Mohsen Namjoo: Madman, Genius… or Both?
Just saw this video series on Iranian.com and had to point to it. It’s a sort of video opus, called “I am Mohsen Namjoo.” There are five parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I’ve only watched bits of the first two; the second includes scenes of him taking a shower as he addresses the camera. And all along there’s a lot of singing and music theory. It’s so bizarre and amazing, regardless of how you may feel about his music, though his originality is not even contestable. A lot of his lyrics are over my head because my Persian vocab is so crap, but this set of videos makes him a little more accessible.
Rojan on Tour
Kurdish singer Rojan is performing across the United States in September and October with the Shams Ensemble, starting in California in just a few days. If you like sonati music, check them out. Here’s a YouTube video of one of their performances:
Kiosk on Tour
In follow-up to the latest Kiosk video, make sure you check out their tour dates. The group is in Toronto now, with a show scheduled this Saturday at the Opera House. They also have shows lined up in Vancouver and Orange County. See Kiosk’s tour page for more.
New Kiosk Video: Ey Dad Az Eshgh
Check out Kiosk’s latest video, directed by Ahmad Kiarostami (aka Kia Sohrabi) for the song “Ey Dad Az Eshgh.” Very loosely translated, that means “What about love?”
It’s such a simple video: just a hand (the director’s) writing some of the words in the song around the big word in the middle, “eshgh,” which means love and gets increasingly distorted as more words are added around it. I hope he posts one with an English translation, though translation for this video may be a little trickier than for the last one, Eshgh-e Sorat.
Iranian Singer Mohsen Namjoo
Nazila Fathi of the New York Times writes about Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo.
The first time I heard Namjoo, I was walking briskly down Bowery with my far-savvier friend’s headphones in my ear. “This sounds like Pearl Jam,” I said. It was the song “Toranj,” which doesn’t really sound a lot like Pearl Jam but still made me think of them for its jam-band qualities:
I think Fathi is right in the “Iranian Bob Dylan” description; Namjoo’s voice is really distinct. But his ability to blend traditional Iranian style with rock, blues, and other Western music is unparalleled by most accounts. He’s also got really great range. See for yourself (and check out the translated lyrics for the song “Zolf Bar Bad”):
To download Mohsen Namjoo’s music, see the list of songs available on Iranian.com, and check out his bio. As of right now, Namjoo’s site is down, but check out his writing on the awesome English-language TehranAvenue.
Elahe is Dead
Iranian singer Elahe (also spelled “Elaheh”) died recently, following by just a few months the death of Mahasti. There are a few great videos of her on YouTube, below. This one is very scratchy but it looks like it’s from the ’50s, and the camera work is so strange:
This video is more recent but unfortunately mostly features shots of her accompanist:
And here’s another older video of Elahe singing, accompanied by famous Iranian pianist Anoushirvan Rohani:
Elahe became a controversial figure after the revolution because of her alleged support of the MKO. In an interview with Elahe, Anne Singleton, formerly a British MKO supporter, quizzed her at length on her involvement with that organization and Elahe essentially says she was conned into performing at the MKO’s concerts. Of Elahe’s political entanglements, Darius Kadivar writes:
Elahe never became a full member of the MKO but as explained in her interview had accepted to sing for Iranians abroad and was seductively approached by MKO members and isolated from her initial apolitical audience. Ironically Elahe was actually at the forefront of the Former Imperial Regime’s campaign of modernization that was spearheaded by the Shah of Iran in the aftermath of the Mossadegh years.
See Kadivar’s piece on Persian Mirror or BBC Persian (Persian text only) for more.
Demokrasi Video by the Abjeez
The latest Abjeez video, for the song “Demokrasi,” went live on YouTube this Saturday, and like their other videos, it’s pretty brilliant. Demokrasi has the sisters posing as TV reporters - they sing the entire song with vapid news-anchor faces, and at the bottom of the screen, the scrolling news ticker is a translation of the lyrics they’re singing. (A side note: the song is spelled “DemoKracy” on YouTube but “Demokrasi” on their album - but they don’t spell “imminent” correctly in the video either, so who knows?) This song is by far the most political on their album, and their delivery here gives it extra sting.
To see their other videos, check out the Abjeez YouTube channel, and see this post in the Pars Arts archives for more on the Abjeez.
RIP Mahasti
Iranian singer Mahasti died just a little over a week ago, on June 25.
Though her songs don’t have the same cheerful pop vibe Googoosh personifies, Mahasti’s place among the doyennes of 1970s Iranian music is well-deserved, alongside her (arguably more famous) older sister, Hayedeh, who died in 1990. Here’s Mahasti, singing “Vay Delam Tangeh” (roughly translated, that means “My heart aches”):
And here’s a clip of her appearing on Fereydoun Farrokhzad’s variety show in the 1970s (which is a post unto itself). She’s wearing a fantastic white dress and sporting a perfect coif and her trademark red lipstick:
Mahasti was distinctive for her plaintive voice and sad songs - though interestingly, and maybe it’s telling, she always smiled when she sang. Rest in peace, Mahasti.
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”):