Ustad AZIZ HERAWI in concert

Ustad AZIZ HERAWI (rubab, dutar) with Ahmad Siar Haseq (tabla)<br>$20 general, $10 students.<br>Samples at <a href=http://myspace.com/centerforworldmusic target=_blank>http://myspace.com/centerforworldmusic<a><br>An expatriate Afghani currently living in California, Herawi calls himself an amateur musician but is actually a rare performer of the traditional music from the Herat valley in western Afghanistan. Those familiar with author Khaled Hosseini (of Kite-Runner fame) would know that his family came from Herat, where as its geography suggests, the area's music is a blend of Persian and Hindustani instruments and styles. The pieces have the varied rhythms of the Hindustani raga forms, but are fairly short (3 to 5 minutes each). The melodies are based on a 12-tone octave that in recent decades has overtaken the traditional Persian tonal system. Ustad Herawi plays the 14-string dutar, a long-necked lute, and the rebab, a short-necked lute, accompanied by tabla and/or frame drum. Herawi's strength is the energy and spontaneity of his instrumental pieces.