Hawniyaz

"An intriguing new group from the Middle East, featuring two celebrated Kurdish musicians. Kayhan Kalhor, a remarkable performer on the kamancheh "spike fiddle" was born in Kurdish Iran but now lives in the US, while Aynur, originally from the Kurdish region of Turkey, is now based in Istanbul. Here they are joined by another Kurdish musician, Cemîl Qoçgirî on tenbûr lute, and the Azerbaijani jazz pianist Salman Gambarov, who adds improvisation and western influences ... This is an album of impressive musicianship dominated by Aynur's emotional, versatile vocals. She demonstrated her range at Womad last month, and here switches from delicate to powerful and intense passages on Delalê and Rewend".

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"Western music listeners may not be quick to conjure a connection with Iran and improvised music but there is much spontaneity across genres throughout the Central Asian region ... The [five long] pieces are a blend of [the "mugham"] tradition and it's fusion alternative, mugham jazz (Azerbaijani jazz). Despite the jazz references, Hawniyaz is outside the scope of genres as we think of them. "Delale" is mysterious and far away without being gauzy. Aynur's vocal is powerful in contrast to the elusive sound of Kalhor's kamancheh. The gentle guitar-like plucking of the tenbûr supplies the extended introduction to "Rewend," later taking a more percussive part and combined with Gambarov's piano takes the piece to a jazzier rhythm ... A striking album with a very different approach; it is intelligent, accessible and compelling".