“[Saami] is a world class vocalist, both virtuosic and soulful at the same time...and that is a rare feat,” stated Brennan to Forbes earlier this year. The Irish-American producer has worked with a plethora of musicians across the globe; from Romania, Italy, Cambodia, Rwanda and Mali, and looks forward to his upcoming project in Pakistan.
Having produced four Grammy-nominated records (Word Music in 2011 and 2015, and Best Traditional Folk Music in 2006 and 2007), and authoring a number of books, Brennan went on to state; “Saami is in a class by himself. I'm hopeful for the day that he will be recognised worldwide and take his rightful place as one of the greats in modern Pakistani musical history.”
Having begun his journey in the field of classical music in the mid-1950s, Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami began learning his craft under the tutelage of his uncle and mentor, Ustaad Munshi Raziuddin when he was only 11-years-old. A steadfast practitioner of the ancient Indian classical tradition of Khayal, Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami’s forefathers, along with Amir Khusro (the iconic Sufi musician and poet) formalized the schools of Qawwali and Khayal in the 13th Century, in Delhi.
Currently, Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami stands as a living legend, a rare global treasure in the field of Eastern classical music and is widely recognised not just in South Asia, but the world over.
Trailblazers in their own right, the Saami-Brennan project will prove to be a thrilling collaboration that promises to deliver audiences with a harmonious amalgamation of both the east and the west!