“Λαούτο” by Ross Daly

In the fall of 1991 my college roommate from Thessaloniki Greece introduced me to this wonderful song. Now a dear friend and brother, at that time we were simply roommates still finding common interests from the two very different worlds we came from. One of the first things we agreed upon was a black cassette with deep orange labeling. The music it contained was a prized possession in the room.

The artist that created those sounds was Ross Daly. He considers himself a “Transcultural Identity.”  By this he means that he has spent his life traveling throughout much of the world and that he does not find himself attached solely to one regional or ethnic identity. Mr. Daly has focused his life on modal music and has been living in the island of Crete for over 36 years.

The two instruments featured in this recording are the Zarb (Persian Goblet Drum) or Donbak, Dombak or Tompak (official Persian name: تنپک, تنبک, دنبک، تمپک), and the Laouto (Greek: λαούτο), an instrument from the lute family found in Greece and Cyprus. This recording can be found on Ross Daly’s self-titled album, recorded in 1986, and it features some pretty magical performances.

​See also
http://www.rossdaly.gr/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt6ZzVGRgz0