Euphoric Whispers: Improvisations for Tanbur and Percussion

Euphoric Whispers

This event is free, but a ticket is required to attend. To reserve a ticket, use the University Ticketing website.

This concert features a rare NJ appearance of Ali Akbar Moradi and Pejman Hadadi, two of Iran’s most renowned musicians. Moradi is the greatest living master of the tanbour, an ancient 2-stringed long-necked fretted lute traditionally used in religious ceremonies. Hadadi is the innovative percussionist (tombak, daf) who has been a member of the Dastan Ensemble for over 20 years and has collaborated with countless master musicians in Persian and world traditions.

They will perform ecstatic and trance-inducing Kurdish music from western Iran – music that is little known in the US. Featured are meditative improvisations based on the repertoire of the Yarsan people, and the beauty and complexities of the art of this region.

“Love, spirituality, intoxication with the divine and the power of music…With one string providing a drone, everything else rides on a single string of the tanbour, and in Mr. Moradi’s hands, that string encompasses an expressive universe.” – New York Times

“The masterful Hadadi delivers an astonishing array of sounds.” – Los Angeles Times

Aliakbar Moradi

Aliakbar Moradi, often hailed as “the best tanbour player alive” (Songlines Magazine, Issue 26, 2004), was born in 1957 in Guran, near Kermanshah, the central city of Kermanshah Province, Iran. Encouraged by his grandfather and father, he began studying the Tanbur at the age of six. Under the guidance of masters such as Sayyed Hachem Kafashyan, Sayed Mahmoud Alavi, Ali Mir Darvishi, Allah Morad Hamidi, and Sayyed Vali Hosseyni, he not only mastered the instrument but also delved deeply into the Kurdish maqam repertoire.

Moradi gave his first recital at the age of 14 in Kermanshah. A year later, he established the first Tanbur group within the cultural department of Kermanshah. He then embarked on tours across Iran and later co-founded the renowned Shams Tanbur Ensemble. In 1991, he won first prize at the String Instrument Festival. Starting in 1992, he conducted extensive research on the ancient maqams of the Tanbur, resulting in a significant publication: a set of four CDs and a booklet released in 2002 by Maison des Cultures du Monde.

Over the years, Moradi has published more than 23 recordings and books. He has collaborated with numerous esteemed musicians, including Shahram Nazeri, Kaykhosro Pournazeri, Kayhan Kalhor, Ardeshir and Bijan Kamkar, Pejman Hadadi, Erdal Erzincan, Ulaş Özdemir, Pezhham Akhavass, Mehdi Bagheri, and Arash and Kourosh Moradi.

In addition to his research, recordings, and performances, Moradi teaches Tanbur in Tehran and Kermanshah. Currently residing in Kurdistan, Iran, he founded the cultural center The House of Tanbur in Guran. This center offers year-round music classes and hosts annual Tanbur and Kurdish music festivals to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Pejman Hadadi

Pejman Hadadi, a renowned percussionist from Tehran, Iran, began his musical journey at age 10, studying under Master Tombak player Assadollah Hejazi. Influenced by greats like Bahman Rajabi and Hossein Tehrani, he later mastered the Daf, inspired by Bijan Kamkar’s recordings.

Moving to the US in 1989, Pejman began his professional career in 1991, collaborating with notable musicians such as Hossein Alizadeh, AliAkbar Moradi, Kayhan Kalhor, Shahram Nazeri, and joining the Dastan Ensemble in 1995. He co-founded ZARBANG, the pioneering Iranian percussion ensemble, in 2000. Pejman’s innovative techniques on the Tombak, including tunable frame drums, and his partnership with REMO to develop synthetic-skin Dafs, have significantly expanded the instruments’ global reach. Dedicated to education, he established Neyreez World Music Institute and has received the Durfee Foundation Master Musician Award twice. Pejman’s compositions span dance and film, including soundtracks for Prince of Egypt and Prince of Persia.

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