Standing centre-stage amidst the driving rhythms and chanting vocals of his Lian Band, Mohsen Sharifian cuts an impressive figure: a force of nature squeezing traditional melodies out of his bagpipes with impassioned energy; dancing while playing and urging on the musicians to greater intensity.

Hailing from the southern Iranian province of Bushehr, he has spent the last two decades immersing himself in the musical traditions of the region, writing several books and collecting songs and dance-tunes and composing new works inspired by them.

He is a virtuoso performer on the two ancient, emblematic instruments of the Persian Gulf, the Nay-Anban (bagpipe) and the Nay-Jofti (double-pipe reed flute) and since forming the Lian Band in 1993 he has released nine albums and performed around the world, from the USA to the Far East.

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