Menyimak album Ur milik kontrabasis Michel Bismut ini, rasanya seperti berkendara mesin waktu. Sebuah napak tilas bunyi tradisional Tunisia, tanah kelahiran Michel namun sekaligus terasimilasi dengan acuan musik lintas budaya; hispanik, India, sampai jazz.
Tiga rekan musisi yaitu juru tiup Jorge Pardo (Spanyol), pemetik gambus asal Maroko Nabil Khalidi, dan perkusionis Iran Keyvan Chemirani turut memberi kontribusi lewat jalin nada serta irama yang begitu solid. Mencantum sebelas komposisi orisinil tergarap rapi, interaktif, juga seringkali puitis.
Pertemuan dimulai oleh “Ajorpa” yang melaju atraksi flamenco, berlanjut irama padang pasir lewat dialog oud Nabil dan saksofon sopran Jorge dibalut fondasi ritme perkusi Keyvan nan eksotik. Hembusan flute resitatif membuka derap “Tanjevo” dengan petikan kontrabas Michel seolah bersenandung. Versatilitas Nabil hadir dalam nomor buatannya, “La Rose” berciri sesi trading fours meriah.
Rendisi atas nada tradisional Turki “Anakha” adalah aksi tunggal Michel sarat keheningan, pun “No Se” merupakan improvisasi kolektif begitu pula “Arga” yang berformat duet gesekan kontrabas dengan tepuk ghatam Keyvan, nuansanya begitu magis. Nikmati nafas Hindustan pada nomor “Malika” sebelum penutup jumpa “Princesse” yang justru melantun dalam rajut irama festive khas Amerika Latin.
Rumi Ensemble, compuesto por 10 músicos de diferentes nacionalidades y tradiciones culturales (Irán, India y Noruega), junto a la extraordinaria voz de Salar Aghili, interpretan musicalmente palabras y versos del gran maestro y poeta sufí Jalaluddin Rumi, autor del siglo XIII, en In the footprints of Rumi (2011). La orquesta, formada en 2007 con motivo del 800 aniversario del nacimiento del poeta sufí Rumi, plantea una senda que discurre siglos de historia y encuentros, tendiendo un puente entre Occidente y Oriente a través de la poesía y la música. Representa, también, la nueva escena clásica en la música tradicional iraní, combinando con significativa capacidad la innovación musical, con un gran sentido del clasicismo y de la interpretación.
Javi Afsari Rad (Esfahan, Irán) encabeza la formación, y musicaliza a Rumi inspirado por el misticismo de su poesía, centrándose en el ritmo como elemento vital que refleje el éxtasis filosófico, la sensualidad y el misterio de sus poemas.
Con esta edición de estudio, realizada en Oslo bajo el auspicio del Arts Council Norway y el Akershus Fylkeskommune, tenemos la oportunidad de disfrutar de la singular belleza con la que instrumentos orientales tradicionales (santur, ney, oud, tombak, daf, dayereh) se mezclan con la instrumentación clásica (violín, viola, cello y contrabajo), y con la imponente voz de Salar Aghili (uno de los más destacados vocalistas de la tradición musical persa de su generación, y cantante solista de la Orquesta Nacional de Irán) de cuya unión resulta una peculiar visión de la música como lenguaje común que une culturas más allá de las fronteras.
01. Masnavi 02. Rumi 03. Eshtiagh 04. Ey Asheghan 05. Jané Ashegh 06. Avaz 07. Roz o Shab 08. Bayate Rajé 09. Deldare Man 10. Lezgi
Niyaz’ six song acoustic EP features three acoustic performances of songs from the band’s 2012 electronic album SUMUD, as well as three brand new songs. Although Niyaz is dedicated to creating music which is a true hybrid of electronic and acoustic music, with roots in ancient cultures as well as the modern world, the acoustic performances and recordings play a crucial role in the process of reaching this goal. The emphasis on song structure and performance is the driving force behind the band’s music, which is why Niyaz have remained committed to presenting audiences with acoustic versions of songs from their albums. The three new songs featured on the acoustic release are original songs composed by Niyaz. The instrumental track “Sahar”, is a piece written for Santour(Persian Hammered Dulcimer) and the Turkish Djumbush. It features a fiery duet performance between Azam and Loga on these instruments. “Naseem” features a duet between Azam’s voice and Niyaz percussionist and Flute player Habib Meftah Boucheri on his self-made flute playing a haunting melody. “Nalona” is a ambient journey through sonic landscapes created by Loga on Guitar Viol and Azam singing in a language of her own design.
For most of us in the West classical music calls up visions of men in tuxedos and women in long gowns playing highly formalized and rigidly controlled music. This is the last type of music we'd ever associate with any sort of improvisation as the musicians are there to serve the wishes of the composer as interpreted by the conductor. Unless they're soloists of very high standing they have little or no say in how the music sounds and what it expresses.
So it might come as a bit of shock to find out that the traditions surrounding classical music in other cultures actually encourage improvisation. For, while in countries like India there are certain formal patterns of structure adhered to, within the form there is plenty of room for the musician to interpret the music. The performances of music is considered a personal and spiritual journey, a means of expressing a connection to the gods, so it can't help but change from individual to individual. India is not unique in having this kind of musical tradition, and considering the cross-pollination of culture between the two countries down through history, it's not surprising to find a similar tradition has existed in Iran since the Persian classical music, like many others where there was originally nothing committed to paper, involves a long and involved training period for anybody wishing to perform it. First of all a student has to memorize a canonic repertoire known as radif (literally translated as "order") comprised of over 200 modal pieces of music known as gushehs. These gushehs are grouped together as progressions of modally related pieces into twelve distinct dastgah (systems). Once a musician has memorized all the gushehs individually and collectively in their respective dastgah, they are ready to begin creating. Unlike in the West where we have specific pieces of music to perform, the radif is not something that is actually performed as an individual piece of music, but instead serves as the starting point for creative improvisation.
Of course in listening to music the theory behind it usually flies out the window as you get swept up in the sounds and emotions being generated by the artist in question. Such is the case with I Will Not Stand Alone the latest release from Kayhan Kalhor on World Village Music. The recording features Kalhor playing a variation on the traditional Middle Eastern four-stringed bowed instrument, the kamancheh (called a shah kaman) accompanied by Ali Bahrami Fard on a hammered, dulcimer-type instrument known as a bass santor. If you have any thoughts that the conditions described above for the creation and playing of music were restrictive they will be quickly dispelled as you listen to what these two men are able to generate between them.
Looking at a picture of a kamancheh—the shah kaman has a slightly deeper tone then the original—you'll be amazed at the quality of sound Kalhor is able to create with what looks like a very simple instrument. With only four strings and a resonating chamber made out of a gourd covered by an animal skin, you'd assume its sound would be limited or at least thin. I don't know whether it's the virtuosity of the player or a matter of appearances being deceiving, but on this recording it seems to have the ability to sound like most of the bowed four-stringed instruments in an orchestra. From the heart-stopping emotional clarity of a violin to the rich texture of the cello to the mid tones of the viola, Kalhor not only covers almost the entire musical scale as we know it but its emotional equivalent as well.
Serving as a combination percussion and bass Fard's bass santor not only offers a rich counterpoint and underpinning to Kalhor's playing, he also adds the additional element of being able to emphasize the rhythm through his use of the hammers required to play his instrument. Any expectations we might have as to its limitations based on our experiences of bass instruments in other compositions are quickly dispelled. For Fard does far more than merely play a simple bass line; instead he plays a melodic accompaniment in the lower In the liner notes accompanying the recording Kalhor describes the eight pieces of music as having their origins during a period of unrest in Iran. He's unclear as to whether he's talking about the revolution which saw the overthrow of the Shah back in the 1970s or the more recent period of turbulence and its unsuccessful attempt to push for reforms. Whenever the period, he describes it as one of the most difficult periods in his life, "where darkness and violence seemed to be taking over". Out of this period came the realization that music has the capability to open what he refers to as doors of hope and he made the choice to play his music for the people for this reason. The actual playing and recording of the music was a way for him to break out of the isolation he felt because of the unrest and to connect with those around him—hence the title I Will Not Stand Alone.
Listening to the music after reading these notes one can't help but be struck by how well they capture the journey he took from darkness to light. The titles of individual pieces aren't what you'd call an accurate indication of their musical content; you'd think tunes called "The Laziest Summer Afternoon" or "Dancing Under The Walnut Tree" would be lighthearted and carefree when the former sounds nothing at all like any idle summer day I've ever had and the latter bears no relation whatsoever to dancing. Perhaps something was lost in their translation from the original Farsi, but I think he's commenting on the sense of disconnect he must have felt witnessing scenes of violence and trouble on beautiful summer days. Idyllic conditions have no bearing on how humans behave. It can be a beautiful day and people can still commit atrocities just as easily as if a horrible storm were taking place. The distance between the meaning conveyed by the title of the song and the story the music tells us captures that horrible irony better than anything I've heard before.
Everyone of these pieces has an emotional depth that far outstrips most music we're used to hearing, whether popular or classical. Kalhor has taken the basic skill set required to play Persian classical music to build a collection of pieces that explore both the depths the human spirit can sink to and the heights to which it can ascend. You may have trouble believing this is the work of only two men playing given the multitude of sounds, tones, and emotions they express, but it is indeed only Kalhor and Fard and their two instruments on each track. If you've never experienced non-European classical music this recording will be an eye opener, dispelling any doubts you've ever had of music's capacity to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries. The gulf between the Iranian and Western governments is huge these days. Yet listening to recordings like this one help to remind us that the divide between the people of our respective cultures is far smaller than some would have us think. Richard Marcus - Fuente)
Tracks: 01. Between the heavens and me 14:20 02. Where are you? 11:55 03. The laziest summer afternoon 6:44 04. Dancing under the walnut tree 7:46 05. Hear me cry 3:31 06. Pluck a star from the sky 1:41 07. Here I am alone again 7:15 08. I will not stand alone 5:36
The Trio Chemirani lo componen, desde 1988, tres miembros de la familia iraní Chemirani (originariamente Chemirani Ensemble), intérpretes de música tradicional persa. Formado por Djamchid, Keyvan y Bijan (padre e hijos), han conseguido gracias a su virtuosismo inigualable instaurar el zarb como uno de los grandes instrumentos de percusión en todo el mundo.
Establecidos en Francia, para este álbum Invite (2011) han invitado a participar a seis grandes músicos internacionales y el resultado es un estupendo trabajo de interculturalidad. Los artistas son el maliense Ballaké Sissoko a la kora, el pianista cubano Omar Sosa, Ross Daly con la lyra cretense y el rebab afgano y, de Francia, el estupendo Titi Robin al bouzouki, Sylvain Luc con la guitarra acústica y Renaud Garcia-Fons al contrabajo. El resultado: piezas, bajo la copa de la hospitalidad, con sonoridades del Mediterráneo, Oriente Medio, África y el jazz. Una idea simple brillantemente lograda gracias a la habilidad y la sensibilidad de los músicos que participan.
Tercer disco en solitario de Azam Ali, su disco más personal e íntimo en el que recopila una serie de nanas y canciones de cuna de Oriente Medio (algunas escritas por ella misma y su hijo) en un álbum delicado y cálido, melancólico y sereno, centrado principalmente en la armoniosa voz de Ali, y en el que colaboran sus compañeros de Niyaz, Loga Ramin Torkian y Carmen Rizzo.
El nacimiento de su primer hijo es lo que ha inspirado a la canadiense de origen iraní Azam Ali a grabar un álbum de nanas y canciones de cuna, From Night To the Edge of Day (2011). Un álbum que recoge su memoria sentimental, canciones de ensueño, de sonidos ricos y exhuberantes, suaves y de texturas melancólicas, contemplativas, en los que se sustenta la voz evocadora de Ali arropada por las sonoridades del tradicional oud y de las cuerdas.
Aunque el disco tuvo su origen en las nanas que cantaba Ali a su hijo, el proyecto creció rápidamente, revisando canciones de cuna de todo Oriente Medio, muchas de ellas pertenecientes a comunidades minoritarias como la kurda iraquí y la azerbaiyana iraní. Otras proceden de Turquía y Palestina. Temas que remodela y que se convierten en algo más que simples nanas: un mensaje personal para todas aquellas generaciones futuras para poner fin a las luchas y conflictos inter-étnicos que arruinan la región. Y aunque el trasfondo es la opresión, la guerra y el exilio, la voz de Ali conlleva en sí el cálido sonido de la esperanza de que una generación futura tenga una visión más iluminada que les permita vivir en una coexistencia pacífica.
Hermosos temas que incluyen canciones del folklore turco, como "Dandini" y "Neni Desem"; "Lai Lai", una bella melodía kurda en dialecto soranî; la nana tradicional de Azerbaiyán "Shirin"; "Tenderness" (composición propia de Ali), temas que musicaliza ("Nami Nami" y "Mehman", de Irán), y una preciosa canción compuesta, especialmente para Azam y su hijo, por el cantante e intérprete de oud palestino Naser Musa, "Faith".
Disco dedicado a su hijo Imán, "Estas canciones, que canté para ti durante los primeros años de tu vida, son mi pequeño regalo para ti, para que siempre recuerdes estas melodías y lo que representan para tu madre. Somos gente de Oriente, y aunque nuestros caminos nos han llevado lejos de la tierra a la que pertenecemos, nuestro legado es profundo como el más antiguo de los árboles, y nuestras canciones cuentan historias que nunca deben ser olvidadas. Mi gran esperanza es que siempre permanezcas conectado a estas raíces y que encuentres tu propio camino donde ellas perduren".
01. Noor (The Light In My Eyes) 02. Dandini 03. Nami Nami 04. Neni Desem 05. Shrin 06. Mehman (The Guest) 07. Faith 08. Tenderness 09. Lai Lai 10. Faith (Reprise)
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