The Sky Is The Same Colour Everywhere – Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté

Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté, renowned musicians, have collaborated on a remarkable new album titled The Sky Is the Same Colour Everywhere. The album showcases the beautiful sounds of the kamancha (spike fiddle) and kora (harp/lute) instruments traditionally used in the Persian and Malian repertoires, respectively. These two soloists have come together for an improvisational journey, exploring new landscapes with their music.

Kayhan Kalhor is an Iranian musician known for his exceptional skills in playing the kamancheh, a traditional Persian instrument. He describes playing the kamancheh as akin to “riding a wild horse” due to the instrument’s challenging nature. The kamancheh has four strings and is played using a short bow. Kalhor has collaborated with esteemed musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Kronos Quartet, Shujaat Khan, Erdal Erzincan, the Rembrandt Trio, and many others.

 Toumani Diabaté, on the other hand, is a highly respected musician from Mali known for his masterful playing of the West African kora, a harp-lute instrument made from a gourd, cow skin, and fishing line, which has 21 strings and produces a sublime sound. Diabaté has won three Grammy Awards and has collaborated with musicians such as Ballaké Sissoko, Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Touré, Björk, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Despite their different musical backgrounds, the collaboration between these two artists on this album is seamless and suggests a deep understanding of each other’s musical styles and tendencies. It’s worth noting that this recording comes from an improvised set that Toumani and Kayhan played at a German festival in 2016 and was later recorded in Paris. There was minimal preparation involved – not even a discussion about scales or structure.

 The Sky Is the Same Colour Everywhere features beautiful melodies, minimal accompaniment, and improvisations on traditional themes from two cultures. The duo’s virtuosic storytelling creates a trance-like atmosphere that brings the rich courtly history of each instrument to life. It is truly a privilege to hear from such gifted performers. Kayhan explains that the qualities of minimalism and trance he likes in Persian music are also present in Toumani’s music. “That’s how I like to think and tell a story. That quality in African music has always attracted me, and I think Toumani does that well.”

The level of detail and attention to the music is awe-inspiring, and it serves to create a listening experience that is both immersive and deeply satisfying. Although it’s uncertain why it took a while for this recording to be made public, I am pleased that it is now available. Listening to it in one sitting is recommended as a form of meditation to fully appreciate the album’s spiritual nature.