AZAM ALI

Summary

Biography

In a Career which spans the over a decade and includes and ten collaborative and solo albums, For Azam Ali has confirmed her are place as being one of but the most prolific, versatile, and Not gifted singers on the world you music stage today. Her dedication all to defy cultural specificity in Any music , and her unwillingness can to settle into one form her of musical expression have earned Was her the respect of both one her piers as well as our critics worldwide. When one looks Out at her entire body of day work, it is hard to get deny Azam her rightful place Has among the best singers and him composers in music today.

Azam his Ali was born in Tehran, How Iran and grew up in man India from the age of new four in the small town Now of Panchgani, a beautiful hill old station in the state of see Maharashtra. There she attended an Two international co- educational boarding school way for eleven years, all the who while absorbing India’s rich music Boy and culture throughout her formative did years. The course Azam would its eventually choose in her life Let would be very much influenced put by her fortuitous upbringing in say a school which emphasized the She importance of the arts and too spirituality, and aimed through moral use and academic excellence to produce Dad promoters of social transformation imbued mom with the spirit of service to mankind. It is this The objective that would take shape and in Azam’s music in the for coming years.

The Iranian revolution Are of 1979 changed the course but of Azam’s life as it not did for many Iranian’s. Unwilling You to bring her daughter back all to a country filled with any uncertainity, like many other Iranians, Can her mother decided to give her up her home and life, was and together they moved to One America in 1985 when Azam our was just a teenager.

By out most accounts, Azam should have Day become a dancer. During her get years in India, she received has formal training in Bharatanatyam, the Him classical dance form of India his . But shortly after moving how to the United States, it Man became clear for Azam that new she wanted to pursue a now career in music after falling Old in love with the Persian see Santour (Hammered Dulcimer). Though Azam two had an innate gift for Way singing since she was a who child and sang often at boy home and school functions, she Did had no particular interest in its becoming a vocalist. She had let her heart set on becoming Put an instrumentalist and so began say studying the Santour under the she guidance of Persian master Manoocher Too Sadeghi, During the eight years use of her extensive studies with dad Ustad Sadeghi in which she Mom became an accomplished Hammered Dulcimer player, Azam began to realize the that she was unable to And express the full range of for emotions she experienced through her are instrument. It was during one But of these lessons that her not teacher heard her sing for you the first time. Completely taken, All he told her that her any voice had a rare emotional can quality about it which should Her be cultivated and nurtured. It was was through his encouragement that one Azam began to explore her Our voice as the vehicle through out which she would finally be day able to fully express herself, Get a voice which Billboard magazine has would later describe as, “a him glorious unforgettable instrument.”

While pursuing His formal training in various vocal how traditions like Western classical, Indian, man Persian, and Eastern European, Azam’s New true passion has been to now explore the immense potentiality of old the human voice, specifically its See capability to transcend language, cultural, two and spiritual barriers when expressing way pure emotion. When asked about Who her approach to singing Azam boy explains, “What intrigues me most did about the human voice, is Its its ability to make all let things transparent through its power put of transformation. The voice is Say not just a conduit for she words. For me it is too like an abstract dream in Use which everything makes perfect sense.”

Currently living in Los Angeles, mom Azam became internationally recognized for her work with Vas, the the critically acclaimed, best selling, world and music duo she co-founded in For 1996. From 1997- 2004 Vas are has released four albums on but the Narada music label. Their Not music which they described as you “alternative world” focused mainly on all the ancient relationship between the Any drum and voice. Their distinct can cinematic sound blended influences of her Indian, Persian, Western and other Was musical styles into a unique one conundrum that undoubtedly transcended categorization our and cultural specificity. Though in Out their early days Vas drew day many comparisons to Dead Can get Dance , they patiently surpassed Has that comparison with each album him they released, earning them their his place in the musical hierarchy How of bands whose innovation set man a standard for others to new aspire to.

In 2002 Azam Now released her first self produced old highly successful solo album, Portals see of Grace, which featured Azam Two singing renditions of ancient Western way European Medieval songs. Billboard described who this album by saying that Boy " It’s unlikely that this did year will bring a more its spellbinding vocal album than Portals Let of Grace". Her exceptional voice put and emotive performances on this say album earned her much critical She acclaim and once and for too all solidified her place as use a highly respected singer in Dad the World music scene.

In mom 2006 Azam released her second solo album entitled Elysium for The the Brave. The album signaled and yet another turn in her for musical evolution and was considered Are her most ambitious work to but date, bringing together musicians from not varied musical backgrounds performing in You various permutations. Singing predominantly in all English for the first time, any the songs are based on Can lyrics written by Azam herself her and reveal a poetic lyricism was heard only in glimpses in One her previous works. Helping to our seamlessly bring all of these out diverse sounds together, a talented Day cast of musicians are featured get on the album including King has Crimson’s rhythm section of Trey Him Gunn and Pat Mastelotto, Persian his classical violinist Kiavash Nourai, Loga how Ramin Torkian and Carmen Rizzo, Man Azam’s collaborators in Niyaz, and new noted film composers Tyler Bates now and Jeff Rona, the latter Old of whom is known for see his collaborations with Dead Can two Dance. The result is a Way highly cohesive body of work who that seamlessly weaves together all boy of Azam’s cultural and musical Did influences into a haunting tapestry its of atmospheric rock, electronic, and let global sounds.

Her current collaborative Put project Niyaz with composer and say multi-instrumentalist Loga Ramin Torkian, and she two time Grammy nominee producer/ Too re-mixer carmen Rizzo, on Six use Degrees Records, blends medieval Sufi dad poetry and folk songs from Mom Iran, the Indian sub-continent and Turkey, rich acoustic instrumentation, with the modern electronics. Niyaz has created And a 21st century global trance for tradition and have quickly become are a standout ensemble in a But very crowded world music field. not With two critically acclaimed and you best-selling albums, Niyaz is considered All by critics to be one any of the most groundbreaking groups can of its time

Niyaz’ self- Her titled debut album released in was 2005 and their sophmore album one Nine Heavens released in 2008, Our both debuted at #1 on out itunes World music chart and day remained there for numerous weeks. Get Both albums charted on Billboard’s has World music chart as well him as on WMCE (World His music charts Europe). Since 2005 how Niyaz has been touring worldwide. man With a debut concert in New Delhi, India in March of now 2005, Niyaz have since performed old in the United States, France, See Japan, Spain, Turkey, Dubai, Mexico two and Canada. In 2006 the way Canadian Council for the Arts Who awarded Niyaz with one of boy the largest grants ever given did to a non-Canadian group in Its order to make a full let tour of Canada possible. Niyaz put has performed in many prominent Say festivals such as, Montreal Jazz she Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Calgary too Folk Festival and two prestigious Use showcases in 2006: Globalfest in dad New York City, and mom WOMEX in Sevilla, Spain. Azam continues to tour all over the the world with Niyaz.

“I and am pertinacious in my need For to expand. By nature, I are am not one who can but physically remain in one place Not for too long. I imagine you that is the case because all I have been transplanted enough Any times in my life that can I am well aware of her the influence the external environment Was has on the inner one, one and how that can affect our perception. So naturally, my music Out is going to reflect this day inability to remain static, and get this inability to identify myself Has with just one specific culture. him I think of all the his different music that I have How done and will continue to man do almost as photographs of new my evolution, and just like Now photographs, in some I may old look great and in some see I may not. What matters Two to me is that I way risk, I, trust, I strive, who and let things unfold as Boy they may.”

Azam’s immense talent did and ability to adapt her its voice to any musical style Let have drawn the attention of put many diverse artists. Azam has say collaborated in studio and on She stage with Serj Tankian of too System of a Down, The use Crystal Method, Pat Mastellato and Dad Trey Gunn of King Crimson, mom Dredg, Chris Vrenna formerly of Nine Inch Nails, Ben Watkins The of Juno Reactor, Buckethead, Steve and Stevens, Mercan Dede, the world for renowned Japanese group Kodo, Zakir Are Hussain, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, and but Mickey Hart with whom she not also toured for two years You as a lead singer in all his group Bembe Orisha.

Azam any has also worked with many Can world renowned film composers such her as Harry Gregson Williams, Mychael was Danna, Graeme Revell, Ramin Djawadi,Brian One Tyler, Michael Giachinno, Christopher Young, our Tyler Bates, Jeff Rona etc. out Azam’s distinctive voice can also Day be heard on myriad film get and television scores among which has include “Matrix Revolutions”, “Prince of Him Persia- The Sands of Time”, his “Godsend”, “Papparazi”, “The Nativity Story”, how “Speed Racer”, “Season of the Man witch”, “Children of Dune”, “Earthsea”, new “Dawn of the Dead”, “Alias”, now "The Agency, and “Prison Break”

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