“ELECTRONIC MUSIC, TAR AND SEHTAR.” Dariush Dolat-Shahi....

“ELECTRONIC MUSIC, TAR AND SEHTAR.” Dariush Dolat-Shahi. Folkways FTS 37464. Blending strummed and plucked Persian string instruments with an unending wave of whooshes, chirps and droning pulsations realized at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, Dolat-Sahi has attempted to combine the spiritual music of the Sufis with the otherworldly sounds of spiritless machinery. Though the familiar electronic effects are far from striking, and though the tar has a tendency here to sound like a frailed banjo, this exotic experiment seems to work--thanks mostly to Dolat-Shahi’s controlled musicianship. Some of the more atmospheric pieces lend themselves to choreographic treatment.