Venue

: The Great Hall
: 1119 Eighth Avenue (enter on Eighth Avenue)
Seattle, 98101 United States + Google Map

Event Format: In-Person

EVENT NOTES
Doors for this event will open at 6:00 PM.

Six men perform in a room with arched walls and columns, playing traditional South Asian instruments and singing. In the center, one man stands wearing a white traditional outfit, singing into a microphone, and gesturing with one hand raised, pointing upward.

Rentals

Join SAMA: Music + Art for an extraordinary evening of spiritual devotion, rare artistry, and deep musical tradition as Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, the last living master of the Khayal vocal tradition, takes the stage alongside his sons, The Saami Brothers, in a powerful ensemble performance. Local tabla player, Anil Prasad, will join for a powerful night of sacred sound, story, and South Asian Sufi devotion.

Khayal is a deeply meditative, improvisational form of classical music rooted in pre-Islamic Indo-Persian traditions. Ustad Saami’s mastery of this form, enriched by his spiritual lineage and rigorous training, makes each performance a unique journey through language, sound, and soul.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to witness a living legend in an intimate, acoustically rich setting.

Ustad Saami is the only known living practitioner of a 49-note microtonal scale, a musical system that predates Islam and stretches back thousands of years. His voice is an instrument of history, prayer, and resistance, keeping alive a sacred art form that is on the edge of extinction. At nearly 80 years old, this Pakistani maestro continues to tour and inspire with a voice that embodies the devotional intensity of Sufi philosophy, blending languages, spiritual lineages, and musical traditions.

The Saami Brothers, Ustad Saami’s four sons and disciples, have spent the last month sharing this legacy across the U.S., from New York to Chicago, and now bring it to Seattle in a rare West Coast performance. Their dynamic interplay weaves deep-rooted Khayal and Qawwali elements into a sound that is at once ancient and immediate.

Anil Prasad began playing percussion at the age of seven and accompanied his mother, Prabha Devi, a famous Indian vocalist and sitar player. He was recruited to the Husky Drumline out of high school and became the Husky Drumline section leader for two consecutive years. Anil is a student of tabla masters Tor Dietrichson, Ustad Akram Khan, and Ustad Zakir Hussain and records and performs with many Western, world music, and Indian groups in Seattle and beyond.

About SAMA: Music + Art

Founded in 2019, SAMA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that grows empathy across cultures by connecting audiences to transformative experiences with global roots music and artists in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. By curating forward-thinking performances, SAMA seeks to challenge assumptions, celebrate cultural heritage, and spark creative exchanges. Its robust digital presence further extends these connections, fostering a vibrant global community where audiences can discover events, explore artist backgrounds, and interact with one another.