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Review
of concert in “Dirty Linen” magazine
“Hadadi
is a technical wizard who contributes fire and
a
unique personality to improvisational passages.” LA Weekly
“spectacular
musicianship.”
LA
Times
The
main composer and percussionist with Namah Ensemble, Pejman
Hadadi is a “virtuoso” Iranian Tombak and Daf (frame drum)
player who has been hailed “the finest Iranian percussionist
living in the West” (KPFA Radio, Berkeley, CA). Hadadi began
playing Tombak at
the
age of ten under the masters of the instrument Asadollah
Hejazi and Bahman Rajabi. In 1990, upon immigration to the
United States, he began his professional career as a performing
and recording artist with ensembles of Persian classical
music as well as Indian, Turkish and American musicians.
In
1995, Hadadi joined Dastan Ensemble, one of today’s leading
Iranian music ensembles, both inside and outside of Iran.
With the Dastan Ensemble, he has performed in many important
music festivals world-wide and toured extensively in the
US, Europe and Iran. Over the years, Hadadi also became
acquainted with some of the masters in Persian music and
performed with them, both locally and on tour in the US
and Europe.
 These
masters have included Hossein Alizadeh, Shahram Nazeri,
Parisa, Hossein Omoumi and Ali Akbar Moradi. Hadadi has
also collaborated among others with Adam Rudolph and Brad
Dutz, and performed with masters of Turkish music on tour
in the US.
Creating
melodic patterns within rhythmic structures as well as experimenting
with complex variations on the basic sounds of Tombak are
part of Hadadi’s modern approach to this traditional instrument.
Hadadi’s
credits include film and theater soundtracks, numerous television
and radio interviews and live performances. His recordings
include work with the Dastan Ensemble, Axiom of Choice,
Ali Akbar Moradi, Parisa and Keyhan Kalhor.
Some
of Hadadi’s recent performances in major international festivals
include the Sfinks Festival in Holland, the Lotus Festival
in Indianapolis, US, Musica dei Popoli in Italy , Haus Der
Kulturen Der Welt in Germany, Bootstrap Creative Emergence
in Los Angeles and the Festival De Saint Florent Le Vieil
in France. Hadadi has also performed in The Queen Elizabeth
Hall in London, Theatre De La Ville in Paris and more recently,
The Getty Museum in LA. Hadadi currently resides in California
where he teaches Tombak and Daf. For information about his
schedule of classes click here.
(Kutay
Derin Kugay)
Pejman
Hadadi was born in Tehran in 1969.The recipient of the 2001-2002
Durfee Foundation Master Musician Award, Pejman Hadadi began
playing tombak at the age of ten under the masters of the
instrument Asadollah Hejazi and Ostad Bahman Rajabi. In
1990, upon immigration to the United States, Hadadi began
his professional career, performing and recording with ensembles
of Persian classical music as well as Indian, Turkish and
American musicians.
In
1995, Hadadi joined Dastan Ensemble, one of today's leading
"most-forward looking Persian music ensembles"
(LA Weekly). With Dastan, he has performed in many important
music festivals world-wide and toured extensively in the
US, Europe and Iran. Over the years, Hadadi also became
acquainted with some of the masters in Persian music and
performed with them, both locally and on tour in the US
and Europe. These masters include Hossein Alizadeh, Shahram
Nazeri, Ostad Hossein Omoumi, Ostad Parisa, Ali Akbar Moradi
and Ardeshir Kamkar.
Hadadi
has also been the resident composer and performer with a
Persian contemporary dance group, Namah Ensemble and has
written compositions for dance. He has been a member of
Axiom of Choice, a progressive Persian music ensemble in
the US and has collaborated among others with percussionists,
Adam Rudolph, Greg Ellis and Brad Dutz. He has recorded
with Shujaat Husain Khan and performed with masters of Turkish
music including Nejati Celik and Halil Karadoumon and the
Arab/Israeli oud player Yair Dalal in the US.
Pejman
Hadadi's modern approach to the traditional tombak lies
in his ability to produce melodic patterns within rhythmic
structures as well as in his experiments with creating complex
variations on the basic sounds of tombak. He also brings
to Persian rhythm an Indian percussive sensibility that
he has studied over the years. Much of ancient Persian rhythm
was later adopted by the Indian musical culture and can
be found in their repertoire. Hadadi has a deep interest
in uncovering these ancient sources.
Some
of Hadadi's recent performances in major international festivals
include the Sfinks Festival in Holland, the Lotus Festival
in Indianapolis, US, Musica dei Popoli in Italy, Haus Der
Kulturen Der Welt in Germany, Bootstrap Creative Emergence
and the World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles, San
Francisco World Music Festival and the Festival De Saint
Florent Le Vieil in France. Hadadi has also performed in
The Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Theatre De La Ville
in Paris and more recently, The Getty Museum in LA. Hadadi
currently resides in southern California where he teaches
Tombak and Daf.
If
you are going to any of his concerts make sure that you
go twice, once to concentrate and marvel at his ability
in inventing new sounds and techniques on Tombak, his ingenuity
and creativity, and, once to relax and enjoy his artistic
creativit
Press:
"Go
out of your way to find Midnight Sun even if you know nothing
about Persian music. You will be rewarded beyond all expectation
... the drum work of Pejman Hadadi is what really gives
Midnight Sun its kick." - Aaron Howard, Rootsworld.com
"These
duets are extraordinary, together they soar into wild molten
riffs, and then return to earth to depict the sad reality
of a people without an independent state of their own."
- W. Bloomhuff, Rhythm Magazine
"Hadadi
is a technical wizard who contributes fire and a unique
personality to improvisational passages." - John Payne,
LA Weekly
"Hadadi
is a technical wizard who contributes fire and a unique
personality to improvisational passages." John Payne,
LA Weekly
"spectacular
musicianship." Lewis Segal, LA Times
"The
masterful Hadadi delivered an astonishing array of sounds."
Don Heckman, LA Times
"Pejman
Hadadi is the finest Iranian percussionist in America"
William Bloomhuff, Rhythm Magazine
"Hadadi
delivered a mighty tombak solo that had the whole house
out of their seats and yelling" Greg Burk, LA Weekly
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