An Evening with Michael Brook and Djivan Gasparyan | Friday, May 30, 2008 | 8 p.m. | $48-24, $15 for UCLA Students | Royce Hall - Map

You might not recognize their names, but chances are, you have heard their music. Michael Brook, probably best known for his contributions to U2’s “The Joshua Tree” and providing the soundtrack for Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and Djivan Gasparyan, an Armenian musician and composer whose distinctive sound can be heard on the Gladiator soundtrack, will be performing at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Friday, May 30 at 8 p.m, in an event sponsored by KCRW. Gasparyan is not only considered to be Armenia’s greatest living musician, he is also a “Master” of the Duduk, an Armenian double reed woodwind instrument. Grammy nominated Gasparyan’s most recent collaborations include working on soundtracks for “Syriana” and “Blood Diamond.” Brook, on the other hand, a Canadian guitarist and producer has worked with late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and is regarded as a unique and multifaceted talent in the music industry.

Gasparyan and Brook first collaborated together on their 1998 CD, Black Rock , which All Music Guide described as “a record of dazzling eclecticism and uncommon soulfulness.”

In an industry where there are so many manufactured artists and music, Brook and Gasparyan are a breath of fresh air. Their one-of-a-kind sound is something you have to must attentively listen to absorb and grasp. At 70-years-old, Gasparyan’s soulful renditions on the duduk evoke something truly special and sorrowful all at the same time. His music carries with it a heavy hearted reflection of the past, of some ancient undiscovered world and its people. His first album, “I Will Not Be Sad in This World,” includes ancient Armenian national songs and ballads.

The collaboration of Gasparyan and Brook was almost meant to be, as if the universe had intended it. Brook’s melodic compositions and minimalist arrangements have propelled him into a solid position over the last 25 years and have allowed him to work with The Pogues, Bryan Ferry and Mary Margaret O’ Hara. As addition to being an accomplished world musician, Brook has also invented an instrument called the “Infinite Guitar,” which allows notes from an electric guitar to be held infinitely. One of this “Infinite Guitars” belong to The Edge of U2 who recognizably uses it on “With or Without You” from 1987’s “The Joshua Tree.”

If you’re looking for an out of the norm music experience that will take you miles away from anything that is currently on the singles chart, then this is the event for you. Gasparyan and Brook will be performing both separately and together and will the night will also feature the premiere of music from their new collaborative CD. To get an idea of what you might be in for, here is a video of Gasparyan’s unmatched duduk. You can also listen to samples of Gasparyan and Brook’s first CD together, “Black Rock.”

Image via UCLALive

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