Mehrnam Rastegari to Debut CHOGAN at Joe's Pub in April

Iranian master kamancheh player Mehrnam Rastegari will debut her newest project, Chogan, at Joe's Pub in NYC on April 10th. Chogan is a quartet consisting of Sam Minaei (upright bass), Philip Mayer (drums), Amit Peled (guitar), and Rastegari on kamancheh, the Persian spiked fiddle. Chogan was created to play both Rastegari's original material and rearranged folk songs with a fusion/Middle Eastern vibe.

"Chogan, is my newborn child, Mehrnam explains. "it took me more than a year to find these specific musicians from various bands in different concerts, I am grateful to have the best by my side. I always wanted to showcase the happy, powerful and fun face of my instrument (kamancheh) through my music. As an Iranian woman who recently immigrated from Tehran to NYC, I always could feel the lack of women's presence, excitement, freedom and dance in my performances because of the obstacles; some made by political situations and some by patriarchal traditions around the whole world, especially in older generations."

"I started to bring my original pieces to this band, and I love hearing them in this arrangement. Later I started rearranging some of my favorite folk songs and playing them with Chogan, it brings the oldest roots of music on the earth to a new living experience."

About Mehrnam Rastegari

Mehrnam Rastegari is a prominent Persian musician, award-winning film score composer, singer, violinist, and master kamancheh player. She is an extraordinary kamancheh performer, acclaimed by some of the finest players and instructors globally, who have certified her as a Master Kamancheh player. Rastegari has performed at some of the most prestigious music festivals worldwide, including globalFEST and Secret Planet in NYC, Fajr International Music Festival in Tehran, WOMEX in Tampere, Finland, and numerous others across The United States, Germany, Switzerland, France, Iran, and more.

Rastegari is a Silkroad Global Musician Workshop alumna and a featured artist for the World Music Institute in New York City, contributing to their multiple projects, including music performances, WMI Plus interviews, and podcasts. She was a featured guest speaker at the TEDx event "Oasis: Existence in Nothingness." She has composed for over 10 feature films, theaters, and award-winning short films. Notably, "Dispirited" earned her the "Best Original Score" award from the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards (MCIFA), Rastegari is also a valued member of the NYAO (New York Arabic Orchestra) and has had the privilege of performing at the United Nations Headquarters. Rastegari is the founder of "Mehrnam Rastegari Traditional Persian Band" in New York City, where she continues to live, work and perform.

About The Musicians:

Sam Minaei (Upright Bass): Iranian-American bassist and producer, Sam Minaie, was born and raised in Reno, Nevada where he attended the University of Nevada, Reno. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Reno, he moved to Los Angeles to study with Charlie Haden at California Institute of the Arts where he received his Master's degree. Currently living in New York City, he has enjoyed touring and recording throughout the world with artists including Tigran Hamasyan, Kneebody, Donny McCaslin, Dhafer Youssef, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra (tuba), Peter Epstein, David Ake, Ravi Coltrane, Jeff Ballard, Nate Wood, Mark Guiliana, Patti Austin, Melody Gardot, Butch Morris, Tootie Heath, Jean-Michel Pilc, Ari Hoenig, Shai Maestro, Nate Wood, Ben Wendel, Houman Pourmehdi, Alfred Ladzekpo and numerous others. As a producer and post production engineer, Sam has either written for, mixed, or mastered dozens of records and is the founder of birdFood Studio in NYC

Philip Mayer (Drums): Philip Mayer is a New York City based percussionist and drummer. With a background in jazz and American popular music, Philip's interest in music traditions from around the world led him to travel and study extensively in India, Israel, Turkey, Spain and Italy. On the drum set, Philip tours regularly with multi platinum selling artist Natalie Merchant and he originated the drum book for the hit Broadway musical, The Band's Visit which won 10 Tony Awards and a Grammy. As a specialist in Arabic and Turkish music, Philip has toured all over the middle east performing at venues such as The Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi and the Al Bustan Palace in Oman.

Amit Peled (Guitar): Amit Peled (Habbina Habbina, Les Rhinoceros, Ramzailech, A-Wa), is one of New-York's leading mediterranean-style guitar players. Mixing his old-school repertoire which ranges from Middle-eastern to Klezmer music along with his conception of guitar sound, effects, and modern adaptations of the instrument, he sets himself as one of the most unique voices in the NYC musical scene.

To post a comment, you must register and login.