At 22, surrounded by his brother and father, who had taught him how to play the zarb (a Persian drum transforming the beat into a melody), Bijan Cheminari invited several musicians, among them Ross Daly, to accompany him on his sumptuous and intoxicating album. Beyond the interest one can find in the multitude and the originality of instruments chosen to compose this record (oud, cetera, saz, duduk, etc.), the true revelation comes from the result: a peaceful, rich, dense instrumental music inspired by many horizons and at the same time very homogenous. Recorded between Athens and Marseilles, Gulistan leads the listener in the Mediterranean area and further eastward. ~ Romain Guillou