DESCRIPTION:
Saeid Shanbehzadeh : Neyanbon, Neyjofti, Dammam

He began playing music at the age of seven in his native town of Boushehr in southern Iran with old music masters from the area and according to the local oral traditions. He first learned percussion and singing, then Neyanban (bagpipe), Neyjofti (double flute) and traditional dances.

At the age of twenty he created his own traditional music group, the Zâr Ensemble (before called Shanbezadeh's Ensemble) which won the first prize at the Fajr Festival in Tehran in 1990. At the same time he also began to conduct research and write about southern Iranian music in Iranian periodicals. His research on the ethnomusicology of the region led him to collect many different types of local music and create sound archives for this music. As a result of his research and his concerts he is now a nationally and internationally known musician.

In 1996 he was invited to spend a semester at the University of Toronto. In 1998 he was named professor and director at the House of Culture and Music of the island of Kish (Iran). In 2001 the French Montalvo/Hervieu Company invited him to participate in creating and touring with the "Babelle Heureuse" show, which was performed more than two hundred times in France, Europe and Brazil.

He also composed film scores and acted for a variety of film directors, such as Mohssen Makhmalbaf for the film "Dar" ("The Door"), Bahram Bayzai for "Gouf te gou ba bad" ("Speak with the Wind") and Rakhshan Banietemad for "Baran va boumi" ("Baran and the Citizen").


Habib Mefhtaboushehri : Dammam, Zarbetempo, Flute

He began to play music in religious ceremonies at a very young age, His father taught him to play the flute. He learned to play Zarbetempo on his own with help and advice from experienced old masters in the city. As a university student he played in the Students' Music festival and won the soloist first prize three times. At the age of twenty he was invited by Saeid Shanbehzadeh to join the ZÂR Ensemble and teach at the House of the Arts in Kish.

In 2001 the French Montalvo/Hervieu Company invited him to participate in creating and touring with the "Babelle Heureuse" show, which was performed more than two hundred times in France, Europe and Brazil.

He just recorded his first album of music from Boushehr combined with African musical influences.
Naghib Shanbehzadeh
Tombak, Zarbetempo

Young skilled percussionist, Naghib began playing music in Boushehr and Kish with his
father at the age of 3 years old. He learnt traditional percussions from the south of Iran
(Dammâm, Doholgap, Pipè, Kesser, Tempo) and classical ones (Zarb). Since the age of 10,
he plays concerts with famous musicians as Billy Cobham, Manu Codja or Matthieu
Donarier.
Now, he studies occidental percussions at the « Conservatoire de Créteil ».
Matthieu Donarier: Saxophones (soprano, tenor)

He shares his time between various groups : Daniel Humair's "Baby Boom," Gabor Gado Quartet, Le sacre du Tympan, Caratini Jazz Ensemble, Stephan Oliva quintet, etc.

Manu Codjia: Electric guitar

Musical partner of Erick Truffaz, he has also played with Daniel Humair's "Baby Boom," Henri Texier, Aldo Romano, Moniomania and has participated in a dozen of other musical projects.

Joe Quitzke: Drums

Joe is Swedish and grew up in Andalusia. He traveled extensively before settling in France. For the last three years, he's been associated with all of Francois Jeanneau's projects (trio, quartet, orchestra). He is a member of the Gabor Gado Quartet.