As a teenager initiated into the world of rock music, this writer discovered Kahlil Gibran through David Bowie’s Man Who Sold the World. The poet genius’ influence on musicians across the globe has been inspirational through the years. Closer home, sarod maestros, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash’s latest album, Sand and Foam, interprets Gibran’s  complex poetry and universal philosophy through eight unique songs. Grammy-winning jazz composer Kabir Sehgal has arranged it.

The brothers first met and worked with Sehgal on their 2021 album, Strings of Peace. “I thought with Kabir’s sensibilities we can come to a meeting point, and we both took inspiration from  Gibran’s work and philosophy,” Ayaan says. The poet’s work of universal brotherhood and hope influenced the brothers’ style and compositions, he explains.