Gobi Desert

Stretching across an expanse of terrain joining Central Asia to northern China, the Gobi Desert is the location of several crucial points along the Silk Road – the ancient trading route through which disparate cultures were able to meet and exchange. By that same token, this new trio recording by prolific Chinese erhu (spike fiddle) master Guo Gan is an attempt to fuse the music of seemingly far-flung regions. In this case, his collaborators are the Turkish baðlama (lute) virtuoso Emre Gültekin – also of the excellent Baul Meets Saz, whose singer Malabika Brahma makes a guest appearance on this recording – as well as Levent Yildirim, an expert on Middle Eastern percussion. Although the trio takes on Guo Gan's name, the composition and arrangement duties are split evenly between himself and Gültekin – the latter contributing the epic 15-minute piece ‘Kocaoglan Paçarani’.

There's an impeccable blend between the instruments, with the soaring, dreamlike quality of the erhu being grounded by the earthy resonance of Yildirim's frame drums. Gültekin's multi-tracked baðlama and tanbur combine to stunningly hypnotic effect, conjuring some of the albums most thrilling moments. The contrast between the two composers is satisfying – Guo Gan's pieces, such as the shimmering ‘Chinese Bike’, enjoy an accessible melodicism, while Gültekin's have a brooding, almost mystical intensity. ‘Harput’ exemplifies the latter with the trio joined by a Sufi-like chorus. Much of Guo Gan's most interesting and vital work has sprung from collaboration, and this album continues this tradition brilliantly.