Elshan Ghasimi & Joss Turnbull

The tar and tombak are the traditional instruments of Persian music. When combined with jazz, the sparkling, flowing sounds of centuries-old musical traditions, as performed by Elshan Ghasimi and Joss Turnbull, become a sensitive and deeply felt meditation—a journey through time that bridges the past and the present. Elshan Ghasimi is a virtuoso on the Persian long-necked lute, the tar. At age 17, she became the youngest member of the Iranian National Orchestra. She also deepened her studies in Iranian philosophy, literature, and poetry. Joss Turnbull is one of the few percussionists who has mastered the Persian cup drum, the tombak, to a virtuoso level while simultaneously expanding its possibilities in spectacular ways. He combines traditional techniques with hybrid sounds produced by rubber balls, springy fiberglass rods, and live electronics—ephemeral, stirring, and deeply evocative.