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The Heart is a Candle

by Shayan

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a gatefold case with artwork by Marie Parent

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Heart is a Candle via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 AUD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 AUD  or more

     

1.
Ahriman 04:06
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2.
Down by the Gulf 05:52
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3.
Huma Birds 05:43
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4.
Historical Rage 05:06
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5.
Ameh Zari's Song 05:50
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6.
The Heart is a Candle 05:05
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7.
Twenty Pillars Reflected 05:19
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about

Melbourne jazz ensemble Shayan has been described as ‘...a massive, gigantic beast which -despite its density and mass - moves swiftly and smoothly through the city, slowly but firmly; and as it goes, it devours all sorts of elements and sounds, from funk and jazz to classical to
rock to Iranian traditional music.’
Led by saxophonist Omid Shayan, the band features some of the most creative and talented improvisers in Australia. In this new digital album, Shayan explores the intersection between contemporary jazz and traditional Iranian music.

Each of the seven tracks links to an aspect of Iranian culture:

Ahriman is the god of chaos, evil and darkness in the ancient Zoroastrian faith that began in Iran many millennia ago;

the Huma Bird is a mystical creature in Persian mythology which lives its entire life in the air, without ever touching the ground. To catch
one is impossible, but to catch a glimpse of one would make a person happy for the rest of their life.

In Down by the Gulf, Omid was inspired by a city by the Persian Gulf which is famous for its dance music: the track picks up the dance rhythm and adapts it for a jazz context.

Twenty Pillars Reflected evokes Chehel Sotoun, the ‘Palace of Forty Columns’ in Esfahan, whose twenty slender wooden columns are perfectly mirrored in the pool of water stretching out in front of the pavilion.

Ameh Zari’s Song is dedicated to Omid's aunt, who for some years now has been battling cancer: ‘a constant, positive presence throughout my life. She’s one of those gentle souls that move serenely through life at her own tempo.’

The title track, The Heart is a Candle, paraphrases a poem by the famous 13th-century Persian poet Rumi. A candle does not lose any of its light when it lights another candle; a heart does not lose love when it gives love for others.

Historical Rage, is a response to recent events. On 16 September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was stopped by Iran’s ‘morality police’ for not having her hair properly covered. She was beaten, and died a few days later. Her death boiled over decades of humiliation and rage and created a female-led uprising that has shaken the Islamic republic to its core. Every day women and school girls are taking to the streets with their hair uncovered, shouting ‘Women, life, freedom’. Some are beaten, some are killed, but everyday they keep coming out onto the streets and continue to protest.

The album’s striking cover art also references these peaceful protests: the lock of hair you see was cut off and turned into an artwork by a French artist known as Mary Parent in solidarity with these brave Iranian women.

credits

released December 1, 2022

1 Ahriman 4’06
2 Down by the Gulf 5’51
3 Huma Birds 5’41
4 Historical Rage 5’04
5 Ameh Zari's Song 5’43
6 The Heart is a Candle 5’04
7 Twenty Pillars Reflected 5’15

Omid Shayan tenor sax
Flora Carbo alto sax
Anita Quayle cello
Costa Hagi bass
Ronny Ferella drums

An ABC Jazz Composer Commission Recording

Recorded June 24, 2022 at ABC Studio, 345 Southbank by ABC Jazz Producer and Engineer: Mal Stanley, assested by Jack Montgomery-Parkes
Compositions by Omid Shayan
Artwork by Marie Parent (instagram.com/marniechaissac)

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Shayan Melbourne, Australia

With a constantly evolving sound that incorporates electronic music, Iranian folk, hip-hop, and contemporary classical music, Shayan is a forward-thinking, ever-changing jazz ensemble from Melbourne, Australia.

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