Elshan Ghasimi & Joss Turnbull

Tar and tombak are the defining instruments of Persian classical music. Brought together with jazz, Elshan Ghasimi and Joss Turnbull shape the shimmering, flowing sounds of centuries-old musical tradition into a deeply felt meditation - a journey through time that bridges past and present.

Elshan Ghasimi is a virtuoso on the tar, the Persian long-necked lute. At 17 she became the youngest member of the Iranian National Orchestra, while also pursuing advanced studies in Iranian philosophy, literature, and poetry.

Joss Turnbull is among the rare percussionists who have mastered the Persian goblet drum tombak at a virtuosic level - and who push it far beyond its traditional boundaries. He weaves classical technique together with hybrid sounds drawn from rubber balls, springy fibreglass rods, and live electronics, producing music that is immediate, stirring, and acutely sensitive.