Shabaz (band)

Shabaz
OriginSan Francisco, California
GenresQawwali, dhrupad
Years active1994 (1994)–present
LabelsCity of Tribes, Mondo Melodia
MembersSukhawat Ali Khan, Riffat Sultana, Richard Michos

Shabaz is a world-dance musical trio based in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California. Its name refers to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a Sufi saint who is a major inspiration behind the musical genre of qawwali. Its members are brother-and-sister Pakistani vocalists Sukhawat Ali Khan and Riffat Salamat, as well as Bay Area multi-instrumentalist/producer Richard Michos. It was established in 1994 as the Ali Khan Band; its members decided to change its name to Shabaz in 2001 to avoid confusion with other "Ali Khan"s. Both Khan and Salamat are descended from Chand and Suraj Khan, who sang to Akbar the Great when he was emperor of the Mughal Empire.

As the Ali Khan Band, the band released two albums on the San Francisco-based City of Tribes label. They signed with Mondo Melodia in 2001, and released their self-titled album as Shabaz on September 11, 2001.

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