Anthology of iranian rhythms - volume 2 / daf (mystical drum), dayré & zang-e saringôshti by Madjid Khaladj

I can’t believe the first track, a rhythm heard in a lot of sufi dihkrs, is only a single daf. It has promoted this frame drum to my favourite percussion instrument found in Iran. Unbelievably powerful, this rhythm is a hurricane force, and the daf can sound like a dozen percussion instruments all playing together, with its deep bass and lighter textures all sounding at the same time. The dayre is a smaller frame drum, which doesn’t have the same power, but it allows very intricate finger work.

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Madjid Khaladj / A Master of Iranian Music

Of the many talented younger players from the Iranian classical music scene, this player of the tombak and other traditional instruments has made the most widespread inroads on the Western music scene, although the rewards of that may be questioned when they include soundtrack appearances on such Hollywood duds as Geronimo, Last Man Standing or The Insider...

The instrument played by Madjid Khaladj is known as a tombak in Iran, a dombak in Turkey, and has an Irish relative in the bhodran. Khaladj began studying the instrument at the age of seven, the initial pounding and banging of a youth leading to a brilliant career as a traditional musician, pedagogue, composer, and lecturer. He has mastered an entire family of Iranian percussion instruments, including the daf...actually considered as a mystical drum. The musical adventures of Khaladj have led to collaborations with the traditional Armenian vocal group Kotchnak, as well as the laid-back California recording scene of world music wannabe Ry Cooder. The Iranian also went far from his roots when he recorded an album entitled Chopin, Impressions with pianist Leszek Mozdzer and the results of this collaboration can only be described as fascinating.

Khaladj has moved well beyond what is sometimes seen as the drummer's traditional role in the background to lead numerous activities on the international scene, including festivals, concerts, and recordings. Since 1984, he has taught the percussion traditions of his country at the Center for Study of Oriental Musics in the Institute of Musicology of Paris-Sorbonne. In 1996, he founded the College of Tombak, a center of Iranian percussion study, in Paris. Since 1999, he has been invited to teach at the Music Academy of Basel in Switzerland.

An astounding part of this performer is his extensive solo improvisation repertory. As for the many master Iranian musicians who call upon him for percussion support, most would agree that he has few rivals in terms of either instrumental sound or accurate rendition of such a wide variety of traditional rhythmic patterns. His regular playing partners have included tar virtuosos Hossein Alizâdeh and Dariush Talâ'i and ney master Hossein Omoumi.

~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide

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