Shamss Ensemble Performance in Fes Festival
Another glorious day in Fez with many visitors expressing their delight in the Festival so far. There was a broad spectrum of music with some performances leaving the audience enchanted while others received a mixed reception.
From the Western Iranian province of Kermanshah, Ensemble Shamss delivered a captivating performance underneath the baking sun of Fez’s Jardin Jnan Sbil. Inspired by a fusion of Sufi, Persian and Kurdish classical music, their work celebrates the poetry of the great Sufi Master Rumi. Ensemble Shamss, founded in 1980 by Kaykhosro Pournazeri, who led the performance this afternoon, made history in being the first group to exclusively compose music for the Kurdish tanbour lute.
As Kaykhosro’s son Sohrab Pournazeri took to the stage, he took a moment to close their eyes, shut out all external stimulation, and turn inward. Sohrab began softly playing the tanbour, and then slowly gathered speed, tossing his long hair back and forth lacking any self-consciousness. As the rhythm climaxed, Hossein Rezaeenia joined as percussion on the Kurdish daf, a traditional drum made with hard wood and fish skin, introducing a foundational beat as his sibling riffed with the strings. Hossein's hands moved as if possessed, vibrating the drum in both hands, spinning it as he played, mouth open, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. From the moment they had sat down, they seemed in another dimension, sharing with the audience only what sounds they could hear from wherever they were.
Shamss Ensemble
Kaykhosro Pournazeri: Tanbour,Vocals
Sohrab Pournazeri: Tanbour, Vocals
Hossein Rezaeenia: Daf
Khorshid Dadbech: Tanbour
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Sohrab Pournazeri Website:
www.sohrabpournazeri.com