The Art of the Afghan Rubab combines Afghan rubab virtuoso Homayun Sakhi with percussionists Salar Nader on tabla and Abbos Kosimov on doyra - the Central Asian frame drum for a performance devoted to the traditional Kabuli style of Indian raga performance of which Homayun Sakhi is arguably the greatest living exponent.
The metaphor of music as language is nowhere clearer than in the discursive "question and answer" (sawol-jawop) played out between drums and melody instrument that is a hallmark of the North Indian, and also Kabuli, classical performance tradition. Throughout the performance, Nader and Kosimov will render "answers" to Sakhi's "questions" by transferring the rhythmic patterns of his rubab to their respective drums. In the fiery drut section of raga, Sakhi will be part musician and part magician, extracting from his rubab with seemingly effortless ease a swirl of melodic colors and rhythms. Through his ebullient performance, Homayun Sakhi provides ample evidence that in the hands of a master, the resources of tradition are all but inexhaustible.
