Avaz

Iranian percussionist Keyvan Chemirani leads an impressive group, bringing together Persian mystical poetry and Breton laments – it's slightly similar to the Turkish-meets-Occitan concept of Forabandit. The Persian lyrics are sung by Keyvan's sister Maryam Chemirani in a warm, silky voice and the slightly grittier Breton vocals come courtesy of Annie Ebrel; they also sing each other's texts. The instrumental accompaniments feature Hamid Khabbazi on tar (long-necked lute), Sylvain Barou on an impressive range of flutes and Keyvan Chemirani on percussion. They play a major role: there are four purely instrumental tracks and the arrangements are bold and imaginative throughout.

The musical aesthetic is predominantly Middle Eastern and improvisatory sounding. The opening ‘Me Am Eus Ur Feunteun/Emad’ sets out the idea clearly with texts in Breton and Persian. ‘Ayrilik Hasretlik’ features some gorgeous duduk playing from Barou, and ‘An Teir Rozenn/Rumi's Vision’ goes from Breton dance to a Persian fantasy and back. The accompanying booklet is a bit of a mess, but the instrumental playing on this album is particularly fine.