Ali Sharifi is a tanbur and dutar player, singer and instrument maker in Mashhad. He is of Kurdish origin from Kermanshah, and the “Navaye Tanbur” channel introduced him as one of the dutar masters of Khorasan and a tanbur teacher in Mashhad. His performances in the channel include tanbur maqams (traditional melodic pieces of the tanbur) such as Qatar, Sarukhani, Hejrani (Allahveysi), Baba Na'usi and Jelowshahi, music of northern and southern Khorasan on the dutar, such as the maqams “Allah”, “Jafarqoli” and “Allah Mazareh”, and Kurdish, Lori and Khorasani songs sung by himself.
In April and May 2017 (Ordibehesht–Khordad 1396 SH) the channel published a six-part series of notes by him on the tanbur: the history of the instrument and its family, its outward features, making the bowl, how to recognise a good instrument, making and fitting the neck, and fitting the soundboard. In his workshop in Mashhad, the “Sharifi Art Workshop”, he makes tanburs, dutars, setars, tars and sornas and repairs traditional instruments. In Esfand 1400 SH (February–March 2022) the workshop presented a twin tanbur called “Lefani” (Kurdish for “twins”), which, according to the workshop, was the first of its kind made in Iran.
Collaborations and performances shown in the channel include:
playing the tanbur at the launch of the last album of the late Gholamali Pouratayi in Mashhad (11 Esfand 1396 SH, 2 March 2018), and singing with the tanbur at the Shahnameh Hall in Mashhad (17 Esfand 1396 SH, 8 March 2018);
duets with Mehdi Bonyadi (kamancheh) and Hamed Sharifi (tombak and daf);
singing with Ramin Kaliaei on tanbur in the maqams Qatar and Gol-o Khak, recorded at the Roshandel studio in Mashhad in autumn 1399 SH (2020);
playing the tanbur at the Ayyarkhaneh and Museum of Pahlavani Rituals in Mashhad, with the morshed Hojjat Ghasemi (Tir 1400 SH, July 2021) and with recitation by Kazem Shabzendehdar;
singing in a trio in Mashhad with Ali Shekofteh (dutar and arrangement) and Mehrdad Motabassem (daf).
In Dey 1398 SH (December 2019) the channel published a note in which he asked tanbur masters and Iran's cultural heritage organisation to act to prevent the tanbur from being registered under another country's name.
Source: Telegram channel “Navaye Tanbur”, 2017–2025.
