Baluchistan: The Instrumental Tradition

Ocora has released many fine recordings of lesser-known musical traditions and this album, featuring the instrumental tradition of Balochistan, is the latest gem. Although Balochistan has been a province of Pakistan since that country was created in 1947, only half the Balochi people live there, while the rest, united by language and an associated poetic tradition as well as a distinct musical style, are scattered over south-east Iran, Afghanistan and the Emirates.

All the main instruments of Balochi music are presented here, including the oldest one known as doneli (literally meaning ‘two tubes’) – a double-ended flute whose sound can be intense and trance-inducing, while the newest is the benju, a small oblong zither with a typewriter-like keyboard thought to have originated in Japan. The tanburag (lute) provides a rhythmic drone and the dholak (a barrel-shaped drum) serves as percussion. But the favourite instrument of Balochi musicians is the sorud – not to be confused with the North Indian classical instrument of a similar name; it's more akin to the Indian sarangi. The dominant musical style is known as shervandi, a bardic art of singing poetry to music while other forms include wedding songs as well as trance music for devotional rituals, all of which are guaranteed to grow on you.