STEPHAN MICUS - Towards the Wind (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Being a perpetual student, Stephan Micus usually makes world music by default. He breathes patience and skill into the exotic instruments he uncovers, but certainly with respectful bending of the rules along the way. Towards the Wind follows in the same exploratory tradition -- educated, but unassuming as to the nature of what an instrument is "supposed to do." Here, the album evokes an easily digestible cross section of Middle Eastern mysticism -- swirling sand dunes, rust-colored sunsets, and sacred spaces. The opening passage, "Before Sunrise," shines the spotlight on the bass duduk, an Armenian reed instrument that's typically left to accompany another soloing duduk. Left to his own devices, however, Micus coaxes some pleasant baritones out of the woodwind. Later, he unveils a 14-string guitar of his own design, which he strums in a mildly Spanish direction ("Virgen de la Nieve"). Rounding out the ensemble is a kalimba, a Chinese sattar, and a talking drum from Ghana. Rarely without his shakuhachi, the German-born composer also has his favorite Japanese flute handy for three of the eight selections on this CD. The aforementioned instruments all get a little solo time (or even an entire song), creating a global melting pot that listeners have come to expect from this composer. Only once do those expectations struggle to stay met, and it comes by way of "Eastern Princess," which almost flirts with folk-pop Americana of the 1970s -- a steel-string guitar strums quite unmysteriously through the Rocky Mountains, although accompanied by a very curious language he sings, threaded together by syllabication rather than any known meaning (check the final piece to his Music of Stones from 1989). As for the featured double-reed centerpiece, it was after hearing some recordings of Jivan Gasparian (a virtuoso on the duduk) that Micus sought him out in Armenia to be his teacher. Gasparian obliged, and it is through his influence that much of the soloing on Towards the Wind stays airborne. Indeed, Micus describes this instrument as the shakuhachi's "twin" in terms of its breathy qualities and expressiveness. Although he constantly acquires new sounds, his confidence as a musician stays intact. What results is an album of modest beauty -- noteworthy because of the instruments and the performer more than the compositions themselves. by Glenn Swan
Tracklist :
1    Part 1 - Before Sunrise 3'33
Duduk [Bass Duduk] – Stephan Micus
2    Part 2 - Morning Breeze 2'16
Kalimba – Stephan Micus
3    Part 3 - Flying Horses 8'48
Guitar [3 Steel-String Guitars], Shakuhachi, Talking Drum [12, Dondon] – Stephan Micus
4    Part 4 - Padre 3'56
Duduk – Stephan Micus
5    Part 5 - Birds Of Dawn 7'35
Kalimba [2 Kalimba], Duduk, Shakuhachi [6 Shakuhachi], Talking Drum [3, Dondon], Strings [2 Sattar] – Stephan Micus
6    Part 6 - Virgen De La Nieve 5'29
Guitar [14-String Guitar] – Stephan Micus
7    Part 7 - Eastern Princess 8'46
Guitar [Steel-String Guitar], Voice – Stephan Micus
8    Part 8 - Crossing Dark Rivers 10'32
Guitar [14-String Guitar], Duduk [7 Duduk], Shakuhachi [3 Shakuhachi] – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus

STEPHAN MICUS - Snow (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Snow 4'47
Ngoni [2 Doussn' Gouni], Duduk, Gong [Maung], Gong [Gongs], Cymbal [Tibetan Cymbals] – Stephan Micus
2    Midnight Sea 5'46
Zither [Bavarian Zither], Duduk – Stephan Micus
3    Sara 7'05
Harp [Sinding], Guitar [Steel-String Guitar], Dulcimer [3 Hammered Dulcimers], Voice [22 Voices] – Stephan Micus
4    Nordic Light 4'52
Charango [Charango Solo] – Stephan Micus
5    Almond Eyes 7'00
Voice [11 Voices], Guitar [Steel-String Guitar], Gong [Maung] – Stephan Micus
6    Madre 3'56
Duduk, Ngoni [Doussn' Gouni], Gong [Maung], Gong [Gongs] – Stephan Micus
7    For Ceren And Halil 10'58
Charango [Charango Solo], Charango [8 Charangos], Duduk, Ney [Nay], Harp [Sinding], Dulcimer [5 Hammered Dulcimers] – Stephan Micus
8    Brother Eagle 7'41
Duduk [Bass Duduk], Harp [2 Sinding], Voice [10 Voices] – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Text By [Booklet Text] – Rose Tremain 

V.A. - The Rough Guide to the Music of Iran (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It's virtually impossible to consider the state of contemporary Iranian music without taking into account the country's contentious political relationship with the rest of the world. As compiler Simon Broughton acknowledges at the outset of his liner notes, the images of Iran received on the outside, particularly in the West, tend to give an impression that this complex country is populated entirely by religious zealots who would suppress any creative expression. Compounding that false notion is that not much indigenous Iranian music has been allowed to escape, to be heard and appreciated in the West. Not surprisingly though, Iran, both in its cosmopolitan city of Tehran and throughout the rest of the country, hosts a diverse range of traditional and modern artists, as well as many who fuse the two into a new whole. As all of the other entries in the Rough Guide series so admirably do, this 15-track collection of album tracks and previously unreleased field recordings, ancient and modern sounds alike, serves as a fascinating introduction to the breadth of Iran's musical landscape. Never is that diversity clearer than in the transition from Chengis Mehdipour's "Misri Koroglu" to Barad's "Dar Har Rage Man (Within Each of My Veins)." The former is a mesmerizing traditional piece, featuring an instrument from the lute family called the korpuz. In a raga-like way, it lures and builds in intensity, before giving way to Barad's track, an all-out rocker that, while somewhat sloppier and less sophisticated than most contemporary rock coming out of Europe or America, could have found its way to American pop radio -- had its lyrics not been grafted from the work of Sufi poets. The set's opener, the Arian Band's "Afsoongar (Glamorous)," is another pop track, but admittedly the collection's highlights are, in the end, the acoustic, traditional numbers featuring local instrumentation: Kayhan Kalhor and his kamancheh (spiked fiddle) collaborating with tanbur player Ali Akbar Moradi; Hossein Alizadeh, and Armenian duduk master Djivan Gasparyan's live contribution; Jahlé's lulling "Lullaby." Fittingly, the renowned Masters of Persian Music close out this intriguing, educational, and, most importantly, delightful set with the uplifting "Torkaman," from their critically acclaimed 2003 album Faryad -- a prime example of Iranian music that has managed to find its way, successfully, to Western ears before. The CD also includes a data track featuring an interview with the compiler. by Jeff Tamarkin  
Tracklist:
1 – Arian Band - Afsoongar (Glamorous) 3:28
2 – The Kamkars - Dekay Ambar, Dekay Auber 4:12
3 – Hossein Alizadeh & Djivan Gasparyan - Sari Galin 7:40
4 – Trio Chemirani - Yädah 2:06
5 – Parvin Javdan - Daramad Homayoun 3:30
6 – Abdolnaghi Afsharnia - Dashti 2:04
7 – Dastan Ensemble & Shahram Nazeri - Saz Va Avaz 3:47
8 – Kayhan Kalhor & Ali Akbar Moradi - Showgh 5:55
9 – Jahlé - Lullaby 5:15
10 – Chengis Mehdipour - Misri Koroglu 4:18
11 – Barad - Dar Har Rage Man (Within Each Of My Veins)    3:18
12 – Haj Ghorban Soleimani - Zârenji Hossain Yâr 3:37
13 – Din Mohammad Zangeshâhi - Yâ Ghows    4:25
14 – O-Hum - Darde Eshgh 4:26
15 – Masters Of Persian Music - Torkaman 8:24

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Silk Road Journeys Beyond The Horizon (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Continuing their explorations on Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble go even deeper into cross-cultural studies on this 2005 soundtrack album. Produced for a 10-part series on Japan's NHK television network, the CD's 15 tracks are arranged in three suites, entitled Enchantment, Origins, and New Beginnings, more reflective of inherent musical affinities than of the way the music was used in the program. The musicians tap into the variously overlapping musical styles of lands stretching from China and India to Iran and Turkey, and the arrangements by Zhao Jiping and Zhao Lin include a mix of instruments from around the world, to add greater color and sonic dimensions. The album's exotic and meditative qualities may attract fans of both international and new age music, though there is perhaps little crossover appeal for Ma's classical devotees. Due to the group's cohesion and spirit of cooperation, solos are fairly evenly distributed, and Ma stands out no more or less than the other players. Indeed, kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor and vocalist Alim Qasimov have greater prominence, and it may even be said that tabla master Sandeep Das steals the show. Sony's sound quality is satisfactory, though a little soft in places. by Blair Sanderson 

Tracklist:
    Enchantment
1    Mohini (Enchantment) 1:47
Arranged By – Ljova
Written-By – Indrajit Dey, Sandeep Das
2    Oasis    3:00
3    Distant Green Valley 7:06
Written-By – Zhao Jiping, Zhao Lin
4    Akhalqalaqi Dance 1:22
Arranged By – Gevorg Dabaghyan
Written-By – Georgian/Armenian Traditional
5    Echoes Of A Lost City 1:18
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
Origins
6    Mountains Are Far Away 6:09
Arranged By – Ljova
Written-By – Kayhan Kalhor
7    Yanzi (Swallow Song) 3:25
Arranged By – Zhao Lin
Written-By – Kazakh/Chinese Traditional
8    Battle Remembered 4:00
Arranged By – Zhao Lin
9    Summer In The High Grassland 4:37
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
New Beginnings
10    Kor Arab 4:08
Written-By – Fikret Amirov
11    Shikasta (Minstrel's Song) 1:48
Lyrics By – Mammad Ordubadi
Written-By – Uzeyir Hajibeyov
12    Night At The Caravanserai 7:56
Arranged By – Shane Shanahan
Written-By – Turkish Traditional
13    Gallop Of A Thousand Horses 5:07
Written-By – Kayhan Kalhor
14    Tarang (Currents) 6:27
Written-By – Sandeep Das
15    Sacred Cloud Music 5:30
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
Credits:
Bass – DaXun Zhang (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 8, 10 to 14)
Bells [Indian Footbells] – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 2)
Bongos – Mark Suter (tracks: 14)
Caxixi – Joel Fan (tracks: 14), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 9)
Cello – Jason Duckles (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 13), Yo-Yo Ma (tracks: 1, 3, 5 to 15)
Chimes – Mark Suter (tracks: 1)
Conductor – Alan Pierson (tracks: 1, 3, 8)
Djembe – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 4, 8, 9)
Drum [Ocean Drum] – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 3, 14)
Duduk – Gevorg Dabaghyan (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 8)
Finger Cymbals – Joel Fan (tracks: 12), Mark Suter (tracks: 8), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 3)
Goblet Drum [Dumbek] – Joseph Gramley (tracks: 14), Mark Suter (tracks: 8, 12), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 12)
Goblet Drum [Tombak] – Mark Suter (tracks: 9 to 11), Siamak Aghaei (tracks: 13)
Harp – Gulia Mashurova (tracks: 1, 3, 8)
Kanjira – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 2, 10, 11)
Ney – Siamak Jahangiry (tracks: 1, 6, 12)
Pandeiro – Mark Suter (tracks: 2)
Performer [Bawu] – Wu Tong (tracks: 2)
Performer [Daf] – Alim Qasimov (tracks: 10, 11)
Performer [Hadjira] – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 14)
Performer [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor (tracks: 3, 6, 13), Rauf Islamov (tracks: 10, 11)
Performer [Riq] – Mark Suter (tracks: 12), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 6)
Performer [Santur] – Siamak Aghaei (tracks: 3, 6)
Performer [Xun] – Wu Tong (tracks: 5)
Piano – Joel Fan (tracks: 3, 6), Wu Man (tracks: 8)
Pipa – Wu Man (tracks: 1 to 3, 12, 15)
Rattle – Joel Fan (tracks: 2), Mark Suter (tracks: 1), Shane Shanahan (tracks: 9)
Sarangi – Fakhruddin Dholpuri (tracks: 1)
Shaker – Shane Shanahan (tracks: 12)
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki (tracks: 1, 12)
Sheng – Wu Tong (tracks: 2, 3, 12)
Tabla – Sandeep Das (tracks: 1, 3, 8, 9, 14)
Tar (lute) – Malik Mansurov (tracks: 10, 11)
Udu – Mark Suter (tracks: 3, 6)
Vibraphone, Singing Bowls [Tibetan Prayer Bowls], Tam-tam, Bells [Knocking Bells], Cymbal [Suspended], Triangle, Crotales, Performer [Flower Pot] – Joseph Gramley (tracks: 1)
Viola – Ljova (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14), Max Mandel (tracks: 3, 6, 13, 15), Nicholas Cords (tracks: 6, 12, 13)
Violin – Colin Jacobsen (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 8, 10 to 15), Jonathan Gandelsman (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 to 15)
Vocals – Alim Qasimov (tracks: 1, 10 to 12), Nilanjana Dey (tracks: 1), Wu Tong (tracks: 7)