Trio de Zarb

From the father and sons outfit the Chemirani Trio comes this album showcasing the trio performing together on the zarb. Djamchid Chemirani, the father, is a disciple of the Teherani school of zarb playing, and taught his sons in the same manner. All three players are virtuosos on the instrument, and this is made clear rather quickly in the course of the album. The speed of a single virtuoso zarb player is outstanding, with a flurry of maneuvers being executed at every second. Three virtuosos together, though, provide a full texture of sound, with volleys of fast passages being split between them. The album starts out with a piece based in rhythmic poetry, with some work done in triple time to showcase the speed possible. It then moves into a short piece made primarily to display the different sounds possible on a zarb. The second part of the composition used to begin the album follows, though it's rather longer than the first portion. The last two compositions feature improvisation to varying degrees, the first having an improvised section and the second being entirely improvised. Throughout, the playing is outstanding, though to some ears it may become rather monotonous due to the fact that there's only one basic instrument being played, and a non-melodic one at that. Still, for those who know what they're getting themselves into, this album is perfect for its display of virtuosity on an otherwise usually overlooked accompanying instrument.