Rana Farhan at Mannahatta Lounge, NYC
A game of word association tells us to follow “jazz” with New Orleans, prohibition, the 1920s, Fitzgerald, Holiday, and Gillespie. Now add Rana Farhan and Mowlana Jalaludin Rumi to the list. Farhan, an Iranian jazz singer, is performing at the Mannahatta Lounge in NYC this Tuesday, June 26, at 9 pm.
The combination makes perfect sense: Jazz is all about improvisation and Rumi’s poetry is music, so why haven’t we heard this before? Well, because Rana Farhan had not yet finished recording her new album, I Return (Baz Amadam).
The album is a flawless union of her soulful Persian voice and deep understanding of Persian Sufi poetry, partnered with guitarist Steve Toub’s musical compositions. It was born out of the positive response her single, “Rumi’s Prayer,” received when it was included in a compilation of Iranian music called Made in Persia.
“I Return” also showcases more bluesy tracks and the work of another great poet - Hafez - and features Farhan’s painting on the cover.
Farhan was born and raised in Iran and moved to NYC in 1989, where she pursued her interests in painting and music, discovering her style as she and Toub improvised. The result is a natural synthesis that’s a pleasure to hear and must be eye-opening to experience live.
To explore why Farhan claims “Jazz is peace,” hear her earlier album of jazz standards, and take a look at her paintings, visit Rana Farhan’s website.
[Image: ranafarhan.com]
Sussan Deyhim at the BAMcafe
Iranian musician Sussan Deyhim is performing Saturday, June 9, at Brooklyn’s BAMcafe. She takes the stage at 9 pm, and there’s no cover and no drink/food purchase minimum.
Born in Tehran and based in New York City since 1980, Deyhim is a world renowned vocalist, composer and performance artist. She began dancing in Iran with the Pars National Ballet, and participated in the avant-garde Shiraz Festival. Her long list of collaborators include musicians Branford Marsalis and Jerry Garcia and Iranian visual artist/filmmaker Shirin Neshat. Deyhim and Neshat’s work on the two-channel video installation Turbulent won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Biennial in 1999.
Deyhim’s music can also be heard on the soundtracks of The Last Temptation of Christ and Unfaithful, and her most recent recordings are Madman Of God: Divine Love Sounds of the Persian Sufi Masters and its remix by Bill Laswell, Shy Angels. Continuing on the same path of Persian influences and experimental works, she will release an album of classic Persian pop songs (from the 1950s to 1970s) on her new label, IsleX Records. Something tells us the live performance will have more impact, but for a sample of Deyhim’s sound, watch/listen to the video below (it’s robot-dancing set to her song “I’m A Man”):