Improvisations from the Doyen of Kurdish Nay

Renowned Iranian nay player and vocalist, Shaho Andalibi, returns to Small World Music for another genre-crossing Experimental Link collaboration with Toronto-based bassist Scott Peterson, joined by notable pianist and keyboardist Chris Pruden and with the addition of Mack Longpre on drums. Jazz, contemporary classical and Middle Eastern music traditions converge for this instalment of the Toronto-centric series creating essential space for new sounds and connections. Link Music Lab last presented Andalaibi and Peterson for a special concert honouring the great Kurdish singer and musician Ali Sasghar Kurdistani in 2022 and 2023. Andalibi’s connection to Kurdish music runs deep, having learnt its melodies and modes at a very young age within a well-known musical family in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan Province. A prolific performer and musician, he has recorded 22 albums, toured and performed internationally, established the Andalibi Ensemble and Andalibi Music Academy in Toronto, and served as principal of Neyzar Music Academy in Tehran. In 2019 the multi-instrumentalist and music teacher was a finalist for the Aga Khan Music Awards.

As the bassist in Asiko Afrobeat and Labyrinth Ensemble with a solid foundation in jazz, Peterson’s experience with globally diverse music is impressive, from producing with Zimbabwean band Nhapitapi to throat singing for Jonathan Goldsmith’s score for the film Burn Your Maps. Having studied throat singing in Tuva, guitar in Brazil, gamelan in Bali and composition and piano in Toronto, Peterson will bring a fascinating musical vantage point as a multi-faceted composer, producer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and singer.

Chris Pruden recently released a set of solo piano improvisations and compositions last year called Suns through Elastic Recordings. Edmonton-born, Pruden has performed across North America, China and Europe and is a frequent collaborator with Tara Kannangara, Sammy Jackson, Zinnia, Language Arts, Future Machines and Ronley Teper’s Lipliners.

Mack Longpre is a drummer and composer in Toronto; mainly jazz and improvised music, as well as pop and rock. Masters of Music in Jazz Performance from University of Toronto. Previous teachers: Jim Blackley, Bob McLaren, Terry Clarke, John Rudolph, Frank Falco, Jim Vivian, Nick Fraser.

Experimental Link Series contemplates the Persian-Canadian experience by reinvigorating, re-exploring and re-imagining Persian traditional music within contemporary and cosmopolitan Toronto by inviting different musicians from the diaspora to collaborate and perform together. The series will explore connections between identity, culture, and musical creation.

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