WORLD MUSIC REVIEW : Strunz & Farah Play the Roxy

Will success spoil Strunz & Farah? After nearly a decade of mining the elusive lode of world-beat music, the multinational guitar duo has finally hit pay dirt with an album that has soared to the top of Billboard’s world music chart.

It was probably appropriate, therefore, that they performed Tuesday night in the noisy, pop-music environs of the Roxy, rather than in the more intimate, more musically receptive rooms they have worked in the past.

Fortunately, the increased visibility and, presumably, commercial acceptability has not diluted the spirited impact of their music. Rapid-fire interplay between the high-energy guitars of Strunz (who is Costa Rican) and Farah (from Iran), with the accompaniment of stirring percussion rhythms, continues to be the emotional engine for virtually every piece.

Much of the set was devoted to material from “Primal Magic,” the new, hot Mesa recording. Typically, the rhythms ranged from rumbas with traces of flamenco, through African, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds. Although both players are capable of extraordinary technical feats--doubling and tripling the time in their improvisations--Strunz seemed the more aggressive of the two, taking more solo space and stretching out with greater intensity.

There was, however, a tendency for many of the pieces, despite the multiplicity of their ethnic sources, to fall into similar patterns.

The presence of percussionist and musical shaman Luis Perez Ixoneztli (from Mexico) made the difference in some cases, adding color and vigor, transforming sheer virtuosic displays into dramatic explorations of the magic of world music. His remarkable collection of pre-Columbian winds, whistles and percussion, his strong vocals and dramatic costuming are clearly vital to the recording and, especially, the live performance achievements of Strunz & Farah.