Recording of the Week, Kayhan Kalhor

It’s still Autumn is a collaboration between Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor and the Rembrandt Frerichs Trio, comprising two long suites, Dawn and Dusk. It’s an enjoyable and immersive listen, with the kamancheh acting as a guide through an imaginary autumnal landscape. The trio all play non-standard instruments for this date; Frerichs on fortepiano, with its echoes of the cimbalon and harpsichord, Tony Overwater is on an early violone bass and drummer Vinsent Planjer plays his Whispering Kit a collection of ethnic percussion instruments, and atmospheric noise/rustle makers.

Meaning ‘little bow’ in Persian, the kamancheh is a long-necked instrument, with three to four strings and a resonating soundbox at the base. Kalhor began learning the kamancheh at seven, and by the age of thirteen was playing in the National Orchestra of Radio and Television in Tehran. Since then he has recorded several albums for ECM and is also a part of YoYo Ma’s longstanding Silk Road Ensemble. His mastery of the instrument is everywhere apparent on It’s still Autumn, getting a very emotional, dark hued sound, often within a tonal range similar to the viola.

Kalhor met the Frerichs Trio in 2013 at the November Music Festival in the Netherlands, leading to a longstanding partnership. I was impressed by the trio’s constantly shifting accompaniments, maintaining an impressionistic and elusive gauze for Kalhor’s haunting lines. It’s not all moody soundscapes though, with Dawn III. Kayhan’s Chahar a delightful upbeat dance piece, verging into the territory of Celtic folk music, with the whole piece building to a crescendo and Kalhor spinning inventive arabesques.

Dusk II, Autumn is another standout track, with a sublime theme from Kalhor, which is then taken up by Frerichs’s fortepiano, the metallic sound of the instrument recalling a zither. Overwater and Planjer bring lots of subtle variations to the pulse of this track, slipping in and out of focus. All of which makes for a compelling album that that is well worth checking out.