Hamed Nikpay [1]’s “All is calm on the Road [2]” concert at the Palace of fine Arts on Sunday, August 23rd, was a smashing success.  This was his second sold out concert in a row, after his first stop in Montreal.

Transcending the east-west genre of today’s World Music, Hamed live performance brought an innovative and spell biding dimension to Persian music that was admirably received by people of all ages, especially the younger generation of Iranians in Diaspora who came in numbers to see him perform.  His first song “The owner of this Land—Maaleke een Khaak”, which he has composed to express his solidarity with the movement for democracy and freedom in Iran, received cheers and standing ovation by the audience and was performed again, as the grand finale based on numerous encore requests by the fans in the audience.

His brilliant ensemble, Farzin Farhadi on Saxophone, Greg Ellis on Percussion, Daniel Fries on Flamenco Guitar, and Dimitris Mahlis on Oud, added their own creative solo touches to the repertoire, which made the performance colorful and reflective of their  own distinctive musical talent.  The repertoire,  strengthened with incisive lyrics, were intertwined with a bit of Flamenco, a bit of jazz,  Persian folkloric tunes, and a bit of Hamed’s own impromptu improvisational creations making them irresistible and soulful.  All in all, an immensely memorable evening for his home town crowd who came in bundles to welcome this inspiring artist and hear his music.

The tour continues in Vancouver (8/29), Toronto (9/12) and finally in Los Angeles on October 3, 2009!  For more info, please visit www.hamednikpay.com [3].