COMPOSERS: Masters of Persian Music
LABELS: World Village
WORKS: Without You
PERFORMER: Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Masters of Persian Music
CATALOGUE NO: 468011
The most exciting Sufi singing in this batch turns up from Mohammad Reza Shajarian, one of the MASTERS OF PERSIAN MUSIC who teamed up for an American tour in 2000 and, hearteningly, were invited back last year.
With his son Homayoun on tombak and occasional vocal duetting, plus illustrious string-players Hossein Alizadeh and Kayhan Kalhor, this is a dazzling group in evolving-traditional mode, with a chamber-music attitude rather than a hierarchical, lead-and-support one.
Recorded live, complete with tuning-up, the music builds steadily through suave, urgent and soul-searching melody to fast, flamboyant instrumentals, as compelling as a great classical Indian performance.