Biography
The Kamkars rank among the most vibrant and approachable groups performing Middle Eastern music today. Their sound merges Kurdish folk traditions with the structural principles of Persian classical repertoire, drawing on instruments native to each heritage. With nine members they form what counts as an orchestral scale in their part of the world, yet they stand apart because their performances consist of fully through-composed adaptations of Kurdish love songs, occasionally interspersed with lullabies or patriotic pieces. This approach eliminates the extended solo improvisations typical elsewhere, yielding instead tightly constructed, dramatic pieces that usually last between four and eight minutes and follow the clear arcs of beginning, climax, and resolution familiar from Western classical forms.
All nine musicians belong to a single family from Sanandaj in northwest Iran: seven brothers, one sister, and her son. The eight siblings began their training under their father, Hassan Kamkar (1923-1991), a versatile instrumentalist, composer, folk-music collector, and instructor. Hooshang (b. 1947) serves as musical director after studying in Rome and San Francisco. Bijan (b. 1949) delivers the lead vocals and favors the daf, the large frame drum associated with the Kurds; his advocacy has helped embed the instrument in Persian music at large. Pashang (b. 1951) performs on the santur, the Persian hammered dulcimer, and leads the ensemble during live appearances. Ghashang (b. 1953), the sole woman in the group, plays the setar, a long-necked lute. Arjang (b. 1956) handles the tombak, the small goblet drum. Arsalan (b. 1960) plays the oud—the widespread Middle Eastern lute—and previously held the first-violin chair in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra; he is also a composer. Ardeshir (b. 1962) plays the kamancheh, or spike fiddle. Ardavan (b. 1968) likewise performs on the santur, for which he has devised a fresh technique influenced in part by piano technique and has illustrated that method in numerous original compositions. The youngest member, Omid Lotfi (b. 1977), is the son of Ghashang Kamkar and her husband, the eminent Persian musician Mohammad Reza Lotfi; he plays the tar, another Persian lute.
Geographic distance and diplomatic obstacles have long hindered Western access to much of the Kamkars’ recorded output. They issued one album apiece on Long Distance Records and RealWorld before affiliating with Kereshmeh Records, a California label devoted to Persian music. In 1999 the label released both Kani Sepi, a collection of songs in the ensemble’s usual idiom, and Chant of Drums, a Hooshang Kamkar composition that investigates the intensely rhythmic dervish music of the Sufis. The same year marked the Kamkars’ debut tour of the United States.
All nine musicians belong to a single family from Sanandaj in northwest Iran: seven brothers, one sister, and her son. The eight siblings began their training under their father, Hassan Kamkar (1923-1991), a versatile instrumentalist, composer, folk-music collector, and instructor. Hooshang (b. 1947) serves as musical director after studying in Rome and San Francisco. Bijan (b. 1949) delivers the lead vocals and favors the daf, the large frame drum associated with the Kurds; his advocacy has helped embed the instrument in Persian music at large. Pashang (b. 1951) performs on the santur, the Persian hammered dulcimer, and leads the ensemble during live appearances. Ghashang (b. 1953), the sole woman in the group, plays the setar, a long-necked lute. Arjang (b. 1956) handles the tombak, the small goblet drum. Arsalan (b. 1960) plays the oud—the widespread Middle Eastern lute—and previously held the first-violin chair in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra; he is also a composer. Ardeshir (b. 1962) plays the kamancheh, or spike fiddle. Ardavan (b. 1968) likewise performs on the santur, for which he has devised a fresh technique influenced in part by piano technique and has illustrated that method in numerous original compositions. The youngest member, Omid Lotfi (b. 1977), is the son of Ghashang Kamkar and her husband, the eminent Persian musician Mohammad Reza Lotfi; he plays the tar, another Persian lute.
Geographic distance and diplomatic obstacles have long hindered Western access to much of the Kamkars’ recorded output. They issued one album apiece on Long Distance Records and RealWorld before affiliating with Kereshmeh Records, a California label devoted to Persian music. In 1999 the label released both Kani Sepi, a collection of songs in the ensemble’s usual idiom, and Chant of Drums, a Hooshang Kamkar composition that investigates the intensely rhythmic dervish music of the Sufis. The same year marked the Kamkars’ debut tour of the United States.
Albums