599 ET 6/14 5:30AM
84 WNCT Greenville-N.Bern-Washngtn 0.253 ET 6/7 2:37a
85 WSPA Greenvll-Spart-Ashvll-And (Toccoa) 0.750 ET 6/14 1:30p
86 WISH Indianapolis, IN 0.974 ET 6/7 1:00p
87 WTEV Jacksonville, FL 0.590 ET 6/6 12:30PM
88 WTAJ Johnstown-Altoona 0.257 ET 6/7 11:30AM
89 WVLT Knoxville, TN 0.479 ET 6/7 2:05a
90 WLFI Lafayette, IN 0.059 ET 6/7 1:00p
91 WLNS Lansing, MI 0.226 ET 6/14 4AM
92 WLMO-LP Lima, OH 0.062 ET 6/7 11am
93 WMAZ Macon, GA 0.210 ET 6/14 6:30AM
94 WJMN - S Marquette, MI (Escanaba) 0.078 ET 6/7 12:35a
95 WFOR Miami-Ft. Lauderdale 1.352 ET 6/7 6:30a
96 WCBS New York, NY 6.495 ET 6/14 1:00p
97 WTKR Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws 0.627 ET 6/7 2:05a
98 KYW Philadelphia, PA 2.578 ET 6/13 5:00a
99 KDKA Pittsburgh, PA 1.010 ET 6/7 1:35a
100 WPRI Providence-New Bedford 0.544 ET 6/7 5:00a
101 WRAL Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle) 0.944 ET ERAL 6/7 11AM
102 WTVR Richmond-Petersburg 0.481 ET 6/13 5:30a
103 WBOC Salisbury, MD 0.138 ET 6/20 3:30PM
104 WSHM-LP Springfield-Holyoke 0.230 ET 6/7 11am
105 WTSP Tampa-St. Pete (Sarasota) 1.592 ET 6/7 11am
106 WTHI Terre Haute, IN 0.127 ET 7/5 8:00a
107 WJHL Tri-Cities, TN-VA (Johnson City) 0.291 ET 6/14 12:00n
108 WUSA Washington, DC 2.028 ET 6/14 5AM
109 WWNY Watertown, NY 0.083 ET 6/7 12PM
110 WPEC West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce 0.681 ET 6/7 2PM
111 WTRF Wheeling-Steubenville 0.117 ET 6/14 6AM
112 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
113 WILM-LP Wilmington, NC 0.164 ET 6/14 12:30PM
114 WKBN Youngstown, OH 0.235 ET 6/7 3:30a
115 KGMD - S Honolulu, HI (Hilo/Wailuku) 0.000 HA 6/7 3:30AM
116 KGMV - S Honolulu, HI (Hilo/Wailuku) 0.000 HA 6/7 3:30AM
117 KGMB Honolulu, HI (Hilo/Wailuku) 0.376 HA 6/7 3:30AM
118 KTVQ Billings, MT 0.093 MT 6/20 10:00a
119 KBCI Boise, ID 0.229 MT 6/7 6AM
120 KXLF Butte-Bozeman 0.057 MT 6/7 10:00a
121 KBZK - S Butte-Bozeman 0.000 MT 6/7 10:00a
122 KGWL - S Casper-Riverton (Lander/Rock Springs) 0.000 MT 6/7 9AM
123 KGWR - S Casper-Riverton (Lander/Rock Springs) 0.000 MT 6/7 9AM
124 KGWC Casper-Riverton (Lander/Rock Springs) 0.047 MT 6/7 9AM
125 KKTV Colorado Springs-Pueblo 0.292 MT 6/7 6:30a
126 KCNC Denver, CO 1.332 MT 6/7 4:00a
127 KXGN Glendive, MT 0.003 MT 6/7 10:00a
128 KREY - S Grand Junction-Montrose (Glenwood Springs) 0.000 MT 6/7 6:30AM
129 KREG - S Grand Junction-Montrose (Glenwood Springs) 0.000 MT 6/7 6:30AM
130 KREX Grand Junction-Montrose (Glenwood Springs) 0.064 MT 6/7 6:30AM
131 KRTV Great Falls, MT 0.057 MT 6/7 10:00a
132 KXLH-LP -S Helena, MT 0.024 MT 6/7 10:00a
133 K18AJ - S Missoula, MT (Kalispell) 0.000 MT 6/7 10:00A
134 KPAX Missoula, MT (Kalispell) 0.097 MT 6/7 10:00a
135 KCLO - S Rapid City 0.084 MT 6/7 5:30AM
136 KUTV Salt Lake City, UT 0.803 MT 6/7 10:30AM
137 KOLD Tucson (Sierra Vista) 0.398 MT 6/7 4:00p
138 KSWT Yuma-El Centro 0.101 MT 6/7 6:30AM
139 KBNZ-LP Bend, OR 0.057 PT 6/14 5:00a
140 KCBY - S Eugene, OR (Coos Bay/Roseburg) 0.000 PT 6/20 1:30PM
141 KPIC - S Eugene, OR (Coos Bay/Roseburg) 0.000 PT 6/20 1:30PM
142 KVAL Eugene, OR (Coos Bay/Roseburg) 0.212 PT 6/20 1:30PM
143 KVIQ Eureka, CA 0.053 PT 6/7 6:30AM
144 KGPE Fresno-Visilia 0.502 PT 6/7 6:30am
145 KCBS Los Angeles, CA 4.940 PT 6/7 6:30am
146 KTVL Medford-Klamath Falls 0.150 PT 6/7 9:30AM
147 KION Monterey-Salinas 0.197 PT 6/7 2AM
148 KPSP-LP Palm Springs 0.139 PT 6/7 5AM
149 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
150 KOIN Portland, OR 1.027 PT 6/14 5:00a
151 KTVN Reno, NV 0.237 PT 6/7 5AM
152 KOVR Sacramento-Stkton-Modesto 1.223 PT 6/7 6:30am
153 KFMB San Diego, CA 0.932 PT 6/7 5AM
154 KPIX San Francisco-Oak-San Jose 2.164 PT 6/7 5AM
155 KCOY SantaBarbra-SanMar-SanLuOb 0.210 PT 6/7 2AM
156 KREM Spokane, WA 0.364 PT 6/7 4:30a
157 KEPR - S Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck (Lewiston, ID) 0.000 PT 6/7 5AM
158 KIMA Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck (Lewiston, ID) 0.189 PT 6/7 5AM
159 KLEW - S Yakima-Pasco-Rchlnd-Knnwck (Lewiston, ID) 0.000 PT 6/7 6:30am
160 Total # of Stations: 151 Total DMA %: 68.848
161
162
163 TBD STATIONS
164
165 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
166 KOAM Joplin-Pittsburg 0.137 CT TBD
167 WMBD Peoria-Bloominigton 0.217 CT TBD
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185 UNAVAILABLE STATIONS
186
187 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
188 KAUZ Wichita Falls & Lawton 0.138 CT UNAV
189 KBSD - S Wichita-Hutchinson Plus(Ensign/Goodland/Hays) 0.000 CT UNAV
190 KBSH - S Wichita-Hutchinson Plus(Ensign/Goodland/Hays) 0.000 CT UNAV
191 KBSL - S Wichita-Hutchinson Plus(Ensign/Goodland/Hays) 0.000 CT UNAV
192 KENS San Antonio, TX 0.715 CT UNAV
193 KFDA Amarillo, TX 0.168 CT UNAV
194 KGAN Cedar Rapids-Wtrlo-IWC&Dub 0.303 CT UNAV
195 KGBT Harlingen-Wslco-Brnsvl-McA 0.306 CT UNAV
196 KHOU Houston, TX 1.840 CT UNAV
197 KLST San Angelo, TX 0.048 CT UNAV
198 KMEG Sioux City, IA 0.135 CT UNAV
199 KMOV St. Louis, MO 1.092 CT UNAV
200 KNOE Monroe-El Dorado 0.157 CT UNAV
201 KOLR Springfield, MO 0.369 CT UNAV
202 KOTV Tulsa, OK 0.463 CT UNAV
203 KSLA Shreveport, LA 0.337 CT UNAV
204 KTAB Abilene-Sweetwater 0.101 CT UNAV
205 KWCH Wichita-Hutchinson Plus(Ensign/Goodland/Hays) 0.394 CT UNAV
206 KWTV Oklahoma City, OK 0.600 CT UNAV
207 KXJB Fargo-Valley City 0.211 CT UNAV
208 KXMB Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson(Williston) 0.000 CT UNAV
209 KXMC Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson(Williston) 0.119 CT UNAV
210 KXMD Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson(Williston) 0.000 CT UNAV
211 NALB Alexandria, LA 0.078 CT UNAV
212 WCIA Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur 0.337 CT UNAV
213 WHBF Davenport-R.Island-Moline 0.270 CT UNAV
214 WISC Madison, WI 0.331 CT UNAV
215 WMDN Meridian, MS 0.063 CT UNAV
216 WTVY Dothan, AL 0.088 CT UNAV
217 WWL New Orleans, LA 0.527 CT UNAV
218 WAGM Presque Isle, ME 0.027 ET UNAV
219 WBNG Binghamton, NY 0.121 ET UNAV
220 WBNS Columbus, OH 0.809 ET UNAV
221 WBTV Charlotte, NC 0.981 ET UNAV
222 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
223 WBTW Myrtle Beach-Florence 0.249 ET UNAV
224 WCAX Burlington-Plattsburgh 0.289 ET UNAV
225 WCSC Charleston, SC 0.269 ET UNAV
226 WCTV Tallahassee-Thomasville 0.247 ET UNAV
227 WDBJ Roanoke-Lynchburg 0.403 ET UNAV
228 WFSB Hartford & New Haven 0.887 ET UNAV
229 WGCL Atlanta, GA 2.070 ET UNAV
230 WGME Portland-Auburn 0.359 ET UNAV
231 WHIO Dayton, OH 0.423 ET UNAV
232 WHP Harrisburg-Lncstr-Leb-York 0.646 ET UNAV
233 WIVB Buffalo, NY 0.551 ET UNAV
234 WKMG Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn 1.281 ET UNAV
235 WKYT Lexington, KY (Hazard) 0.440 ET UNAV
236 WLKY Louisville, KY 0.583 ET UNAV
237 WLTX Columbia, SC 0.343 ET UNAV
238 WOIO Cleveland-Akron 1.332 ET UNAV
239 WROC Rochester, NY 0.341 ET UNAV
240 WSBT South Bend-Elkhart 0.292 ET UNAV
241 WSWG Albany, GA 0.137 ET UNAV
242 WTOC Savannah, GA 0.279 ET UNAV
243 WTOL Toledo, OH 0.372 ET UNAV
244 WTVH Syracuse, NY 0.339 ET UNAV
245 WWMT Grand Rapids-Kalmzoo-B.Crk 0.648 ET UNAV
246 WWTV Traverse City-Cadillac (Sault Ste. Marie) 0.216 ET UNAV
247 WWUP - S Traverse City-Cadillac (Sault Ste. Marie) 0.000 ET UNAV
248 WYMT - S Lexington, KY (Hazard) 0.000 ET UNAV
249 WYOU Wilkes Barre-Scranton 0.519 ET UNAV
250 KBIM - S Albuquerque-Santa Fe (Durango/Roswell) 0.000 MT UNAV
251 KDBC El Paso (Las Cruces) 0.269 MT UNAV
252 KGWN Cheyenne-Scottsbluff 0.047 MT UNAV
253 KIDK Idaho Falls-Pocatello 0.109 MT UNAV
254 KMVT Twin Falls, ID 0.056 MT UNAV
255 KPHO Phoenix (Prescott) 1.622 MT UNAV
256 KREZ - S Albuquerque-Santa Fe (Durango/Roswell) 0.000 MT UNAV
257 KRQE Albuquerque-Santa Fe (Durango/Roswell) 0.602 MT UNAV
258 KSTF - S Cheyenne-Scottsbluff 0.000 MT UNAV
259 Station Market US % TZ Air Time/Date
260 KXMA Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson(Williston) 0.000 MT UNAV
261 KBAK Bakersfield, CA 0.193 PT UNAV
262 KHSL Chico-Redding 0.172 PT UNAV
263 KIRO Seattle-Tacoma 1.590 PT UNAV
264 KLAS Las Vegas, NV 0.636 PT UNAV
265
266 Total # of Stations: 75 Total DMA %: 29.939
267

Click above on "pics" to check out the new gallery section featuring photographs of BQP at our performance at Brooklyn Museum First Saturday taken by BQP fan Keerthik Sasidharan. Thanks to all those who made it a great night!

Check out a great review of BQP in BRM at link below...

FAITH, MUSIC AND CULTURE, an interfaith religion special, will air in NY Sunday, June 14th at 1 pm on CBS. Will be broadcast nationally, but double-check your local listings outside of NYC. Click here for full CBS release. Other announcements include: Baltimore Sun, United Press International, and Christian Research Network.

BQP is excited to announce that we will be performing on the Damrosch Park Bandshell as part of the Lincoln Center Out of Doors, August 12th. We will be sharing the stage with Susheela Raman and her latest artistic endeavor, OuterIndia. All Out of Doors Concerts are FREE, so come join us in the great out (of) doors!

CBS has asked to interview and video BQP for a CBS a 30-minute special on religion and music in modern day society. The documentary will air in NY Sunday, June 14th at 1 pm on CBS. Will be broadcast nationally on WCBS local stations, but double-check your local listings outside of NYC. They will be videoing BQP's show at the Tea Lounge (5/1).

Don't miss it!

We're excited to have been featured in Songlines 10th anniversary magazine under the "Making Waves: Who's Riding the Crest" section. Here's what they said:

"Lahore… Delhi… Brooklyn? Well, maybe Kings County, New York State, will never be
an epicentre of traditional Sufi music, but Brooklyn Qawwali Party are reshaping the
centuries-old sounds of South Asia in their own jazz improvisation image.
Founder Brook Martinez and his band had only their shared love of the legendary
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to go on when the group came together in 2004. “We kind of learned the structure of the songs by transcribing,” says Martinez. The group cheerfully admits little to no knowledge of the languages, religious meaning, or stylistic underpinnings of traditional qawwali. But no matter: they ride atop the crashing waves of each song in a funked-out musical ecstasy of their own. A typical BQP set includes some of the master’s best-known songs like ‘Mustt Mustt’ and ‘Allah Hoo’, with the songs’ refrains shouted out joyously over some thickly textured brass. Their DIY spirit has found some serious support in NYC and across the wider world as well; a collaboration with Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali – a group featuring two of Nusrat’s nephews – is reportedly on the way soon." ~Anastasia Tsioulcas

Click here to listen to a nice review of BQP's performance at Globalfest '09 on NPR's "All Songs Considered". I will also post the clip in the "radio" section of this website.

Click here to listen to BQP's performance at Globalfest '09!

As if New York isn’t culturally overloaded enough. Every year, when the conference sponsored by APAP - the Association of Performing Arts Presenters - hits New York, the senses of industry music professionals are bludgeoned by the world’s finest talent. Throughout the conference’s fanfare, there are two music events where critics line-up for in great anticipation - GlobalFEST, curated by Bill Bragin, and, Winter Jazz Fest, booked by Brice Rosenbloom. Click here to read the NY Times review of Winter Jazz Fest, which I unfortunately missed. There were two acts at GlobalFEST that caught my ear: The Brooklyn Qawwali Party and The Hot 8 Brass Band, which, in case you missed, is slated to perform in Queens College at the Kupferberg Center, February 14th. I was struck most by The Brooklyn Qawwali Party, a ten-piece orchestra, primarily comprised of jazz-trained musicians. They are devoted to the music of Pakistani Sufi legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. After hearing the group, I can’t help but be reminded of Antibalas, another large jazz instrumental group that famously focuses its repertory on another overseas legend, Fela Kuti. The Brooklyn Qawwali Party would seem to be a perfect match for U.S. State Department’s American Musicians Abroad program, where artists spread diplomacy and understanding through the common language of music. Can you imagine what Pakistanis would think of this Sufi-jazz group from Brooklyn? - Simon Rentner

Click here to link to WFMU's archive of our Sept 13th performance on Transpacific Sound Paradise. Then click on your listening format under the "Hear this show now" options. Finally, fast-forward to the last 34 minutes of the show (2:27:35 sec into the show). Enjoy!

We had a great time that night, and the other two sets were fantastic as well thanks to a great audience

Sixty years ago from this October, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born into this world and brought with him a musical legacy beyond his own years. This show will honor the 60th anniversary of Nusrat's birth in October, 1948.

We are also honored to be a part of Joe's Pub's 10th Anniversary Celebration, celebrating 10 years of presenting great music. A Double Celebration!

Joe's Pub
Wed. Oct 8th. 2008
9:30 pm - one set
tix $15adv/$20door
click "launch related site" to link to tix page.

A special news story on BQP will be broadcast in Pakistan on the birthday of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, October 13, 2008. Please check dawn.com to tune into streaming video.

We're very excited that Little India chose to do this feature on us! Check it out!

BQP has been contacted by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's nephews/disciples to collaborate! Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group, from Pakistan, began recording for Peter Gabriel's label "Real World Records" in 1998. They have since recorded 3 records on that label and toured throughout the world. We are currently having initial discussion on a potential collaboration, as well as US and international touring. BQP has always desired to collaborate with true qawwali singers, so we are very pleased at this possibility. I will keep you posted. Please visit http://realworldrecords.com/rizwan/ for more info on RMQG.

Brooklyn Museum has asked BQP to use our recording of Mustt Mustt in an upcoming video project, directed by videographer Matt Wolf. Click link for more details.

BQP was featured on John Shaefer's Soundcheck, WNYC’s daily talk show about music, back in February 2007. Recently, WNYC declared BQP one of the best live performances of 2007. This program runs five days a week all year, so it is a special honor to be chosen among so many performers who came through. Please click this link to listen to our live performance, or to hear the entire original show, please click "radio" above.

Click here to hear BQP founder/musical director Brook Martinez interview on Chicago Public Radio.