Mahan Mirarab Band – Say Your Most Stunning Phrase.
(Marylebone Theatre, 25 February 2024. Dwell evaluation and photographs by Oliver Weindling)

Musicians have gotten more and more cellular. Increasingly, they’re now not primarily based the place they have been born however transfer for lengthy durations to different cities and cultures, maybe reflecting their curiosity to pattern new influences after which, like sensible cooks, create the musical equal of fusion delicacies.

Mahan Mirarab, initially from Tehran however now resident in Vienna, isn’t any exception. He humbly settles on stage in the course of his sextet to play a prolonged solo introduction along with his double-neck guitar. Fairly a sight, however, because the gig evolves in its stability of Jap and Western influences, the rationale for his selection of instrument quickly turns into clear. One neck is fretless, permitting him to bend notes and use the microtonal components and maqams of the music of his homeland. Whereas the opposite, with frets like a standard guitar, permits him to rock out in a fashion paying homage to American and European stylists,

This robust fusing of musical heritages is paying homage to different guitarists who’ve taken their very own custom and been capable of straddle Jap and Western. Comparable to Nguyen Le working with the music of his personal Vietnamese heritage.

Two different musicians of the band (listing under), like Mirarab, are initially from Iran however now in Vienna, with three others, on piano, bass and drums from his new house. And the attention of one another’s heritages led to a really particular evening.

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The live performance is predicated upon a undertaking and album relationship again to 2021, however had been unable to tour correctly until now. The poems on which a lot of the music is predicated confront the necessity to specific oneself and never be excessively constrained by custom. And his band is greater than able to attaining his targets musically.

At completely different factors of the evening, we have been capable of absolutely admire these musicians. Pianist David Six, immensely considerate and delicate all through, had an prolonged solo forward of the tune Taboo, which gave the impression to be maybe the excessive level of the evening, since this was adopted by some good enjoying not simply from Mirarab, but additionally his singer Golnar Shahyar and clarinetist Mona Matbou Riahi, who first got here to the eye of this web site in the course of the Suedtirol Jazz Competition final 12 months. Their exuberance was a pleasure to behold.

Actually by the top of the evening, Mirarab and his band have efficiently received the argument about the best way to specific oneself with out jazz or cultural ‘purity’, simply by means of memorable music.

Mirarab clearly is a musician of the best flexibility, with the power to adapt to his musical atmosphere however with out shedding his personal individuality. We hope that he can be on the Vortex in June and enjoying on the BBC Proms in August. So extra possibilities for audiences over right here will have the ability to decide for themselves.

Lineup:
Mahan Mirarab (guitar and fretless guitar)
Golnar Shahyar (voice)
Mona Matbou Riaha (clarinet)
David Six (piano)
Martin Bernauer (bass)
Amir Wahba (drums, percussion)

Set listing:

Starting
Convalescence
Chant
Invisible
Taboo
Not in my world