The spring issue of Smithsonian Folkways Magazine chronicles the cross-cultural collaborations that resulted in Rainbow, Volume 8 of the Music of Central Asia Series.

Read about how Azerbaijani singers Alim and Fargana Qasimov, Afghan rubâb player Homayun Sakhi, and American group Kronos Quartet moved beyond superficial grooves towards a deeper music connection.

The Music of Central Asia series, a co-produciton of Smithsonian Folkways and the Aga Khan Music Initiative, currently features nine CD/DVD sets.