Persian cd

Sussan Deyhim - Madman Of God (Divine Love Songs Of The Persian Sufi Masters)
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 311 MB | Full Artwork: 76 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Crammed Discs # craw 22 | Country/Year: Europe 2000
Genre: Folk, World | Style: Oriental Folk, World Music

Familiar folk music to generations of Iranians, Deyhim transcends the merely archival in her interpretations of these classic melodies with her rich, musty vocals and eclectic arrangements. More than ably assisting her are a cross-genre collection of musicians, including Raz Mesinai (aka Badawi), Reggie Workman, Karsh Kale, Horowitz, cellist Dawn Bukholtz Andrews, and Reza Derakhshani on a variety of stringed traditional instruments. Deyhim certainly exercises her gift with flourish; the largely wordless vocal of "Daylaman (Inextricable)" or her show-stopping imitation of tablas on "Negara (Mesmerized Mirror)" are but two striking examples. Together with performances like the elegiac "Hamcho Farhad (Our Tears, Our Wine, Our Sight)" and "Navai (Savage Bird)," with its distinctly Celtic undertones, this album is actually more accessible than her more avant-garde (though equally entrancing) efforts with Horowitz.

In 1965 Prof. Girdhari Tikku arranged for a meeting of some of the best poets of the time and led them into a conversation about their work. A Conversation with Modern Persian Poets presents the transcription and translation of two afternoons of taped conversation among a group of poets …

This (mostly) live album from a pair of Iranian sisters is an absolute melodic feast. Sampling the range of music – from the classical modes of "Saghi Nameh" to the opening lush Kurdish theme of "Mina" – is a joy, and nowhere more than on "Dorna," where their voices shine, largely unaccompanied, on a more contemporary piece that manages to sound timeless. There are some fascinating little diversions, as when the lullaby "Gole Laleh" morphs into the spiritual "She's Got the Whole World in Her Hands" (note the gender change!) sung softly by guitarist Knut Reiersrud, who also brings a lot to this CD instrumentally. Apart from the lovingly sinuous voices, what impresses most is the rich, loving variety of sensual and exotic melodies filling the disc. It's close to a sensory overload – but stops short, just at the perfect point.