Author Archives: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Our Condolences: Kamran Hooshmand Passed Away

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Kamran HooshmandMy dear friend, music colleague and FB friend (I think FB brought us together)  Kamran Hooshmand  passed away a couple of days ago. When I was drinking a coffee with my wife at Zabar’s last Sunday afternoon I checked my FB page and booms there was his wife’s Jill’s announcement of his death. I was shattered by this news, tears dropped out of my eyes. Immediately I commented to the news and asked Jill to get back to me, because I didn’t know her cell number.

She hasn’t responded yet.

This is what I know…He died of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). He told me about it in February; and I believe since than he has went through three chemos or even more?

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KLOUB NSSA: Spirit, Voice And Rhythm

Kloub Nssa

Photo by Mbarek AG

Text by Richard Bennett

Reaching beyond borders and cultures, KLOUB NSSA is a new collaboration between Brooklyn vocalist/percussionist/composer Paula Jeanine Bennett and the Moroccan all-women vocal/drum choir The Sufi Haddarattes of Essaouira. KLOUB NSSA means heart of women. The music of KLOUB NSSA illustrates this appellation with its potent blend of propulsive drumming and layered vocals.

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2016 Grammy Award Winner Arturo O’Farrill Needs Your Support

Arturo O'FarrillSupport “The Cornel West Concerto” recording featuring Arturo O’Farrill
and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

Arturo O’Farrill‘s The Cornel West Concerto is a tour-de-force musical and oratorical plea for justice, love, and respect… with text by Dr. Cornel West – based on questions proposed by W.E.B. Dubois at the turn of the 20th Century – questions as relevant today (if not more so) as they were then:

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Middle Eastern Music From Brooklyn: Baharat Band’s New CD

BaharatArtist: Baharat Band
Titel: Mosaics
Label: self-produced
Genre: Middle Eastern music/World/Belly dance music

CD Review by Dawoud Kringle

“Baharat” is an Arabic word for a spice blend that varies from different regions. As spices were traded along the trade routes so were musical instruments, which evolved in an original way to their respective culture. With this idea as conceptual foundation, Baharat Band is a band of Brooklyn based ensemble whose compositions and improvisations are influenced by music from various cultures from Africa to Asia, though primarily from the Middle East. They were founded by Michael Burdi (oud) and his brother Jerome Burdi (percussion), and joined by Jeff Campoli (percussion) and Enrique Mancia (bass). They are joined by guest musicians Adam Maalouf (riq), Hanna Madbek (guitar, vocals), and Cody Rowlands (trumpet).

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Film Music Documentary: “Jaco” (P.2)

JACO PASTORIUSRead P.1 here:
 https://doobeedoobeedoo.info/?p=26869 – Review by Dawoud Kringle

Ironically, it was the height of Jaco Pastorius‘s success that brought out his worst demons. He had problems with drugs and alcohol, problems with his marriages, business problems, and the pressures of fame. It all took its toll on him.

The documentary spent a lot of time focusing on his technique and how it developed. His use of harmonics, fretless techniques, etc. were all things that Jaco used and redefined in unprecedented ways. But much of it focused on his downward spiral. The producers approached this with sensitivity, yet without the attempt to whitewash anything. Within the tragedy and pathos of the last years of his life, there were, however, moments of light.

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