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Disambiguation

Christy Doran | Imran Khan

Disambiguation

Price: € 14.95
Format: CD
Label: Between The Lines
UPC: 0608917125528
Catnr: BTLCHR 71255
Release date: 02 October 2026
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1 CD
€ 14.95
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Label
Between The Lines
UPC
0608917125528
Catalogue number
BTLCHR 71255
Release date
02 October 2026
Album
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
EN
DE

About the album

On Disambiguation, guitarist and composer Christy Doran joins forces with Indian tabla player Imran Khan for a vivid, border-crossing duo album that brings together rock energy, blues feeling, jazz improvisation, Irish melodic traces and the subtle rhythmic flow of Indian classical music.

Doran’s guitar language is instantly recognizable: shimmering textures, sharp rhythmic accents, eruptive solos, intricate patterns and a fearless sense of movement. After six decades of musical exploration, he returns here with renewed clarity to the roots that have shaped his playing: blues, rock, Hendrix, McLaughlin, improvisation and, more recently, the Irish music of his family heritage. Echoes of Uilleann pipe melodies can be heard in pieces such as “Ode to Johnny Doran” and “Dark Slender Boy”, where folk material is transformed into Doran’s own highly personal sound world.

Imran Khan’s tabla provides both pulse and atmosphere. A distinguished player of the Delhi Gharana, Khan brings warmth, clarity and expressive depth to the music. His gently shifting rhythmic patterns open a space in which Doran’s acoustic and electric guitars can move freely between drive, abstraction, lyricism and intensity.

The album title points to a kind of artistic clarification. The ambiguities are not simplified, but illuminated. Across pieces such as “Disambiguation”, “Haute Savoie”, “Taal Pravaah” and “Mantra On An Irish Stream”, the duo creates music that is fluid, forceful and deeply rooted, yet always open to surprise.

Disambiguation is a meeting of two distinctive musical voices: Christy Doran’s expansive guitar art and Imran Khan’s refined tabla tradition. Together they create a sound that is direct, exploratory and full of depth.

Auf Disambiguation vereint der Gitarrist und Komponist Christy Doran seine Kräfte mit dem indischen Tablaspieler Imran Khan zu einem lebendigen, grenzüberschreitenden Duoalbum, das Rock-Energie, Blues-Gefühl, Jazz-Improvisation, irische melodische Spuren und den subtilen rhythmischen Fluss der klassischen indischen Musik zusammenführt.

Dorans Gitarrensprache ist unverkennbar: schimmernde Texturen, prägnante rhythmische Akzente, eruptive Soli, verschlungene Muster und ein furchtloser Sinn für Bewegung. Nach sechs Jahrzehnten musikalischer Erkundung kehrt er hier mit neuer Klarheit zu den Wurzeln zurück, die sein Spiel geprägt haben: Blues, Rock, Hendrix, McLaughlin, Improvisation und, in jüngerer Zeit, die irische Musik seines familiären Erbes. Anklänge an Melodien der Uilleann Pipes sind in Stücken wie „Ode to Johnny Doran“ und „Dark Slender Boy“ zu hören, in denen folkloristisches Material in Dorans ganz eigene, hochpersönliche Klangwelt verwandelt wird.

Imran Khans Tabla verleiht der Musik zugleich Puls und Atmosphäre. Als herausragender Musiker der Delhi Gharana bringt Khan Wärme, Klarheit und expressive Tiefe in die Musik ein. Seine sanft changierenden rhythmischen Muster öffnen einen Raum, in dem sich Dorans akustische und elektrische Gitarren frei zwischen Drive, Abstraktion, Lyrik und Intensität bewegen können.

Der Albumtitel verweist auf eine Art künstlerische Klärung. Die Mehrdeutigkeiten werden nicht vereinfacht, sondern erhellt. In Stücken wie „Disambiguation“, „Haute Savoie“, „Taal Pravaah“ und „Mantra On An Irish Stream“ erschafft das Duo Musik, die fließend, kraftvoll und tief verwurzelt ist – und dennoch stets offen für Überraschungen bleibt.

Disambiguation ist eine Begegnung zweier unverwechselbarer musikalischer Stimmen: Christy Dorans weit ausgreifender Gitarrenkunst und Imran Khans verfeinerter Tabla-Tradition. Gemeinsam schaffen sie einen Klang, der direkt, forschend und voller Tiefe ist.

Artist(s)

Christy Doran (guitar)

Born in Dublin, Ireland, living in Lucerne/CH 'Celebrated Swiss guitarist CHRISTY DORAN assets pertain to his indefatigable creative sparks, evidenced by his work in jazz-rock, avant-garde jazz improvisation or when tackling world music. And from a fundamental shedding perspective, he could hold his own with most if not all of the present guitar heroes.' GLENN ASTARITA, New York (AAJ) Christy became internationally known thanks to his collaboration in the 'electric jazz/free music' group 'OM' (1972-82 and 2006 to present). The trio 'RED TWIST & TUNED ARROW' (1985-87, with Stephan Wittwer and Fredy Studer) and the project 'DORAN-STUDER-MINTON-BATES & ALI play the music of JIMI HENDRIX' (1990-94), (later “STUCKY-DORAN-STUDER & TACUMA / JORDI)” received rapid international recognition in the field of tension of...
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Born in Dublin, Ireland, living in Lucerne/CH "Celebrated Swiss guitarist CHRISTY DORAN assets pertain to his indefatigable creative sparks, evidenced by his work in jazz-rock, avant-garde jazz improvisation or when tackling world music. And from a fundamental shedding perspective, he could hold his own with most if not all of the present guitar heroes." GLENN ASTARITA, New York (AAJ) Christy became internationally known thanks to his collaboration in the "electric jazz/free music" group "OM" (1972-82 and 2006 to present). The trio "RED TWIST & TUNED ARROW" (1985-87, with Stephan Wittwer and Fredy Studer) and the project "DORAN-STUDER-MINTON-BATES & ALI play the music of JIMI HENDRIX" (1990-94), (later “STUCKY-DORAN-STUDER & TACUMA / JORDI)” received rapid international recognition in the field of tension of composition and improvisation. Doran has performed countless solo and duo concerts worldwide, including with Ray Anderson, Marty Ehrlich, Fritz Hauser, Robert Dick and Yang Jing. 1997 he founded “Christy Doran’s NEW BAG” with whom he produced 8 cd’s for Double Moon Records and Between the Lines Records. 2016 he wrote a composition for “144 Strings for a Broken Chord”, 20 electric guitars, 4 electric basses and drums. In addition to OM, Doran's current projects include "Christy Doran's SOUND FOUNTAIN" (with Lukas Mantel on drums and the Argentine e-bassist Franco Fontanarrosa), Âme Sèche (with Walter Faehndrich, Remo Schnyder, Benedikt Vonder Muell), the interdisciplinary project AEROSOLS, Christy Doran Solo Guitar & Loops, "Triangulation" (with Anna Murphy, John Wolf Brennan and Patrice Héral) as well as the guitar duo with Franz Hellmueller and his collaboration with Reto Weber’s SQUEEZEBAND and Percussion Orchestra. A new trio with Wolfgang Zwiauer/b and Lukas Mantel/dr is in preparation. As a sideman he is engaged in several projects.
Christy Doran was awarded for many prizes, such as the Art Prize of the City of Lucerne in 2003. His name was included in the series "European Jazz Legends" by the renowned magazine "Jazz Thing” (Berlin) in 2017. 2020 he received the Swiss Music Prize. He performs around the globe. He wrote filmmusic, was engaged in several interdisciplinary projects, was professor at the University of Applied Science and Arts Lucerne/CH and has been giving masterclasses all over the world.

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Imran Khan (tabla)

Composer(s)

Christy Doran

Born in Dublin, Ireland, living in Lucerne/CH 'Celebrated Swiss guitarist CHRISTY DORAN assets pertain to his indefatigable creative sparks, evidenced by his work in jazz-rock, avant-garde jazz improvisation or when tackling world music. And from a fundamental shedding perspective, he could hold his own with most if not all of the present guitar heroes.' GLENN ASTARITA, New York (AAJ) Christy became internationally known thanks to his collaboration in the 'electric jazz/free music' group 'OM' (1972-82 and 2006 to present). The trio 'RED TWIST & TUNED ARROW' (1985-87, with Stephan Wittwer and Fredy Studer) and the project 'DORAN-STUDER-MINTON-BATES & ALI play the music of JIMI HENDRIX' (1990-94), (later “STUCKY-DORAN-STUDER & TACUMA / JORDI)” received rapid international recognition in the field of tension of...
more
Born in Dublin, Ireland, living in Lucerne/CH "Celebrated Swiss guitarist CHRISTY DORAN assets pertain to his indefatigable creative sparks, evidenced by his work in jazz-rock, avant-garde jazz improvisation or when tackling world music. And from a fundamental shedding perspective, he could hold his own with most if not all of the present guitar heroes." GLENN ASTARITA, New York (AAJ) Christy became internationally known thanks to his collaboration in the "electric jazz/free music" group "OM" (1972-82 and 2006 to present). The trio "RED TWIST & TUNED ARROW" (1985-87, with Stephan Wittwer and Fredy Studer) and the project "DORAN-STUDER-MINTON-BATES & ALI play the music of JIMI HENDRIX" (1990-94), (later “STUCKY-DORAN-STUDER & TACUMA / JORDI)” received rapid international recognition in the field of tension of composition and improvisation. Doran has performed countless solo and duo concerts worldwide, including with Ray Anderson, Marty Ehrlich, Fritz Hauser, Robert Dick and Yang Jing. 1997 he founded “Christy Doran’s NEW BAG” with whom he produced 8 cd’s for Double Moon Records and Between the Lines Records. 2016 he wrote a composition for “144 Strings for a Broken Chord”, 20 electric guitars, 4 electric basses and drums. In addition to OM, Doran's current projects include "Christy Doran's SOUND FOUNTAIN" (with Lukas Mantel on drums and the Argentine e-bassist Franco Fontanarrosa), Âme Sèche (with Walter Faehndrich, Remo Schnyder, Benedikt Vonder Muell), the interdisciplinary project AEROSOLS, Christy Doran Solo Guitar & Loops, "Triangulation" (with Anna Murphy, John Wolf Brennan and Patrice Héral) as well as the guitar duo with Franz Hellmueller and his collaboration with Reto Weber’s SQUEEZEBAND and Percussion Orchestra. A new trio with Wolfgang Zwiauer/b and Lukas Mantel/dr is in preparation. As a sideman he is engaged in several projects.
Christy Doran was awarded for many prizes, such as the Art Prize of the City of Lucerne in 2003. His name was included in the series "European Jazz Legends" by the renowned magazine "Jazz Thing” (Berlin) in 2017. 2020 he received the Swiss Music Prize. He performs around the globe. He wrote filmmusic, was engaged in several interdisciplinary projects, was professor at the University of Applied Science and Arts Lucerne/CH and has been giving masterclasses all over the world.

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