Ajdad – Ancestors (Echoes of Persia) is a new CD from the Amir Amiri Ensemble.  I had a chance to hear them play at Alliance Française on Friday night as well as listening to the CD which provided some extra perspective.  It’s always interesting to watch musicians.  Most of the music on the CD is composed by Amir Amiri with a couple of arrangements of other composers’ work.  Amiri’s roots are in the classical Persian tradition but he goes well beyond that with quite strong Arabic influence as well as Turkish, Kurdish and Western classical elements.  In a sense it’s a nod to what was once a more integrated musical culture that to some extent has been fractured by the political divisions of the last 100 years or so.  Continue reading →