Jooya Persian Nights CD

There are plenty of albums of Persian classical music out there. The dastgah systems have been recorded both plentifully and with some extremely high-quality performances (Majid Kiani's santoor recordings, for example). There are also countless recordings of folk music and love songs from the region. Here, although the focus is on folk music, there's a twist. On Persian Nights, the works have been rearranged by Madjid Derakhshani into a vaguely more classical form, yet still retain most of the folk flavor. On top of that layer is the real twist: Zohreh Jooya is still unable to completely separate her operatic training from her regional sounds. The result is almost an urban folk music, as oxymoronic as it may seem. There are precise vocal techniques that come through in her voicings, generally not heard in these works. The phrasing is rather more European than Middle Eastern. That said, however, the music is still quite listenable. Songs flow from Jooya remarkably well and the backing performers play beautifully. Not the most authentic album ever, but the fusion is an interesting, if unintended, direction to take. ~ Adam Greenberg