Azam Ali
Background information
Birth name	Azam Ali
Also known as	Vas, Niyaz
Born	Iran
Genre(s)	World
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Hammered Dulcimer, Frame Drum, Riqq, Zils, Chan Chan, Daf, Tanpura, Psaltery, Bendir
Label(s)	Narada, Six Degrees Records
Website	http://www.azamalimusic.com

Azam Ali is an Iranian-born musician/singer, who currently resides in Los Angeles. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Vas are an alternative world group, comprised of Persian born vocalist Azam Ali and American percussionist Greg Ellis. ... Niyaz is an acoustic electronic project, consisting of lead singer Azam Ali (of Vas), instrumentalist and composer Ramin Loga Torkian (of Axiom of Choice) and producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Antarctica Oceania Africa Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Caribbean Central Asia East Asia North Asia South Asia Southeast Asia SW. Asia Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Central America Latin America Northern America Americas C. Africa E. Africa N. Africa Southern Africa W. Africa C. Europe E. Europe N... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A diatonic hammered dulcimer made by Masterworks The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. ... A framedrum is a membranophone that has a drumhead diameter greater than its depth. ... The riq (also spelled riqq or rik) is a type of tambourine used as a traditional instrument in Arabic music. ... A pair of zils from the Khan el Khalili market in Cairo Zils or finger cymbals are tiny cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. ... The word daf and similar can mean: The word daff is a colloquial short form of daffodil. ... The tambura is a musical instrument used in various places around the world. ... A psaltery is a stringed musical instrument of the harp or the zither family. ... Moroccan bendir with snares The bendir (erbeni or arbani) is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa, more specifically in Tunisia. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Narada Productions is a record label formed in 1983 as a new age music label. ... Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Biography

Azam Ali was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up in India from the age of four in the small town of Panchgani, a hill station in the state of Maharashtra. There she attended an international co-educational boarding school for eleven years, all the while absorbing India’s music and culture throughout her formative years. The course Azam would eventually choose in her life would be very much influenced by her fortuitous upbringing in a school which emphasized the importance of the arts and spirituality, and aimed through moral and academic excellence to produce promoters of social transformation imbued with the spirit of service to mankind. It is this objective that would take shape in Azam’s music in the coming years. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... , Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र , IPA:  , English: ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ...

The Iranian Revolution of 1979 changed the course of Azam’s life, as it did for many Iranians. Unwilling to bring her daughter back to a country filled with uncertainty, her mother decided to give up her home and life, and together they moved to America in 1985 when Azam was just a teenager. 1980 Iranian stamp commemorating the Islamic Revolution After Islamic Conquest  Modern (SSR = Soviet Socialist Republic) Afghanistan  Azerbaijan  Bahrain  Iran  Iraq  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan  This box:      The Iranian Revolution (also known as the Islamic Revolution,[1][2][3][4][5][6] Persian: انقلاب اسلامی, Enghelābe Eslāmi) was the revolution that transformed Iran...

Shortly after moving to the United States, it became clear for Azam that she wanted to pursue a career in music after falling in love with the Persian santour (hammered dulcimer). Though Azam had an innate gift for singing since she was a child and sang often at home and school functions, she had no particular interest in becoming a vocalist. She had her heart set on becoming an instrumentalist and so began studying the santour under the guidance of Persian master Manoocher Sadeghi. During the eight years of her extensive studies with Ustad Sadeghi, in which she became an accomplished hammered dulcimer player, Azam began to realize that she was unable to express the full range of emotions she experienced through her instrument. It was during one of these lessons that her teacher heard her sing for the first time. Completely taken, he told her that her voice had a rare emotional quality about it which should be cultivated and nurtured. It was through his encouragement that Azam began to explore her voice as the vehicle through which she would finally be able to fully express herself, a voice which Billboard magazine would later describe as "a glorious unforgettable instrument." The santur (سَنتور) is a hammered dulcimer of Iran. ... Billboard can refer to: Billboard magazine Billboard (advertising) Billboard antenna In 3D computer graphics, to billboard is to rotate an object so that it faces the viewer. ...

While pursuing formal training in various vocal traditions, like Western classical, Indian, Persian and Eastern European, Azam’s true passion has been to explore the immense potentiality of the human voice, specifically its capability to transcend language, culture and spiritual barriers when expressing pure emotion. When asked about her approach to singing, Azam explains: "What intrigues me most about the human voice, is its ability to make all things transparent through its power of transformation. The voice is not just a conduit for words. For me it is like an abstract dream in which everything makes perfect sense."

Currently living in Los Angeles, Azam is internationally recognized for her work with Vas, the critically acclaimed, best selling, world music duo she co-founded in 1996 with percussionist Greg Ellis. From 1997 – 2004 Vas has released four albums on the Narada music label. Their music, which they described as "alternative world", focused mainly on the ancient relationship between the drum and the voice. Their distinct sound blended influences of Indian, Persian, Western and other musical styles. Though in their early days Vas drew many comparisons to Dead Can Dance, they surpassed that comparison with each album they released, earning them their place in the musical hierarchy of bands whose innovation set a standard for other to aspire to. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Vas are an alternative world group, comprised of Persian born vocalist Azam Ali and American percussionist Greg Ellis. ... Greg Ellis is an English actor. ... Dead Can Dance is a band comprising Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. ...

Film and television

Azam's voice can be heard on a myriad of film and television projects. She has worked extensively with composer Brian Tyler on his scores for Paparazzi, Godsend and especially on the Children Of Dune, where she performed the song "Inama Nushif".^[1] She also performs vocals for the theme to the show Prison Break. Paparazzi is a 2004 action film directed by Paul Abascal, produced by actor Mel Gibson, and starring Cole Hauser and Tom Sizemore. ... Promotional poster for Godsend Godsend is a 2004 horror/drama movie, and is directed by Nick Hamm. ... Children of Dune was the sequel to the 2000 Dune miniseries produced by the United States Sci Fi channel. ... Inama Nushif forms part of the soundtrack to the mini-series Children of Dune. ... Prison Break is an American television series that premiered on the Fox Network on August 29, 2005. ...

Other works include Battlefield Earth, The Legend Of Earthsea, Dawn Of The Dead and Matrix Revolutions, performing the song "Navras" together with bandmate Greg Ellis, Ben Watkins of Juno Reactor and Laxmi Shankar. She also performed leading vocals for the choir-driven soundtrack in 2007's comic book-based epic film 300, composed by Tyler Bates. For the book of the same name, see Battlefield Earth (novel). ... Earthsea DVD Cover The Legend of Earthsea miniseries (later shortened to Earthsea), adapted quite loosely from the award-winning Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin, premiered as a two-night television event on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2004. ... Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film remake of George A. Romeros 1978 horror film of the same name. ... The Matrix Revolutions is the third film in the Matrix trilogy. ... Ben Watkins Juno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic-psychedelic fusion of electronic and global music, the Matrix score and other film works. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The epic film is a film genre typically featuring expensive production values and dramatic themes. ... 300 is a 2007 film adaptation of the graphic novel 300 by Frank Miller, and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. ...

More recently, she has also performed on the controversial mini-series The Path To 9/11. Promotional material for The Path to 9/11 The Path to 9/11 is a controversial two-part miniseries aired in the United States on ABC television on September 10, 2006 at 8 p. ...

Other works

Beside Vas, Azam is also the singer of the Iranian band Niyaz which includes Loga Ramin Torkian and Grammy-award winning producer Carmen Rizzo. Niyaz, an acoustic electronic project that puts the words of Sufi poets to music, has garnered much acclaim and success, recently performing at the Vancouver Jazz Festival. Niyaz is an acoustic electronic project, consisting of lead singer Azam Ali (of Vas), instrumentalist and composer Ramin Loga Torkian (of Axiom of Choice) and producer/remixer Carmen Rizzo. ... Carmen Rizzo is a music producer and engineer from the USA who has worked with Marius De Vries, Trevor Horn, Seal, Sinéad OConnor, Billy Corgan, Alanis Morrisette, Paul Oakenfold, Perry Farrell, Kate Havnevik, Jem, Esthero, Coldplay, and Pete Townshend to name but a few. ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ...

Azam is also a very prolific guest perfomer and her distinctive voice can be found on many albums such as One by Yuval Ron, released in 2003 on Magda Records. This release, essentially by a middle eastern supergroup, also features Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Yair Dalal, as well as Haim Louk, Pejman Hadadi and Nabil Azzam One is a project by Israeli composer Yuval Ron, who teams together with Turkish virtuoso Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Yair Dalal, singer Azam Ali (of the group Vas) and many others. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Magda is a municipality/county in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. ... Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, also called Omar Faruk Tekbilek, is a Turkish musician. ... Yair Dalal is an Israeli Musician of Iraqi-Jewish descent. ... Pejman Hadadi (Born 1969 Tehran) is an internationally acclaimed Iranian tonbak player and Persian classical musician. ...

Further collaborations include the song "Coma" on the album Enter The Chicken by Buckethead and appearances on albums by Dredg, Steve Stevens, Kondo and Slow Motion Reign. Enter the Chicken is an album by virtuoso guitarist Buckethead. ... Buckethead (born Brian Carroll in 1969), is an American guitarist and composer. ... dredg is a progressive alternative band from Los Gatos, California, USA. // History Their first studio album, Leitmotif, was released by the Universal music label on September 11, 2001. ... Steve Stevens (born as Steve Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter. ... Slow Motion Reign (also known as SMR) is a rock band from the L.A. area that is currently signed with System Of A Down lead singer Serj Tankians record company, Serjical Strike Records. ...

In 2006, Azam contributed the song "The Cold Black Key" to "Neil Gaiman: Where's Neil when you need him?" Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960, Portchester, Hampshire) is an English author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many graphic novels. ...

Discography

See also: 2002 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2002 Record labels established in 2002 other events of 2002 list of years in music 2000s in music // 2002 was marked by significant trends in Rock Music. ... Portals of Grace is the first solo release from Azam Ali. ... Narada Productions is a record label formed in 1983 as a new age music label. ... See also: 2006 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2006 Record labels established in 2006 2000s in music. ... Elysium For The Brave is singer/songwriter Azam Alis second album, following her successful debut Portals of Grace, which explored the links between Medieval European music (both secular and religious), and Arabic music. ... Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists. ...

References

1. ^ Azam Ali: The Landsraad Interview. The Landsraad. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 50 days remaining. ...

External links

• Azam Ali's official site
• Vas Website
• Niyaz Website
• Tyler Bates Website
• Poetry by Azam Ali