Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Party: Town Hall, NYC

SITTING CROSS-LEGGED on an Indian carpet, surrounded by his seven-man qawwali "party," rotund Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan may look like Jabba the Hut but he sings like a scatting angel. Qawwali is the gospel music of Sufi Muslims, a vibrant devotional practice based on Asian ragas and Sufi poetry that extend back to the 13th century. Nusrat Khan, 44, is its preeminent wailer, having recorded more than 150 cassettes and 30 albums in less than 20 years of performing.