By any measure, Niyaz has come very far, very fast. In 2005, along with vocalist Azam Ali and programmer/producer Carmen Rizzo, Loga Ramin Torkian founded the best-selling world music group Niyaz. Drawing on medieval Persian poetry and 300-year old Persian folk songs, Niyaz created a 21st century global trance tradition and quickly became a standout ensemble in a very crowded world music field.
Late in July, Beirut's venerable dance company, Caracalla, presented their latest grand epic, "Zayed and the Dream," at Royce Hall. Under the watchful eye of Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, who sat quietly in the theatre dressed in jeans and a baseball cap, some 100 cast members entertained an audience made up almost equally of Arab Americans and non-Middle Easterners. The first half of the 2-hour plus performance told the hagiographic story of United Arabs Emirates founder Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Zayed and the Dream follows the journey of seven horsemen as they travel through the sands of time in search of the destined one who will engrave his vision on the deserts of Arabia.
Aslan Media (Staff Writer)
As summer quickly approaches, many of us will inevitably reminisce about years gone by. The end of school brought about warm evenings huddled with friends beneath a blanket of stars, singing folk tunes like "Cumbaya" or even Disney classics like "Hakuna Matata". At some point in between the campfire smores and gossip about the latest high school "crush," childhood delivered one of life's most poignant messages: the similarities we share are stronger than the differences that separate us.
Mamak Khadem & Ensemble with perform with special world music guest artists Shahrokh Moshkinghalam and Omar Faruk Tekbilek directed by Hamid Saeidi at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. Also guest starring is Fereidoun Farahandouz. Tickets available at melliticket.com.
• Naser Musa — oud, voice
• Souren Baronian — duduk, gaval, G clarinet, percussion
• Rowan Storm — frame drums, voice
• Jim Grippo — kanun
• Far'ha — Middle Eastern dance with Sazandeh Women's Ensemble
Jodie Evans, Roxana Saberi, Nazanin Boniadi[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-DEC. 6, 2010] Marking its 9th anniversary in Los Angeles, the Levantine Cultural Center (LCC) recognized three remarkable women at the East-West Awards on Wed., Dec. 1, 2010, in a dinner gala that took place at the Beverly Hills Women's Club. Nazanin Boniadi, a British-Iranian actor and official spokesperson for Amnesty International USA, was the master of ceremonies, while prominent Arab Americans Fabian Alsultany and Momo Loudiyi provided musical entertainment, supported by triple-Grammy winner KC Porter,, Algerian vocalist Fella Oudane and American percussion master Rowan Storm, with dancer Rosa Rojas. The evening culiminated with the sly satire of Iranian American actor and comedian Maz Jobrani.
Mounqaliba, the new album from Natacha Atlas: click the picture for ticketsThe Conga Room and KCRW present Natacha Atlas with an opening performance by Momo Loudiyi and Globesonic DJ Fabian Alsultany in a downtown concert event that is sure to light up the night. Devotees of the Levantine Cultural Center should use LCCATLAS when purchasing their tickets."One of the most excellent voices in the world music scene." —World Music Central
"If you rate singers according to their devotion, Atlas is among the greats...[she] has a smaller following Stateside but certainly merits a broader audience, both among those who love world music and fusion, and others with a passion for female vocalists." —Levantine Review