I Will Not Stand Alone

Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor is one of the world's most sublime musicians. If he's not a better-known name, it's because the Persian spike fiddle isn't exactly a popular instrument, and also because of his unwillingness to compromise the artistry and intensity of his music. Nonetheless he has been a vital ambassador for Persian musical culture. ‘This was one of the most difficult stages in my life, where darkness and violence seemed to be taking over,’ he writes in the liner notes, referring to the disputed Iranian election of 2009. ‘I chose to be with the people and play music for them, feeling more connected than ever before. This album is the product of that dark period. The process of making this music and letting it be heard allowed me to realise that I will not stand alone.’

The album is groundbreaking from a musical point of view. Kalhor plays a new bass kamancheh, built by Australian instrument maker Peter Biffin, which he calls the shah Kaman. He's accompanied here by Ali Bahrami Fard on bass santur (hammer dulcimer): the pair gave an incredible concert together at the London Jazz Festival in November with the brilliant tombak drummer Madjid Khaladj. It's the santur that starts the album in its dark, low register and it's almost three minutes before Kalhor enters, sounding more like a vocalist than a string player, as if in prayer. The tone of the album is dark but incredibly passionate. The standout track is the lengthy 12-minute ‘Where are You?’, full of dynamic interplay between the two musicians. The tracks run naturally and organically into each other and it takes time to get to the heart of the music. But the playing, the instrumental textures and the emotional intensity are extraordinary. The final title-track is ecstatic but ends abruptly – suggesting the real conclusion is yet to come.