Sound: The Encounter is the fruit of collaboration on several levels: between presenters from far and near, and between musicians from a once-shared culture.An adventuresome trio, Sound: The Encounter explores the ancient music from the Silk Route, while updating the shared culture of the region. The group features winds/percussion father/son duoSaeid and Naghib Shanbezadehfrom Iran and renowned saxophonist  Basel Rajoub of Syria, and appears Dec 12 at 7:30 at theFreer Sackler: Meyer Auditorium at the Smithsonian; then on Dec 14 & 15 in Houston at the Asia Society (12/14) and the Ismaeli Center (12/15).Saeid, from the south of Iran, is a virtuoso of traditions with references to Sufi ritual music, Persian (ancient Iranian) and Arabic genres. Basel, born in Allepo, is credited with introducing the tenor sax into Middle Eastern idioms. These two artists, both English speakers, are willing to talk about how their music has developed despite geo-political conflicts that have created a rift in what had long been a shared musical culture. Sound: The Encounter is a new project conceived, curated and produced by the Aga Khan Music Initiative(//www.akdn.org/aktc_music.asp). AKMI, as it’s known, was created by His Highness the Aga Khan in 2000 to support the efforts of Central Asian musicians, namely by getting them to the US. AKMI is partnering with the Asia Society(//asiasociety.org/) to present shows on this tour in NY and Houston.