Shahab Tolouie

  Iranian composer,guitarist and singer

 Belongs to the group of musicians who derive inspirationfrom the traditional music of their native lands. For Shahab, this meanscombining traditional Persian elements with traditional Spanish flamenco.

 His early interests ranged from the electric guitar and somemodern music, such as Jazz and rock, to the use of traditional Persianinstruments, the study of dervish music and an appreciation for the unique,varying sounds of the traditional music of Iran's diverse regions. While thiswide musical experience gave him a taste and respect for many different styles,soon his musical journey began to lead him personally and professionally backto a career in acoustic music with deep Persian roots.

 Shahab was very fortunate to have the opportunity toexpand his knowledge and develop his talent through contact with some of thebest Iranian musical masters of his time. One of these mentors was thelegendary Iranian composer and singer of traditional music, Master ShahramNazeri. This intense influence did not diminish his interest in flamenco,however, it continued to grow and profoundly affect him to the point that,following his graduation from high school, he departed for Seville, Spain.There he studied his flamenco master course, attaining the highest level ofachievement, "Nivel Alto."

 After returning from Spain, Shahab was recognized asone of the best Iranian guitar players by "The House of Music ofIran." He was home, with honors and awards, but more importantly, blessedwith additional knowledge and experience that inspired new insight and abright, shining idea. He was now able to recognize important similarities anddifferences, great and subtle, between Persian and Spanish music. He saw them asrelated, not quite brothers, more like cousins. The fusion of Flamenco andPersian music became his goal and now defines his distinct style"EthnoFlamenco." Here he found his musical home, choosing lyrics fromthe ancient Sufi poems of Moulana Rumi, the unique Ghazals of Hafez and thepoems of Ferdousi.

 As a multi-instrumentalist, Shahab incorporatesdifferent traditional Persian instruments such as the Setar, Laud, Mandola, Dafand Dammam, along with the Flamenco Guitar, in his compositions. His most importantinstrument, however, is his voice. Powerful and dynamic, it is flavored with aspecial richness typical of eastern vocalists. When combined with his uniquemanner of singing, that voice is an essential and very expressive part of hismusical presentation.

Webpage: www.shahab-tolouie.com 

E-mail: info@shahab-tolouie.com