“Teheran-based
Ali-Akbar Moradi is considered a virtuoso on the tanbur,
a plucked string instrument with a pear–shaped belly fashioned
from a single piece of mulberry wood. The tanbur has always
been considered a sacred instrument associated with the
Kurdish Sufi music of Western Iran. Moradi is accompanied
by Pejman Hadadi, the finest Irnanian percussionist living
in America, who plays the daf, a large frame drum covered
with goat skin with rows of metal rings jangling about
on the inside. He also plays the tombak, which is similar
to a dumbek but made also from solid mulberry wood. Its
warm tone complements the rapid strumming and plucking
on the banjo-like tanbur. This recording was made during
a 1999 U.S. tour and, in a word, these duets are extraordinary.
Having performed together only three times previously,
Moradi and Hadadi play entirely improvisational Kurdish
music on this date, presenting their amazing skills as
one triumphant spirit. Together they soar into wild molten
riffs, and then return to earth to deppict the sad reality
of a people without an independent state of their own.”
William
Bloomhuff, “Rhythm”, May 2001
Ali
Akbar Moradi
Born in Kermanshah in 1957, Ali Akbar Moradi is the leading
tanbur player from Kurdistan, Iran. He began playing tanbur
at the age of six. His grandfather loved the tanbur and
encouraged the young Moradi to play. Teachers would come
to their house to give lessons on the tanbur, and by the
time Moradi was 10, he was considered an accomplished
tanbur player. Throughout his youth he studied with various
masters of the instrument until he was accepted as a virtuoso.
From 12 years on Moradi sought and took lessons from the
grand masters of Kurdish tanbur: Sayyed Veli Husseini,
Sayyed Mirza Khafashyan, Sayyed Mahmoud Alevi, Allahmouradi
Hamedi, who were also all vocalists. By the age of 30
he completed learning the entire 72 maghams played on
tanbur. Mr. Moradi's professional career began in 1971
as a member of the first tanbur ensemble in Kermanshah.
He has won many awards including two honorary diplomas
at major music festivals in Iran. Moradi has performed
as a soloist and with ensembles in festivals throughout
the world. He has a unique style that sets him apart from
other players of this instrument .
Presently
Mr. Moradi is preparing the complete 72 maghams of Kurdish
tanbur for teaching purposes. He teaches tanbur in Kermanshah
and every two weeks he travels to Tehran to give lessons.
In February 1999, Mr. Moradi toured US for concerts and
lectures, and this recording was made during his visit
of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kurdish
people live in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Georgia, and Afghanistan, and in many countries
of Europe. They do not have an independent state of their
own, although they number around 30 million. Present recording
is entirely improvisational Kurdish music based on classical
Kurdish Maghams. Ali Akbar Moradi and Pejman Hadadi had
played together three times before this studio recording,
which was done on February 22nd. 1999, Richmond California,
in one sitting. I want to thank World Music Institute,
NY, and Isabel Soffer for inviting Mr. Moradi to US and
making this CD production possible.
Kutay
Derin Kugay
“...
in a word, these duets are extraordinary. ... Moradi and
Hadadi play entirely improvisational Kurdish music on
this date, presenting their amazing skills as one triumphant
spirit. Together they soar into wild molten riffs, and
then return to earth to deppict the sad reality of a people
without an independent state of their own.
”William Bloomhuff, “Rhythm”, May 2001
Dirty
Linen Magazine
Concert
Reviews
Ali Akbar Moradi and Pejman Hadadi
Saint John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, CA
January 27, 2001
It's
too bad filmmakers didn't record the moment, because something
unusual and wonderful happened when Ali Akbar Moradi and
Pejman Hadadi performed in Berkeley: Members of the audience
got up from their seats and danced in circles with friends
and strangers, inspired by Moradi's legendary tanbur playing
and Hadadi's deft drumming. Iranian concerts of traditional
music seldom erupt into such spontaneous celebration,
but this was no ordinary event. Moradi, who lives in the
Kurdistan region of Iran, was appearing in the United
States for the first time in two years — an absence exacerbated
when American consular officials held up his application
to return to the West. Two San Francisco-area performances
were canceled before Moradi's passport problems were finally
resolved. By the time he took the stage in Berkeley, dressed
in traditional Kurdish clothing and bowing his head in
acknowledgement, the audience was bursting to hear the
music that has made Moradi an international favorite.
Moradi didn't disappoint. From his position sitting cross-legged
on a lush carpet, Moradi plucked his wooden instrument
with verve and emotion, accompanied on daf and tombak
by Hadadi, a Tehran-born musician who now lives in California.
Moradi is an intense figure. During much of the concert
he stared at his instrument in rapt concentration, looking
up when he sang or coordinated rhythms with Hadadi, with
whom he has played many times. Their collaboration on
the CD Fire of Passion [7/8 Music Productions] captures
the full range of Hadadi's music, which can be mystical
and contemplative but also stirring and celebratory. In
Berkeley, it was Hadadi's more frenetic songs that inspired
men and women to race around in a group and — when it
was over — applaud wildly. A Presbyterian house of worship
may seem an odd place for this kind of embrace between
audience and musician, but Saint John's was a perfect
venue for Moradi's sacred tunes. The church has hosted
a disparate range of performers — from didgeridoo artist
Stephen Kent to Hawaiian slack key guitarist George Kahumoku,
Jr. — and its location in Berkeley, near the University
of California and famous Telegraph Avenue, guaranteed
that young world-music fans would join families of Kurdish
and Iranian descent in attending Moradi's concert. So
relaxed and intimate was the setting that Moradi and Hadadi
left their instruments on stage during the break between
the first and second set, letting people in the audience
practically touch the beautiful tanburs and drums that
were brought to Berkeley. "It doesn't get too much
better than this," a concert goer said at the end
of the nearly two-hour performance. Those words spoke
volumes about the night when Ali Akbar Moradi and his
tanbur — an ancient instrument associated with Kurdish
Sufi music of Western Iran — made a triumphant appearance
before an adoring crowd in Berkeley. Said Moradi just
before taking the stage: "I am here, finally."
The audience laughed and roared, Moradi and Hadadi sat
down, and a long-delayed night of rapturous music began
in earnest. Better late than never.
Jonathan Curiel (San Francisco)
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