ای بهارِ شوق – حمید گلستان و زهره جویا

in vienna a friend passed me an album of hamed gulistan and zohra joya’s duets.
حمیدگلستان و زهره جویا
a gem of good, old-style, honest afghan music. i had not heard of either artist before, though i might have heard songs by hamed gulistan before.
hamed gulistan’s voice flows with the strength and sincerity of male afghan vocalists you unfortunately do not hear nowadays anymore. true to its form and honest to the song, and with strength and timber -and never working too hard. honest voice.
zohra’s voice is a delight too: she is reportedly of afghan-iranian origins on the two sides of her family, and has studied music (opera) in france, and this shows in her vocals. beautiful streaming voice that lends a lot to the ambiance of the songs.
but above all, it is the ambiance of these songs -infused with the duet’s vocals, the lovely sound of rubab and the beat of tabla- that makes you miss the country that afghanistan once was. it is a nostalgic collection that breaks your heart for what is no more.

my favorite tracks include:

ای بهارِ شوق
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من دخترِ باغم
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خورشید گونهء من، تابنده اخترِ من
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این خانه -شعر از مولانای بلخ
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میخانه
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چه شود

i am listening to khoorsheed-gonay-e-man right now, and it is pure gold.

do yourself a favor and lay your hands on this collection.

~ by safrang on March 5, 2010.