Harmonium player Ahmad Fanoos found sanctuary in the US after being forced to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Russ Slater reports on how the move reunited members of a musical family and proved the catalyst for a special series of shows
For decades, the Afghanistan we know from the news has been a country of war, unspeakable violence, and the goings-on of an intractable band of fundamentalists set on taking its culture back centuries. It s hard to imagine it as a place where everyday life also included music, a wide variety of music ranging from folk and pop songs to the rich, high-flowing poetry of ghazals.