Empty Voices
Releases June 14, 2024
I moved to Australia 10 years ago as a musician who plays a non-conventional instrument. There were a lot of obstacles that could have made me stop playing music full time, but my love for my instrument and my curiosity to blend the tar with the western music made me continue my journey.
My driving force was an inspiration from a beautiful idea in Sufism that says if you truly love something you should let yourself become part of it completely or in another word let yourself dissolve.
My passion for creation and my love for the Persian classical music, western contemporary music and jazz resulted in albums with my band Eishan Ensemble over the past seven years. However, Fusion and blending is a never-ending journey. I’ve always had a lot of questions in my head; What is the best way of doing it? How loud or soft should my music be? Should it be structured or free-flowing? What does it mean to be authentic?
After presenting multiple projects in Australia fusing my music with western contemporary music, I decided to listen more to my heart, let myself dissolve and free myself from the questions and voices in my head and orchestrate a project for a seven-piece ensemble including four horns, a set of percussions, double bass and the Persian tar that is expected to be loud yet it presents a linear gentle soundscape.
Empty Voices tries to define a new form of beauty and tries to present a forgotten love through music
Empty Voices is about listening, lowering expectations, appreciating small moments and recognising the fragility of human being. Empty Voices celebrates the glory in the insignificance of life and it is about feeling empowered by valuing simplicity.
The music throughout the album respects repetitions and minor fluctuations. The structure of the melodies is based on the Persian classical repertoire ‘Radif’ however the solos and collective improvisational segments are based on the structure of classical jazz. The musicians in the band are elegant listeners who communicate constantly. I shared my definition of beauty with them before the rehearsals and we all tried to reflect that in our playing.
Musicians:
Hamed Sadeghi, Persian tar
Sandy Evans, soprano and tenor saxophone
Paul Cutlan, Bass Clarinet
Lloyd Swanton, double bass
Michael Avgenicos, alto saxophone
Thomas Avgenicos, trumpet
Adem Yilmaz, percussions
Supporter and Funding Acknowledgement:
NSW government through Create NSW.
APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund in Partnership with the Australian Music Centre and SOUNZ.
