Ghazal

Kayhan Kalhour (born: 1963 in Tehran, Iran) is one of the first to bring the musical traditions of Iran to the United States. A master of the kamencheh, a four stringed ancestor of the fiddle, Kalhour has continued to perform and expand upon the folk, devotional and classical music of his homeland since settling in New York and forming his first band, the Dastan Ensemble, withy vocalist Shahram Nazeri, in 1990. Since 1996, Kalhour has continued to explore a similar vein with his band, Ghazal. Beginning his studies of the kamencheh at the age of seven, Kalhour quickly adapted to the instrument. While in high school, he won several national competitions. Following the Islamic Revolution of the mid-'80s, he settled temporarily in Italy and Canada before moving to the United States. ~ Craig Harris