Author Archives: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Concert Review: Mohsen Namjoo (Iran)…This is the heart and soul of post-revolutionary Iran, which is trying to hold its Persian roots while at the same time surviving in a country not their own.

Venue:  Drom (NY)
Date: August 2, 2013

Review by Dawoud Kringel

On a beautiful summer night, Drom was packed, mostly with Iranians, who were there to hear their man: Mohsen Namjoo. After a brief announcement, Namjoo came to the stage, accompanied by Yahya Alkhansa (member of 127) on percussion. At this point, I must admit I’d never heard Namjoo before this night. Nothing could have prepared me for the performance I was to hear.

A purposefully struck chord cut through the air like the azan or adhan (Islamic call to prayer). A mournful rhythm with two chords was joined by the percussion. Suddenly, a frightening voice broke through. Like Tom Waits crawling through a desert, emerging from a torturous meditation, hallucinating djinns masquerading as Screaming Jay Hawkins reincarnated as a mad Sufi. Weird falsettos and rumbling basso popping out and ambushing the ears. All thus manifesting within a sparse rhythm in an improbable Persian time signature.

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DooBeeDoo Endorses: THE DISSIDENT ARTS FESTIVAL 2013

946305_10201375067076280_1897149628_nDate: Saturday, August 24, 2013
Time: 3pm – 9pm
Venue: The Brecht Forum (451 West Street, New York)
Admission: $15. general

The annual Dissident Arts Festival, a celebration of revolutionary free jazz, modern music, poetry and film, returns to Greenwich Village’s Brecht Forum for the fourth consecutive year. This year’s will be dedicated to Trayvon Martin and other victims of racist assault.

The Dissident Arts Festival serves as a conduit for progressive artists and other activists to gather and engage in an all-day concert commemorating the rich heritage of movement culture. The 2013 edition encompasses a tapestry of liberation jazz and new sounds including Festival headliner Roy Campbell, poet Steve  Dalachinsky, political satirist and current NYC mayoral candidate Randy Credico, veritable super-band of New Jazz UNCONSPICUOUS MEETING (with Daniel Carter, Ras Moshe , Jeff  Platz, Federico  Ughi and leader Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic), reeds player Blaise Siwula’s ‘TESLA COILS (with Harvey Valdes and Gian Luigi Diana), revolutionary ensemble THE RED MICROPHONE (with John Pietaro, Ras Moshe, Rocco John Iacovone, Nicolas Letman-Burtinivic), “nu world trash” band SoSaLa (led by the multi-national Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi), African percussionist OBI KAYE, poet Sana Shabazz and Festival house band, THE DISSIDENT ARTS ORCHESTRA, performing an improvised score to the Sergei Eisenstein silent classic film, BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN; the Orchestra will include cellist Gil Sellinger, bassist Laurie Towers, guitarist James Keepnews and others. There will also be a special reading of Langston Hughes‘ Kids Who Die by a guest speaker, accompanied by Ras Moshe (flute) and John Pietaro (vibraphone)

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DooBeeDoo Event Recommendation: Memorial For Steve Berrios This Coming Thursday

image001 (1)Date: Thursday, August 1, 2013
Time: 5 p.m.
Venue: St. Peter’s Church (619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street, NYC)
Ticket: suggested donation of $25

The music world lost another great musician: jazz drummer/percussionist and Ft. Apache founding member Steve Berrios passed away, July 25, 2013. The born and bred New Yorker (February 24, 1945) was a founding member of the groundbreaking Ft. Apache Band alongside brothers Jerry and Andy Gonzalez and pianist Larry Willis and often performed in the Afro-Cuban jazz medium.

Berrios was highly regarded amongst the community of musicians and also played and recorded with Randy Weston, Art Blakey, Kenny Kirkland, Michael Brecker, Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers, Joe Panama, Mongo Santamaría and others.

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MusicListings – 7/29 through 8/4/2013

1. Split Red with The Tanks & Dylan Ryan Sand

Date: Monday,  July 29, 2013
Time: 8pm to 11pm
Venue: ShapeShifter Lab (18 Whitwell Pl, between Carroll St & 1st St, Brooklyn, NY 11215, 646-820-9452)
Ticket: $10
Genre: jazz/free style/free rock/noise

SPLIT RED, ft. Stephen Buono, Travis Woodson, Nebadon Adams, Matt Engle, Ricardo Lagomasino, is a five-piece band from Philadelphia that combines the attitude of the Jesus Lizard with Minutemen-style hooks that get stuck in your head. The band equally embraces heavy riffs, up-beat grooves and twin guitar skronk that goes off the rails into a shred maelstrom. Split Red is a collective of members from Philly’s experimental and rock scenes, featuring members of Many Arms, Shot x Shot, and Make A Rising.

The Tanks features Brandon Seabrook, Ches Smith, and Toby Driver, who are all notable bandleaders and composers. They will all contribute pieces for this debut gig at Shapeshifter Labs. Members of this ensemble play with Secret Chiefs, Tim Berne, Marc Ribot, amongst others, as well as leading Seabrook Powerplant, These Arches and Kayo Dot.

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