Niya Yesh
Axiom of Choice are based in Los Angeles, but their music springs from the Persian classical music of Iran. "Valeh," a haunting track from their first album,Beyond Denial, was a popular selection on manyworld-music samplersa few years ago. Iranian born guitarist Ramin Torkian and singer Mamek Khadem were both trained as mathematicians, and that's where the group gets its name. Theaxiom of choiceis a principle stating that the mathematician has the right to choose elements without explanation, and Torkian and Khadem have expanded this theory's freedom into their eclectic musical choices. Eschewing their more high-energy, Middle Eastern grooves in favor of languid moods, Axiom follow up on the sound of "Valeh" onNiya Yesh, which is Farsi for "gnosis." On a custom quarter-tone guitar, Torkian weaves a flamenco-Persian filigree while Khadem's voice creates a wraithlike wail of wordless vocalese on pieces such as "Chaos of Paradise" and "Greener Than God's Dream." "Rain Drops" is a gentle lullaby while "The Calling" is the only track that really kicks into rhythmic gear. Tambouras, cellos, frame drums, kamancheh (spike fiddle), Buddhist chants, and ney flutes create a global chamber music sound onNiya Yesh, all framing Khadem's voice, her dark timbres seeming to rise like heat off the floor of the Persian desert.--John Diliberto