I noticed him with his long, oddly-shaped instrument case in the Oakland airport, but when he sat next to me in Phoenix, I had to ask. He took it out. A stringed instrument with a body of polished wood that made me think of a double-bowled gourd. Four strings I believe and many movable frets made of something that looked like sinew.

He said it was a tar, a traditional Persian instrument of ancient heritage. He played a piece, then played and sang a song. The music had little melody or form, many of the notes not used in western music. An old and wandering sound. The travelers and airline staff nearby--their faces were still with mild wonder, an openness with traces of confusion.

So. Here is a small crowd in black riveted seats looking out at the pink dust colored hills of Phoenix listening to Irani music played by a mowhawked American in a busy airport on Thanksgiving day.