Madjid Khaladj

Compositions for Tombak

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1-Delroba Duo / Performed by Madjid Khaladj
2-Shishtchaharom II / Performed by Madjid Khaladj
3-Dafbak / Performed by Madjid Khaladj
4-Javaneh Trio / Performed by Vahhan Kerovpian, Korioon Khachadourian & Arame Awanees
5-Baran Trio / Performed by Paul Pasqier, Martine Huvene & Carlo Strazante
6-Vingh-Deux Huit Trio / Performed by Gregory Sanssarlat, Farhod Fayazpoor & Nicola Lefievre
7-Qoroub II / Performed by Madjid Khaladj

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Madjid Khaladj's percussion work give voice to the stretched skin on daf, drum, and dayereh in ways that are abstractions of the human voice in the way that earthen vases and pots are abstractions of human existence for Khayyam. I became familiar with this amazing artist only a year ago, and can't stop spreading the pleasure I've derived from listening to him.

Actually I heard his tombak* during a 1994 performance of the Paris based Mostagh group, was truly taken by it but didn't realize who it was until I got this CD last year. The true measure of percussionists in Iran has been Hossein Tehrani, who in the fifties and sixties raised the level of the tombak to that of a solo instrument. He showed everyone the capability of the percussion to suggest implied melodies and absent voices which it would have accompanied were they present in a give piece. Madjid Khaladj makes these abstracted suggestions come alive, especially on the daf, the larger of the three main stretch skinned percussive instruments of Iran...

You will be pleased with the broad appeal of this artist. He uses persian instruments, but in his hand, they speak universal passages.

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reviews

author: Tamara at CD Baby
A master of Iranian percussion, Madjid Khaladj’s talents have been well recognized across the musical spectrum, both academically and within pop culture, from working with Ry Cooder and Lisa Gerard on film soundtracks and being a part of many radio and television broadcasts to performing in festivals, conferences and concerts all over the globe. This kind of diverse reputation and respect can come only from a musician who equally possesses both the technical prowess and the natural vision that allows him to experiment and improvise with insight and literate inspiration. Whether one is studying the finer subtleties or is new to the music, Infinite Breath offers more than enough to chew on. Between the ten tracks, a large variety of Persian instruments are heard: the recognizable tombak and daf drums as well as the dayré (frame drum), zang-e saringôshti (brass cymbals), dohôl (cylindrical double-ended drum), tombak-e zurkhâneh (a large tombak formed in pottery rather than wood), senj (large diameter brass cymbals), zang (bell), zanguleh (small spherical bell typically worn on the wrist or ankles in folk dances) and the âyineh’pil (a metallic drum, often called a gong). Khaladj has the drive and talent to capture one’s attention equally whether he’s speaking with all instruments or only one. As Hossein Alizádeh wrote, “This development demands deliberate pondering and reflection.”