Zikr

EM13 / 2003

WESTERN CLARINETS, A KURDISH DIVAN AND A PERSIAN TONBAK

Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi – Divan
Pedram Khaverzamini – Tombak
Kjetil Selvik – Clarinet, Bass- Clarinet

The combination of a western clarinet, a Kurdish divan and a Persian tonbak is not often heard. But when we first brought these instruments together, in the year 2000, it gave an intuitive feeling of pleasure. Despite the different backgrounds of the players, there seemed to be spirit in the music. The fascinating thing about Persiano is we still do not know whether its expression was created, or simplydiscovered.

Persiano was founded in Teheran, where its gave its first concerts in the summer of 2001. The Iranian influences on the rhythms and tunes are very clear, but you will also find inspiration from traditional Norwegian music and jazz. This being said, our focus was never on the style. The melodies and improvisations are played the way we felt them. The idea was to engage in a real exchange, and to make it sound natural.