Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS): Classical legend, composer and sitarist Shujaat Husain Khan and renowned Iranian-American vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi give new urgency to the age-old love poems of Rumi on their latest album 'This Pale' to be released on October 1.

Grammy-nominated sitar player Shujaat Khan, vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi, Iranian Ney player Shaho Andalibi, and fifth-generation tabla player of the Thirakwa lineage Shariq Mustafa have come together for the creation of the album.

They have forged an unlikely ensemble that has defied the limits of both lockdown and cultural differences to bring a new urgency to Rumi's centuries-old words of wisdom.

'This Pale' is said to b a fresh multicultural take on an old tale. The ecstatic poems of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a 13th-century Persian mystic bard and Sufi master, have always stood for tolerance, love, and inclusiveness.

Shujaat Khan is a sitar player of the Imdadkhani 'gharana' (school of music). He has recorded over 60 albums and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best World Music Album for his work with the band Ghazal with Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor.

Khan also sings frequently. His style of sitar playing, known as 'gayaki ang', aims to imitate the human voice.

Katayoun Goudarzi is a vocalist known for maximising the musical qualities of classical Persian poetry using different styles of singing and recitation.