GHAZAL

Westerners have become increasingly familiar with the classical music of India since it first became fashionable in the 60s. But the Persian tradition, without a Beatles/Ravi Shankar collaboration to promote it, has remained a mystery, although it is becoming more recognized. Ghazal creates (or rather, re-creates) a musical bridge between these two ancient styles, one based less on academic research and more on the spirit of making music in the moment, and from the heart. In the process, Kayhan Kalhor and Shujaat Husain Khan have created a cross-cultural music that surprised many when it was first unveiled in 1997's Lost Songs Of The Silk Road. What could have been seen as a fairly arcane blend of unfamiliar musics instead caught the ears of thousands, who responded to the music's obvious passion and accessibility.

As Night Falls On The Silk Road
SH 66011