Text by Dawoud Kringle
Axiom of Choice, a southern California based group who dares name themselves after a mathematical concept (i.e. an axiom of set theory equivalent to the statement that the Cartesian product of a collection of non-empty sets is non-empty) is someone to be reckoned with.
Photo by Walter Wagner
Text by Dawoud Kringle
The approach to improvisation that Ornette Coleman pioneered in the late 1950s and early 1960s rewrote the book on musical improvisation. However, Coleman’s paradigm shift was only the beginning. San Francisco based composer, saxophonist, and musical theorist Hafez Modirzadeh is among the forerunners of a significant transformation in improvised music, picking up where Coleman left off, and taking it into new places.
Text by Dawoud Kringle
Austin, TX based composer, vocalist, poet, Persian setarist and multi-instrumentalist Fared Shafinury is one of the more iconic and unique figures among the Iranian-American diaspora, balancing two seemingly dissimilar cultures.
It has been said of him that he “effectively unearthed his ancestral roots in classical Persian music and poetry, as well as reinvigorating the ancient sound with a modern touch.” Shafinury’s music morphs between American folk, rock, blues, and the classical and folk of music Iran. His lyrics vacillate between Farsi and English.
Iranian Music which is about today…The Cutting Edge of Iranian Avant GardeText by Dawoud Kringle
This is the second installment of a series of articles focusing on the cutting edge of Iranian Music.
Text by Dawoud Kringle
Despite what our political leaders would have us believe, Iran has centuries of traditions of music and musical innovations. The aforementioned political friction and idiocy notwithstanding, this innovation has shown no signs of stopping. After being driven underground in 1979, and forced to survive with hostilities on several fronts threatening its existence, Iranian musicians are emerging with a renewed purpose. And finding acceptance among not only Iranian expatriates, but also among open minded western listeners.
