Music of Central Asia Vol. 3: Art of the Afghan Rubāb

Homayun Sakhi | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B000EBFWPS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,323 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > World Music > Middle East > Afghanistan

Editorial Reviews

From Kabul to California, Homayun Sakhi is admired as the outstanding Afghan rubâb player of his generation, a charismatic virtuoso who has pushed the limits of his instrument. With tabla player Taryalai Hashimi, Sakhi plays music that is uniquely Afghan, yet resonates strongly with the spirit of Indian raga. 3 tracks, 70 minutes, 32-page color booklet, and photos; DVD contains series introduction, 24-minute film, interactive glossary, and map.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, June 20, 2006

By 

L. Rosenthal "Marvolo Jones" (Hell) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Music of Central Asia Vol. 3: Art of the Afghan Rubāb (Audio CD)

The tabla player on this album is amazing. He outshines the rubabist, who is also awesome. This album is very Indian in sound. The rags and ghani? (little new to the Afghan music) chosen are of a more minor/dissonant nature than the Afghan music I've heard on popular Afghan websites. The instrument itself is related to sarod, but much more percussive due to frets. The tabla player steals the show though. His use of bhari/khali technique is flawless and easily readable. Clear use of the bayan (bass) drum, not just a blur of bols. But then he hits off these rolls and uses varying stresses and mixes with syncopation. Amazing. As good as Ali Ackbar Khan and his tablaist. An excellent buy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Afghan contribution to the music of Central Asia, with intriguing connections to India as well, November 7, 2008

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Music of Central Asia Vol. 3: Art of the Afghan Rubāb (Audio CD)

This may be the most important series of world music CDs ever. The Music of Central Asia initiative was set up by the Aga Khan and the Smithsonian Insitution to document the surviving folk music traditions of that rich part of the world, and to present it to the global community with enough background to get the most out of it. Each volume in the series comes with a substantial booklet with an explanation of each track and a presentation of the instruments, as well as a DVD with a short documentary film.

In this third volume, the Afghan rubab tradition is represented by virtuoso performer Homayun Sakhi. The rubab is stringed instrument of which three strings are plucked and another three function as drones and 11 or 12 as sympathetic strings. The rubab performer is accompanied by a tabla drummer. While the rubab is squarely a Central Asian creation, but its Afghani performance tradition developed in close relationship with players in the East, and so afficionados of North Indian music will find this to be quite familiar.

As a linguist, I was attracted to the Music of Central Asia series mainly by the exotic vocal traditions in Persian or Turkic languages represented in most of its installments. I therefore find this purely instrumental offering slightly less appealing. Nonetheless, this is pretty engaging music, where endless plucking of the strings leads the listener to a trance-like state, but without ever becoming that repetitive. The virtuosity of Homayun Sakhi is stunning, all the more so on the DVD where one can see his fingers at work.

The documentary on the DVD is fun, if somewhat lightweight. We get to see the lives of Homayun Sakhi and other Afghan refugees who settled in Fremont, California, where they are maintaining their musical traditions with surprising fervor. The documentary doesn't directly mention the rise of the Taliban, but those interviewed do reminisce about happier times. There's even a scene of kite-flying, a pastime which was infamously banned by the Taliban.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing musician, January 15, 2008

By 

dsh "dsh" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music of Central Asia Vol. 3: Art of the Afghan Rubāb (Audio CD)

Homayun jaan and Toryala jaan are both exceptional musicians and performers, respectively. Living in NorCal, we have the extra advantage of seeing these two live in concert. Check out the "Little Kabul" area of Fremont, CA., especially during the Nowrouz "new year" (March 21st), where there are many concerts and activities going on, possibly a concert featuring Homayun and Toryala.

Cheers,
~dsh~