Yoshi's Sf
·
San Francisco, CA, USA
Sunday, June 15, 2014 at 7:00 PM
Overview
Described by the Huffington Post as "an evolutionary force in contemporary Middle Eastern music," Niyaz (which means “yearning”), first stepped onto the world stage in 2005 with their infectious self-titled debut album appearing at #1 on iTunes. Describing their sound as “Sufi Electronica”, Niyaz has created a 21st century global trance tradition by seamlessly blending medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from their native Iran and its surrounding countries in the Persian and Arabian Gulf, with rich acoustic instrumentation and modern electronics.
Today with three best selling and critically acclaimed albums released on Six Degrees Records, all of which have debuted at #1 on iTunes and garnered the band an incredible amount of media attention including features on NPR and PRI, Niyaz continues to tour internationally and build on its impressive and loyal fan base worldwide. Since 2005 Niyaz has performed in the United States, Canada, France, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, India, Dubai, Mexico, Slovenia, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Tunisia, and Austria. Their music has also been featured in several major film and television scores, which include, True Blood, Nip Tuck and Crossing Over.
At the center of Niyaz’s music is the unmistakable Iranian born, Indian raised vocalist/composer Azam Ali. On stage, Niyaz is comprised of four musicians who along with Azam Ali create a rich hybrid of acoustic instrumentation and state-of-the-art electronics and visuals. The featured performers are Niyaz founding member Iranian multi-instrumentalist and composer Loga Ramin Torkian on Oud and Kamaan, Iranian multi-percussionist Habib Meftah Boushehri and Turkish multi-instrumentalist Sinan Cem Eroglu on Kaval and Baglama. On occasion, Niyaz is also accompanied by female Sufi Whirling Dervish Tanya Evanson. Together the musicians of Niyaz have created a platform to explore the music of minority ethnic and religious groups in the Middle-East who struggle to maintain their identities in the modern world. The music and message of Niyaz takes the listener on a philosophical quest into the human depths. It is a journey filled with a message of hope against injustice and oppression, a universal tribute to beauty, cultural and spiritual diversity, freedom and dignity for all.
