Aminah Dastan: grown up and ready to fly!

Believe it or not, Aminah Dastan is Malaysian. Of Afghani-Irish parentage, Aminah grew up in Malaysia. I met her on Tioman Island when she was all of 12 and her brother Salim, 10.

Salim is a consummate musician in his own right - plays darabukka, djembe, guitar, keyboards and has composed musical settings for his beautiful sister.

Both moved to Dublin a few years ago but return often to Malaysia. Aminah's brilliant and exquisite debut album, Caravan Trail, was produced by Mike Bloemendal in 2004. No longer available in the shops, but you can download from Itunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Emusic, GroupieTunes, or Amazon MP3.

Look forward to seeing you again soon, dearest Aminah! Come jam at the River!