Bacheh Golam

Bacheh Golam (بچه گلم) literally translates to “my flower child” in Afghan Farsi (Persian) and is the term of endearment my grandmother Dr. Fawzia Ali (the cover artist) calls all her nine grandchildren. The piece traces its roots to the music of Afghanistan, drawing from the infectious rhythms of the tabla and the melodies of the rubab, the national instrument of Afghanistan. This composition evokes the spirit of the rubab by retuning the violins and oud to resemble the rubab’s unique assortment of three types of strings (melodic, sympathetic, and drone). Bacheh Golam pays homage to the soundworld of Afghanistan and the hope and optimism for a brighter future for the Afghan diaspora.

Bridge to Everywhere

Rachel Iba - Violin

Yvette Holzwarth - Violin

Dimitris Mahlis - Oud

James Waterman - Tabla

Xaman Kryger - Executive Director

Derrick Skye - Artistic Director

Dr. Kim Nguyen Tran - Associate Director, Resident Ethnomusicologist

Steve Kaplan - Recordist, Producer

Kian Ravaei - Producer

Dr. Fawzia Ali - Cover Art