When I walk into Leon’s Lounge in the GSS centre, I’m greeted excitedly by Aylin Tavakoli. A 2007 Sauder grad and tar player, Tavakoli is a member of the UBC Persian Music Ensemble.
Made up mostly of PhD and post-docs, the ensemble has been meeting at 6pm every Thursday. This time they’re setting up for their last practice before their recital on the November 5 at the UBC Recital Hall. Although the group only formed in January of this year, Tavakoli says it will be their third performance.

As the group goes through the long process of tuning their traditional Persian instruments, which can be quite finicky, Tavakoli introduces me to Masoud Kamkar, the ensemble’s founder. A post-doc in Mathematics, Kamkar plays the santoor. He explains that the group plays mostly traditional Iranian folk music, with some modern interpretations using western instruments such as the guitar and flute.

A shiver goes down my spine as they begin to play; their months of practicing together have paid off. The atmosphere in the small practice space follows them through a soundscape which ranges from joyful and chilling to blisteringly passionate.

Their music is broken into two parts; the rhythmic sections which include most of the ensemble, and improvisational vocal sections Kamkar called avaz. The avaz sections are particularly heartfelt, comprised of fiery vocals from Hani Eskandari accompanied by Amir Abbas Aliabadi on the oud. It’s a good chance to better hear the oud—as Kamkar complains, the oud and sitar are very quiet and constantly in danger of being drowned out by the louder santoor and drums—the daf and tonbak.

As they perform, a few non-members come in to listen. The eight-member group is always looking for new members. Kamkar says one of their aims is building community, and as the ensemble plays together, the bond they’ve formed is plain to see.

The UBC Persian Music Ensemble performs November 5 at 7pm in the UBC School of Music Recital Hall.

The tar

Masoud Kamkar speaks with a certain reverence when he discusses the tar. The main body of the traditional persian instrument is made out of a single piece of wood, and he claims that a single instrument can take many years to create.

Aylin Tavakoli uses a pick to play the fretted instrument. Its sound is dynamic; capable of sweet, vibrational highs and twangy, sweeping lows.

The santoor

“Knowing how to tune the santoor is part of knowing how to play it,” laughs Kamkar, “you have to tune it every time you play, often even between songs.”
It’s quite an undertaking; Kamkar’s satoor has 72 strings, which span three octaves. He says the satoor has existed at least 3000 years, and versions of the instrument are found from the Middle East, to China and India. Kamkar has some ancient history with the instrument as well; he’s been playing it since he was nine, and has continued for the last 18 years (with a brief hiatus shortly after he moved to Canada).

Kamkar uses two long, delicate mallets called mezrab to play the santoor, which he places between his index and middle finger, and balances with his thumb. It produces a ringing, metallic sound when played.

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