Mehran’s Angels of Persepolis is a vital and pleasing venture into world-flavored flamenco music through Mehran’s expert guitar playing. Mr. Mehran is a musician of Iranian descent living in Chicago playing Flamenco guitar. An odd combination, but Mehran is quite good at his craft. To the best of my knowledge, Angels of Persepolis is Mehran’s first full-length work.
Flamenco as a musical style, though informed by various ethnic influences in early times, is native to Spain, specifically the region of Andalusia. Mehran’s background includes both rock and blues and, early in his career, he played for a Chicago-based rock band No Romeo which garnered some label attention. But then flamenco music captured his heart and guitar, and Mehran has spent the better part of his adult life studying and traveling to appreciate and advance his adopted music. However, this work was born out of current events. Mehran explains: “As the world witnessed the silent and peaceful demonstrations of the Iranian people and how it was met with some of the most barbaric attacks a government can unleash on its people, it was then the concept of this CD started to get a form.”
On Angels of Persepolis Mehran integrates not only flamenco but also classical guitar and ethnic interpretations from his Persian heritage into the compositions. Mehran involves ancient Persian history, Persian mythology and Iran’s current affairs into this concept. This does not make the work eclectic, but rather diverse and versatile. And this is not all Mr. Mehran simply sitting on a stool playing away. Nearly every song is rich arrangement involving piano, flute, drums, cello and ethnic instruments like the doumbek and cajon. Overall, the songs are lively and intriguing with largely no repetition or redundancy. Clearly, Mehran give careful thought to the breadth of each song. Of remarkable note are The Silent Garden of Divinity, Angels of Persepolis, and the wonderful The Little Song of Hope. This song equally stirs the heart and provides solace. Amidst all this beauty is the disturbing Rooftop Poem which ends the disc. From the Iranian unrest of 2009, and with little musical interpretation from Mehran , this poem is a solemn statement from an oppressed people.
Mehran’s Angels of Persepolis is a delightful journey through one man’s musical history and personal passion. Guitar players and those who love guitar will be pleased and entertained by this wonderful performance. Recommended!
Links:
http://angelsofpersepolis.com/
http://www.flamencoguitarplayer.com/
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