When Qawwali was originally issued, John Rockwell of the New York Times called it “the aural equivalent of dancing dervishes,' citing its 'rhapsodic declaimed verses and full-bodied unison chorus,” and further describing it as 'music of feeling.'
Qawwali, produced by David Lewiston, was recorded in the United States in April 1978, while the original nine-man group was on its second acclaimed tour of the United States.