(from Project 300) In the past, attempts at fusing Jazz music with Persian sounds have been few and for the most part, in my opinion unsuccessful. The two sounds just seem to clash and I have never heard a true Persian/Jazz blend that I had actually enjoyed listening to. That is until I heard from Babak Maddah.
I had Miller, an Ameircan artist who used to live in Iran during the 70s, and his attempts at Persian Jazz a few years ago. Luckily Babak somehow found the interview and got in touch with me to let me know about his own attempts.
If you are a fan of Jazz and like me you’ve always yearned for hearing an enjoyable Persian/Jazz fusion, I strongly recommend that you check out Babak Maddah Group’s myspace page and listen to some of their tunes.
Babak comes from the southern region of Iran, where the local music has strong Afro, Arab influences. He currently lives in Amsterdam where he graduated with a masters degree from the Amsterdam Conservatory in Jazz music and drums.
His Persian Jazz tunes seem to flow quite effortlessly. I particularly like the way he uses the Pesian Zarb percussion and blends it in with the prominently Jazzy foreground on Isfahan, Babak’s take on Duke Ellington’s original Isfahan.
