payvand.com -- There are times in one's life
when we think that nothing new will happen, at least in some ways. So it was an
absolutely wonderful and delightful pleasure when I recently came to love,
appreciate and feel a young artist. In my opinion, he is the most important
thing that has happened to the Iranian music scene in a very long time. His
blend of traditional Iranian music and words, along with rock and blues,
challenges his listeners as well as taking them to a higher level of doubt, joy,
pain, beauty and essence of life and existence, past and present, while all
along retaining our Iranian heritage and feelings. He has revolutionized
Iranian traditional music and with his art and talent has taken it, with a few
giant leaps, into the 21st century.
Listening to him, for the first
time in my life I found I could understand Hafez verses and feel and absorb
their meaning, never before did I feel the poetry of Hafez and Molana so visibly
and beautifully. The way he utters the words of his songs, almost making a
dance with his wonderful voice, up and down while playing his guitar or tar.
What I adore about his music is his daring to break away with and from
tradition, yet using tradition itself, but with a new vigor and meaning to and
for our modern times. I never had the taste for traditional Persian music; I
found it rather too mournful and out of my time and taste at least, with a few
exceptions. I find Namjoo's voice as deep as Dariush and Farhad and as warm and
passionate as that of Haydeh and Shahidi, many songs remembered from Golhaye
rangarang (colorful flowers) an Iranian Radio program in the old days.
(Does anyone remember that program?)
Watch video
This new phenomenon and
wonderful talented artist who has captured my musical heart is Mohsen Namjoo,
whom I have come to know through a gift from one of my godsons Pooya, who
presented me on my birthday with several collections of Iranian modern music, so
I could become IN with the Tehran music scene. He gave me a CD with a
collection of his choice from Mohsen Namjoo. My life changed overnight
(musically at least). I could not stop listening to his lyrics, hearing his
pain, finding his hope for joy and happiness, laughing with him at life, and
appreciating his great sense of humor and cynicism, what a joy!
I had heard some of his earlier
works in his first CD 'Damavand' which was less original, therefore nothing
had prepared me for the deep emotion that the modern-sensitive-mixture works of
his more recent music brought back inside of me; a fire was lit! I listened to
his many songs including his well known Eykash, Gis and Toraj songs; some of
them use western musical elements, piano, guitar, jazz etc. but his singing was
as eastern and as passionate as anything I could remember. Throughout the
night, like my younger days, we played these different songs over and over again
and enjoyed some shiraz and sang along and cried. Well, I did most of the
crying to Paul's amazement even though I was not sad, it was simply the deep
emotion that emerged from his singing and his music that brought what I seldom
find - a combination that brings together the eastern side and the western side
together in perfect harmony and creates new wonderful music. The pain, the
suffering, the alienation and yet the affection, the care and concern along with
the thoughtfulness and determination to not give in or give up and carry on and
to move on in the hope that one day it will all come out and we shall sing and
dance to this and others in the open.
His music and his magical voice
took me back to my university days when I first became familiar with such great
names as Leonard Cohen, Cat Stevens, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, John Lennon, and
many others. I just hope that you can find and listen to his uncut works
wherever you are. His music and his singing are very modern and to me a true
and real combination of great Persian sense and modernity, even my husband is
murmuring his lyrics these days. Mohsen Namjoo is a true artist with many
different and diverse talents.
I would like to add that he is
just one of many young phenomena happening in the Iranian art scene. What is
happening in Iran these days reminds me of New York in the mid 1960's with so
many young talented people around and a greatness of noavari (innovative)
works in many fields, art, music, film and – wow!! - It is great to be around
and see these flowers blossoming!
Finally, with the kindness of
some friends, Ayzim, Nader and Abolfazel, I had the pleasure of meeting this
great artist a few days ago and we took some photos that we share with you. For
more information, and to hear samples of his music please check his website:
