Author Archives: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Mike Tyson on Broadway?! Can he sing and dance?

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

One of my heroes, when I was a teenager, was Muhammad Ali. I loved him for what he was and stood for. He was not only a boxer but also a political activist. I loved the way he expressed himself inside and outside of the ring. I still remember when I was a teenager watching his fights late at night in front of the black and white TV due to the time difference between the US and Germany. It was exciting to watch him fighting and talking in the ring. Although Ali was such a great boxer I never thought of becoming a boxer myself. Guess I was scared and knew that boxing is a dangerous sport.

When Ali retired I lost interest in boxing. But this changed again when I met my wife who loved boxing. It was the time when Mike Tyson became a big shot and eventually achieved something nobody of his change had ever achieved by that time: becoming the youngest heavy weight world champ!

Continue reading →

News: Occupy Wall Street Trespassers Found Guilty of Trespassing!!!

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Saturday, December 17th, I went with my friend Martin Bisi to Duarte Square, at the corner of Canal Street and 6th Avenue, to celebrate the three month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

When we arrived there many people, about a couple of hundreds, had already gathered and were getting ready to occupy the park and the fenced-off parking lot next door belonging to the Trinity Episcopal Church which refused to let them use the land as a campsite. Read more about this rally here.

The day before yesterday eight OWS protesters were found guilty of trespassing. Seven of them were sentenced to community service and one, Mark Adams, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and sent to Rikers Island. Unbelievable! I don’t know what he did, but to put him in Rikers Island isn’t fair and doesn’t make sense. The Lawyers Guild, which represented him and the others are going to appeal this verdict.

CD recommendation: Traditional Inventiveness – Andra Kouyaté and Sèkè Chi Reveal the Innovative Spirit and Polyglot Funk in Mali’s Deepest Roots

Artist: Andra Kouyaté
Title: Saro
Label: Studio Mali
Genre: Malian traditional and pop music
Release date: July 31, 2012

Recommended by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

In some musically vibrant corners of the world, innovation is the tradition.

Continue reading →

Music listings – 6/18 through 6/24

1. ABYSM

Date: Monday, June 18, 2012
Time: 9:30pm
Venue:  Clemente Soto Velez Center (107 Suffolk Street, NY 10002, 212-260-4080)
Ticket: $10
Genre: contemporary music/electronc music

Shoko Nagai (piano, auto harp, moog), Satoshi Takeishi (Percs, electronics)

The Japanese experimental piano/percssion duo ABYSM incorporates improvisation, compositions, electronics, objects and visual elements into their performances. Their music is very unique and something special in contemporary music scene. Each song tells a specific story which is expressed by certain chosen sound textures which help the listener to visualize the story.

Continue reading →

Iranian alternative rock bands moving out from Iran: Yellow Dogs and 127 in NY!!!

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi!

Two things happened recently which made me write today’s post: first of all last Saturday at the “Celebrate Brooklyn” music festival I happen to meet the Iranian trombone player Salmak Khaledi who’s a member of the Iranian band 127, which is one of the first Iranian rock bands that toured the USA. (Their music is a mixture of rock, jazz and Iranian melodies.) We talked about our bands and about being a musician here and in present Iran.

And three days ago I got an email from a music colleague and friend Lukas Liget asking me whether I have heard of the Iranian band Yellow Dogs. First I thought that I didn’t know them but then I remembered that they were one of the Iranian band featured in the Iranian movie No One Knows About Persian Cats which DooBeeDoo featured some time ago.

Because Iran seems to be so far away from NY, people here think that there’s no no pop music, no indie rock, no club music…no techno, hip hop…even no Jazz. Not at all, there’s been a thriving underground music scene in Tehran for more than ten years!

Continue reading →