Sufi In Dance (Persia Meets India)

EM12 / 2003

Two young emigrants – With solid musical tradition from their countries of origin, Iran and India – Meet in Oslo

Jai Shankar – Tabla – India/ Norway
Pouyan Abdoli – TarTombak – Iran/Norway

This CD features Pouyan on the tar andtombak together with Jai Shankar on the Indian tabla. What you hear is improvisation inspired by Persian Sufi music and coloured by Indian rhythms interpreted in the artists’ personal style. This is neither pure traditional Persian music nor pure classical Indian music, but a fusion created by two young immigrants meeting in Norway. It is both immigrant music from Norway and world music. Pouyan Abdoli was born in Teheran in 1980. He comes from a family of singers familiar throughout Iran. Pouyan came to Norway when he was 18. Jai Shankar was born in Punjab in India in 1980. He comes from a musical family with strong roots in classical Indian music. Jai came to Norway when he was just ten months old. Both Indian and Persian classical music are characterised by their microtonal and monophonic structure and by the importance assigned to improvisation. In each of these traditions, the musician’s understanding and approach to the music is key. Personal style, technical ability and vision impacts on his approach to developing musical ideas. This makes every performance, even of the same Raga or Dastgah, exciting, fresh and unpredictable each time it is performed.