DUst and the Moon
Rite of Strings
FOR YOUR
GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Best Global Music Performance
Qeshm (arr. Ehsan Matoori)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Gnossienne No. 1 (arr. for Santoor, Violin, Bass, and Drums by Edward Perez, Ehsan Matoori, Eylem Basaldi, Engin Günaydın)
“Dust and the Moon is the debut album by a remarkable act called Rite of Strings.”
— World Music Central
“Each and everyone of them is a seasoned and top notch instrumentalist.”
— Pan M 360
”There are moments when music transcends geography. It becomes a conversation, one spoken through shared experience, mutual respect, and the timeless language of melody. That is precisely where Dust and the Moon, the debut album from Rite of Strings, begins.”
— The Sound Cafe
ABOUT
LISTEN
Rite of Strings’ Dust and the Moon brings together Persian santoor, violin, bass, and drums in a cross-cultural instrumental album co-directed by Ehsan Matoori and Edward Perez. Moving from Persia to the Mediterranean and beyond, the ensemble blends world music, jazz, modern classical, and contemporary composition into a cinematic journey through rhythm, longing, dust, and moonlight.
ABOUT RITE OF STRINGS:
Rite of Strings is a new cross-cultural world music ensemble co-directed by Ehsan Matoori and Grammy Award-winning bassist Edward Perez.
Featuring Eylem Basaldi on violin, Grammy Award-winning drummer Engin Günaydın on drums, Edward Perez on bass, and Ehsan Matoori on santoor, the band creates music that moves from Persia to Mediterranean and beyond, blending world music, jazz, modern classical, and contemporary instrumental composition.
Together, the ensemble creates a sound that is both rooted and exploratory -- intimate, rhythmic, and deeply expressive.
