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I'd never heard a rabab before. But Tahir's gorgeous sound, heart-stopping dynamics, and irresistible passion had me hooked inside of five minutes. The rabab, an amazingly sophisticated Afghani tribal instrument, is the 2000 year old grandfather of the lute. (Imagine a cross between banjo, fiddle, lute and mandolin, then throw in 10 sympathetic strings for built-in reverb.) One of South Asia's greatest masters of the rabab tradition, Tahir laid down this entire album of improvs on ancient Afghan folk melodies—all first takes—in one breathtaking evening. From blazingly fast but whisper quiet tremolos to thunderous, crashing 14-string crescendos, Tahir's virtuosity extracted newly-discovered dynamics from my mikes. (#12052)
Tahir Ahmad Khan, rabab |
