AFGHANISTAN

Ensemble Kaboul - Nastaran

Text: Khaled Arman and Laurent Aubert
1 CD ETHNOMAD ARN 64543

The Kabul Ensemble dedicates itself to traditional Afghan music.  Hossein Arman, a renowned singer in Afghanistan, his son Khaled, a young player of the rubab, and his cousin the flautist Osman, make up the core members of this ensemble.  For this album, they made sure that the best specialists participated: Ustad Malang Nedjrabi on the zirbaghali drum, Yusuf Mahmood on tabla, the singer Taher Hakami and finally Paul Grant on santur. The ensemble’s repertoire draws on the classical and popular traditions from various regions of Afghanistan, but the interpretation of these  pieces is then refined by Khaled’s careful arrangements, which transform them into real gems.

“With the force and generosity of its music, the Kabul Ensemble proves to us that the eternal side of Afghanistan is present” (Mondomix)