Michael Becker

News editor michacl@nsuews.com

THERE is truth in the music of Amir Koushkani.

Those with open hearts may join Koushkani on a journey of transcendence this weekend at the 22nd annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

The Worth Vancouver musician draws from a deep weil of classical Persian music and the poetry of ancient and contemporary Sufis.

Over 100 hours of music from throughout the world is set for seven stages at Jericho Beach Park.

Koushkani will bring Persian music to the fore as he plays the festival for the first time this year,

The North Vazcouver musician emi- grated to Canada in 199}, He was born in Tehran in 1968. At 13 he began training to play the tar and setar (lutes) at the National Iranian Radio and Television Centre for Preservation and Propagation of National Music. He studied tor seven years under Master Darioush Peerniakan. By age 1 Koushkani himself was a tar instructor at the centre.

The tar has three double strings. Koushkani uses a brass pick to pluck them. The body of the tar is carved from 4 black of mulberry wood and incorpo- rates a sound-table made of delicate lambskin: mem- branes. Koushkani’s tar has 28 movable frets.

Koushkani will be performing with percussionist Andreas Kahre on the weekend. Kahre, originally from Germany, plays ghatam, 2 south Indian clay drum.

The roots of the classical musical discipline taught to Koushkani can be directly traced back about 150 years to Ali Akbar Farahane.

After seven years in Canada, Koushkani has brought to the improvisational mix other rhythms from countries such as India.

Yet it is the questing nature of the process to which Koushkani surrenders himself that defines the artistic experience.

Sufism is a mystical tradition whose roots extend more than a thousand years in the cultures and arts of the Middle East.

The pieces on Quest, a CD recorded by Koushkani and released in 1998 on Vancouver-based

Songhnes Recorditgs, are inspized by Sufism. The ultimate goal in this tradition is to surrender one’s individual, ego-based sense of seifto the love of Gad.

Depending upon the inclinations of a listener, the

result: may simply amount to a satisfving session of

beautiful music. 1 the listener has spiritual inclina- tions, he or she may interpret the performance as something deeply mystical.

What goes on with Koushkani’s head, heart and hands while he plays is rather complex.

Explains the musician, “f'm thinking about some- thing that comes to me and | will follow that. Ar the same time ['m always inside the rule of Persian music. Persian music is a music of improvisation. The root

of the music tells everybody you have te know all these rules, all these symbols, all these scales. Later on you have to free yourself and play,

represent your feelings.

“During the improvisation, I will follow the symbol of feeling. For exam- ple T know how I can represent sadness. T have a small gosheh (a part of some- thing). £ will go thar way, foflow the symbol and something Thave in my mind,” Koushkani says.

Sufist philosophy comes in to play in the very act of pertormance. “The best thing I can say is that I'm trving to free

myself in performance. My instrument is like lan- guage for me. ['m trving to grow a feeling. [ have people in my instrument who are talking, that’s my point of view, .

“People speak together. In this discussion there is also one person who is a master, a very mature per- son who is always right. He is judging these discus- sions. There is a judgement and that’s the truth. I’m trying to follow chat. It’s like P'm talking to my teacher, somcone who knows, and that’s part of me.

“It’s exactly like meditation. After my perfor- mances, J usually get the answer, what is nght. I con- tact the truth of myself with my instrument.”

Other Persian music to watch for this weekend at the festival: Kamkars from Sanandaj, Iran. The Kurdish: family of cight brothers and one sister was inspired to play by their father Hassan Kamkar, an Jranian musician and composer who founded the Academy of Music in Sanandaj. The group heen responsible for introducing the daf (Kurdish frame drum) into the classical Persian repertoire and creating new styles and techniques on the santur (hammered dulcimer).

Tickets can be purchased at the festival site or at all TicketMaster outlets, or by phone at 280-4444.

Delectable moras ily at 8 Germain's Bakery on the south side of

Park Royal. This Japanese style bakery with the French name is new to

the North Shore and as owner Thomas Fung says “I¢ is the first of my

bakeries to focus on the non-asian marlet.”

His first bakery opened 14 years ago and now he has shops in Oxaridge, Metrotown, Abezdoen Centre in Richmond aad this new one located in te Maric not far fom SuperYa. Some of thet speetaties are birthey

So why the French aame for an Asian vakery? A trench baker from St. Germain, France, came to Vancouver in 1896 and helped train the staif,

followed by top bakers from ‘Tokyo and Hong Kong. St. Germain is 2 popular name in Japa. It symbolizes western bakeries in Japanese style. The éifference is in the taste and texture. St. Gerisain's bakery products are fighter, fluffier and not as rich as much of what we are used to in: North America. The presentation is somewhat different as well, Lat a taste is worth s thousand words,

Thomas says the bakery has had a great response from the Canadiana market and has seen tremendous growth. Their kakery products export to Seattle and Chicago. You might have tasted St. Germain desserts on the last flight you tock. The company eupplies a catering company that has

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HWEWS photo Bred Ledwidge NORTH Vancouver musician Amir Koushkani witi play at tne Vancouver Folk Music Festival this weekend.

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