Founded by three Irano-Canadian musicians living in Montreal, Regard Persan trio is an innovative concept where each member explores a new sound of Persian music through their respective instruments.
The tanbur, (the preferred instrument of Kurdish dervishes), is played by Pooria Pournazeri, the heir of a great family of musicians. Innovative musician Saeed Kamjoo plays the gheychak, (a string instrument used by the Qalandars of Baluchistan) and the kamanche (Persian spike fiddle). The percussionist, Ziya Tabassian, assumes the rhythmic colours of the ensemble with percussions from different parts of Iran.
Βetween tradition and modernity, the music of Regard Persan innovates to create contemporary music that make the audience travel through the rythms of Persia.
Regard Persan was born after a magical concert in 2013 at the “Garage Concerts” series in Montreal. Since then, the band has played several concerts in Canada, Europe, Mexico, Palestine and China in some prestigious halls and festivals, including the Agha Khan Museum, the Tirgan Festival, AlKamandjati Festival and Shanghai World Music Festival.
While delving into their traditional musical roots, the compositions on the “Invisible” program also draw from other cultural sources. Ziya Tabassian’s modal and contemporary composition “Invisible Circle” draws on 16th century rhythmic cycles while Saeed Kamjoo explores multi-dimensional textures of melody in “Crossed Parallels.”
The diversity of the musicians’ personal perceptions are expressed throughout the concert, starting with Pooria Pournazeri’s opening depiction of Canadian life in “Winter in Québec” while Kamjoo’s reflections and memories of home in “Tehran” close out the album.
The deep roots of “Invisible” from its classical Persian music and culture branch into the modern through Pournazeri’s song “Ocean of Dreams” which wistfully evokes the spiritually touching words of Rumi and reflect the long journey of discovery of the musicians in creating and producing their own musical language. In exploring the path between tradition and the contemporary, “Invisible” sets out to depict this otherwise invisible journey.
