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CD Review
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Cosmos Gaming, CD Review >>
Music: Sharham and Hafez Nazeri: The Passion of Rumi
Our Take
There have been numerous Middle Eastern artists gaining notoriety in the past decade or so, but none have been as prevalent as Sharham Nazeri and his son Hafez. Sharham has been putting the 13th century poet Rumi’s work to music for decades, but with the help of his son and backing instrumentalists has released The Passion of Rumi in album form, compiling quite a bit of material. This Iranian father and son duo offer an experience that many American listeners may not have heard, and are definitely worthy of your attention. Although the singing may not be in English, the instrumental compositions give a distinctive East meets West vibe. There are traditional Middle Eastern arrangements on this release, but some of the orchestral arrangements have a very Western feel to their melodies. This helps the Nazeri’s music to stand out as it sees them embracing their ethnic roots while exploring other orchestral influences from the Western world. It is easy to see why The Passion of Rumi’s live performances have been met with such critical acclaim as this album is filled with intriguing instrumental arrangements.
Sharham Nazeri has an absolutely mesmerizing voice, and the poems of Rumi he has put into song remind me just why Middle Eastern music is so unique. The vocal ranges that Nazeri can reach are unrivaled, and he can hold notes out for extremely long periods of times. As with other traditional Iranian music, The Passion of Rumi has a spiritual feel to it but listeners of any faith will be able to appreciate its tight melodies.
Iranian music hasn’t made the biggest impact on American audiences yet, but The Passion of Rumi is an album that should remind listeners how interesting and unique Middle Eastern music and culture truly is. Quite a bit of interesting world music has been hitting the shelves in 2007 but this release is perhaps one of the best ones. If you have any interest in Middle Eastern culture or its music this is a must have, as it fuses classical ideas of the 13th century poet Rumi with modern instrumental arrangements.
http://www.quartertone.com
By: Chris Dahlberg 12/14/07 >> go there
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