1001 Nights Orchestra

Phases and Stages
Texas Platters
BY DAVID LYNCH

1001 Nights Orchestra

Music From the Middle East & Beyond (Kamooli) As the title implies, Music From the Middle East & Beyond travels a broad cultural tack. The Austin-based international all-star collective, led by Iranian singer/multi-instrumentalist Kamran Hooshmand, features such stalwart musicians as accordionist Don Weeda (Slavadillo), Lauren Dealbert (Divahn), Armenian clarinetist Ken Maranian, Lisa Schneider, and bassist Mark Rubin (Rubinchik's Yiddische Band). And Hooshmand's no slouch either, playing no fewer than eight instruments, including the Persian hammered dulcimer, nylon-string guitar, and Afghan lute. No surprise then that the Orchestra has so many varied accomplishments, including headlining ACC's International Festival, rousing concerts in venues like Bertram Hall, several live radio performances, and singular events like their award-winning original score to the silent film great, The Thief of Bagdad. Picture this album, therefore, as a detailed, rich-color snapshot of the band's air sculpture to date. And an exceptional one at that. The lyrics convey emotion effortlessly, but instrumental melodies and rhythms have to work harder to break through our oftentimes slack-jawed circadian existence. But when they do -- from an anonymous Black Sea tune and a wandering Jewish composition to an Afghani folk melody and Greek rave-up -- they affect just a little more, go a bit deeper. So much so that song titles don't have to be referenced. It's that good.

- The Austin Chronicle

Phases and Stages
Texas Platters
BY DAVID LYNCH

1001 Nights Orchestra

Music From the Middle East & Beyond (Kamooli) As the title implies, Music From the Middle East & Beyond travels a broad cultural tack. The Austin-based international all-star collective, led by Iranian singer/multi-instrumentalist Kamran Hooshmand, features such stalwart musicians as accordionist Don Weeda (Slavadillo), Lauren Dealbert (Divahn), Armenian clarinetist Ken Maranian, Lisa Schneider, and bassist Mark Rubin (Rubinchik's Yiddische Band). And Hooshmand's no slouch either, playing no fewer than eight instruments, including the Persian hammered dulcimer, nylon-string guitar, and Afghan lute. No surprise then that the Orchestra has so many varied accomplishments, including headlining ACC's International Festival, rousing concerts in venues like Bertram Hall, several live radio performances, and singular events like their award-winning original score to the silent film great, The Thief of Bagdad. Picture this album, therefore, as a detailed, rich-color snapshot of the band's air sculpture to date. And an exceptional one at that. The lyrics convey emotion effortlessly, but instrumental melodies and rhythms have to work harder to break through our oftentimes slack-jawed circadian existence. But when they do -- from an anonymous Black Sea tune and a wandering Jewish composition to an Afghani folk melody and Greek rave-up -- they affect just a little more, go a bit deeper. So much so that song titles don't have to be referenced. It's that good.

- The Austin Chronicle

Best Single Silent Film Revival

Thief of Baghdad with Kamran Hooshmand & the 1001 Nights Orchestra


It's hard to pick one standout from such an impressive field of performances, but this show deserves special praise. The sublime score was performed by 10 musicians playing over 25 different instruments. Kamran Hooshmand's unerring selection and arrangement of Middle Eastern songs displayed a perfect understanding of how silent film music has traditionally been used to express mood, situation, and personality. Even minor characters like the Indian Prince, the Mongol Prince, and the Persian Prince had his own theme song, appropriate to each region of origin. Bravo to all for this transcendent evening's entertainment.
- The Austin Chronicle

Best Single Silent Film Revival

Thief of Baghdad with Kamran Hooshmand & the 1001 Nights Orchestra


It's hard to pick one standout from such an impressive field of performances, but this show deserves special praise. The sublime score was performed by 10 musicians playing over 25 different instruments. Kamran Hooshmand's unerring selection and arrangement of Middle Eastern songs displayed a perfect understanding of how silent film music has traditionally been used to express mood, situation, and personality. Even minor characters like the Indian Prince, the Mongol Prince, and the Persian Prince had his own theme song, appropriate to each region of origin. Bravo to all for this transcendent evening's entertainment.
- The Austin Chronicle

The Sound and the Fury
By Jerry Renshaw

Excerpt from the Austin Chronicle
The Alamo Drafthouse's Silent Film Series
Issue September 10, 1999

While Forsyth and The General was perhaps the funniest teaming of the series, Kamran Hooshmand & the 1001 Nights Orchestra performing alongside Thief of Bagdad was the most exotic. The film's plot involves a princess being courted by three suitors -- a Chinese man, a Persian, and an Indian envoy -- while Douglas Fairbanks plays a swashbuckling con artist who naturally captures the prize. Given the Austin-based orchestra's instrumentation -- zither, hammered dulcimer, Persian drum, sitar, and other indigenous instruments -- 1001 Nights' tightly scripted performance came up with themes that corresponded to the nationality of each suitor, while Fairbanks (of course) had his own heroic theme music. The results were so successful that the 1001 Nights Orchestra has considered taking the show on the road, especially considering the amount of time that was devoted to putting the score together.
- The Austin Chronicle

The Sound and the Fury
By Jerry Renshaw

Excerpt from the Austin Chronicle
The Alamo Drafthouse's Silent Film Series
Issue September 10, 1999

While Forsyth and The General was perhaps the funniest teaming of the series, Kamran Hooshmand & the 1001 Nights Orchestra performing alongside Thief of Bagdad was the most exotic. The film's plot involves a princess being courted by three suitors -- a Chinese man, a Persian, and an Indian envoy -- while Douglas Fairbanks plays a swashbuckling con artist who naturally captures the prize. Given the Austin-based orchestra's instrumentation -- zither, hammered dulcimer, Persian drum, sitar, and other indigenous instruments -- 1001 Nights' tightly scripted performance came up with themes that corresponded to the nationality of each suitor, while Fairbanks (of course) had his own heroic theme music. The results were so successful that the 1001 Nights Orchestra has considered taking the show on the road, especially considering the amount of time that was devoted to putting the score together.
- The Austin Chronicle

NOW, for the second perfect thing about the screening tonight.
Kamran Hooshmand and the 1001 NIGHTS ORCHESTRA.
They should go on tour with this movie. They'd sell out Los Angeles and New York for weeks after the initial reviews. The score they created was immense... so much so that the audience began clapping to the beat and getting really really really into it by the end of the film.
What was so special'
Well.... (Big Breath) First off, the instrument selection included the following: Barbat ('ud), Saz (baglama), Santur (hammered dulcimer), Spanish Guitar, Daf (Kurdish frame drum), Riqq (Middle Eastern tambourine), Darabukkah (ceramic drum), zarb (tonbak) (a Persian Drum), tabla (Indian drum pair), Qanun (a Middle Eastern zither with 72 strings), Accordian, Acoustic Bass, Guitar, Clarinet, Zurna, Duduk (reed instruments), Violin, Indian Sitar, Asian/Far Eastern percussion, gongs, wind instruments, classical oboe, medieval oboe and wooden flute. And there were more. 10 fantastic musicians played these instruments to create a unique and fantastical sound to bathe the film with.
The score incorporated: Iranian folk song melodies, a Sephardic song, Persian folk song melodies, Greek/Macedonian folk tunes, Arabic tunes, Arab/Andalucian music, Egyptian music, Armenian folk music, Turkish folk music.... as well as original music written by Kamran Hooshmand and.... an arabic version of the (Pulp Fiction-made famous) tune... MISERLU.
All of this music and film created a thrill, a charge that lit through the audience. Both young and old were cheering, clapping and excitedly waiting for the next moment as if their life depended upon it.
Beside me was an Eleven year old boy, that by the end of the film had saucers for eyes, he was bouncing upon his knees in his chair sporadically clapping and looking at his mother with glee splashed upon his face.
- Harry Knowles "Aint It Cool News"

NOW, for the second perfect thing about the screening tonight.
Kamran Hooshmand and the 1001 NIGHTS ORCHESTRA.
They should go on tour with this movie. They'd sell out Los Angeles and New York for weeks after the initial reviews. The score they created was immense... so much so that the audience began clapping to the beat and getting really really really into it by the end of the film.
What was so special'
Well.... (Big Breath) First off, the instrument selection included the following: Barbat ('ud), Saz (baglama), Santur (hammered dulcimer), Spanish Guitar, Daf (Kurdish frame drum), Riqq (Middle Eastern tambourine), Darabukkah (ceramic drum), zarb (tonbak) (a Persian Drum), tabla (Indian drum pair), Qanun (a Middle Eastern zither with 72 strings), Accordian, Acoustic Bass, Guitar, Clarinet, Zurna, Duduk (reed instruments), Violin, Indian Sitar, Asian/Far Eastern percussion, gongs, wind instruments, classical oboe, medieval oboe and wooden flute. And there were more. 10 fantastic musicians played these instruments to create a unique and fantastical sound to bathe the film with.
The score incorporated: Iranian folk song melodies, a Sephardic song, Persian folk song melodies, Greek/Macedonian folk tunes, Arabic tunes, Arab/Andalucian music, Egyptian music, Armenian folk music, Turkish folk music.... as well as original music written by Kamran Hooshmand and.... an arabic version of the (Pulp Fiction-made famous) tune... MISERLU.
All of this music and film created a thrill, a charge that lit through the audience. Both young and old were cheering, clapping and excitedly waiting for the next moment as if their life depended upon it.
Beside me was an Eleven year old boy, that by the end of the film had saucers for eyes, he was bouncing upon his knees in his chair sporadically clapping and looking at his mother with glee splashed upon his face.
- Harry Knowles "Aint It Cool News"

1001 NIGHTS

Flipnotics, Aug 26, 1997

Screw that worthless unamplified MTV crap. There's no such thing as decent acoustic music on a show that's designed to hawk yet another citrus corn syrup drink or the latest overpriced athletic shoe. The real shit is found in places like Flipnotics. Can you imagine a band on MTV Unplugged asking the audience if they can hear the instruments? Me neither, but that's exactly what happened at this show by 1001 Nights, a local quartet that plays complex, soul-satisfying Middle Eastern music. Lead by the visibly talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kamran Hooshand, 1001 Nights wasn't notable solely as a novelty (you only need one hand to count the local groups who play Middle Eastern-flavored world music), but rather because this group did a first-class job interpreting standards of the style (Ashkabad) and penning original tunes ("Gypsy Nights"). Like well-played Celtic songs, these tunes are deeply mournful and moving, yet simultaneously uplifting and toe-tapping; the only electricity on stage came from the band's playing, not their amplifiers. 1001 Nights deftly demonstrated why hewn wood, stretched hide, and taunt strings are more than enough to entertain and inspire. The group's fine performance was undoubtably inspired by an engaged and enthused crowd, who shouted out requests, clapped along, and sang an occasional chorus. In fact, the band's two sets felt more like an open rehearsal than a gig. The downside of this spontaneity was some uncertainty when it came time to choose the next song to play, but the great cultural and physical distance the band traveled as they navigated from Lebanese standards to Persian love songs to Sufi devotional songs to Arabic pop tunes probably had a lot to do with this. While 1001 Nights are well-versed in the history of Middle Eastern music, they also add their imaginative stamp, such as using North Indian tabla drums in an Afghani song. This is how all creative forms develop and improve: by artists who are proficient in tradition and willing to experiment -- not by media-darling posers eager to capitalize on the next musical packaging trend. -- David Lynch
- The Austin Chronicle

1001 NIGHTS

Flipnotics, Aug 26, 1997

Screw that worthless unamplified MTV crap. There's no such thing as decent acoustic music on a show that's designed to hawk yet another citrus corn syrup drink or the latest overpriced athletic shoe. The real shit is found in places like Flipnotics. Can you imagine a band on MTV Unplugged asking the audience if they can hear the instruments? Me neither, but that's exactly what happened at this show by 1001 Nights, a local quartet that plays complex, soul-satisfying Middle Eastern music. Lead by the visibly talented multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kamran Hooshand, 1001 Nights wasn't notable solely as a novelty (you only need one hand to count the local groups who play Middle Eastern-flavored world music), but rather because this group did a first-class job interpreting standards of the style (Ashkabad) and penning original tunes ("Gypsy Nights"). Like well-played Celtic songs, these tunes are deeply mournful and moving, yet simultaneously uplifting and toe-tapping; the only electricity on stage came from the band's playing, not their amplifiers. 1001 Nights deftly demonstrated why hewn wood, stretched hide, and taunt strings are more than enough to entertain and inspire. The group's fine performance was undoubtably inspired by an engaged and enthused crowd, who shouted out requests, clapped along, and sang an occasional chorus. In fact, the band's two sets felt more like an open rehearsal than a gig. The downside of this spontaneity was some uncertainty when it came time to choose the next song to play, but the great cultural and physical distance the band traveled as they navigated from Lebanese standards to Persian love songs to Sufi devotional songs to Arabic pop tunes probably had a lot to do with this. While 1001 Nights are well-versed in the history of Middle Eastern music, they also add their imaginative stamp, such as using North Indian tabla drums in an Afghani song. This is how all creative forms develop and improve: by artists who are proficient in tradition and willing to experiment -- not by media-darling posers eager to capitalize on the next musical packaging trend. -- David Lynch
- The Austin Chronicle

Interview by DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY editorial staff

DooBeeDoo (DBD): Salam Kamran!

Thanks for making time to do this interview with DooBeeDoo. We’re looking forward to seeing your show this Sunday at CA Music Room in New York.

You have great guests in your ensemble and also a strong band, SoSaLa, opening up for you.
Two different bands with two different sound and messages will be performing but both leaders have their roots in Iran. Is this the first time for you to play here?

Kamran Hooshmand (KH): Thank you! Yes. First time in the NY area and I am very excited!

DBD: What kind of music are you going to perform?

KH: I have devoted about 30 years to the study of various traditions mainly Middle Eastern. My primary instrument is the oud (Persian barbat). I gravitated to this instrument because it being a fretless instrument it would allow me to adapt various musical scales which incorporate micro-tones from different traditions. In this concert, I’ll be playing a selection of pieces ranging from early music, Medieval Arab-Andalusian, Ottoman and Persian pieces to Sephardic and Balkan. Additionally and to add a bit of diversity, I will also play some songs that are based on the poetry of contemporary poets of Iran to which I wrote music to. These are played on the guitar accompanying my vocals. So, we are going back and forth between old love songs and contemporary ones.

DBD: Could you tell us a little about your guest musicians?

KH: Sure. I am very lucky and honored to have joining me three fantastic musicians with whom I have worked before in Austin, Texas. Dr. Galeet Dardashti who is the granddaughter of the late well known master vocalist of Persian traditional music Ostad Younes Dardashti and who specializes in Mizrahi music is a great vocalist. I’ll accompany her on the oud on some songs. Jeff Kahan is a master oboe player with whom I worked with doing a soundtrack to the silent film the Thief of Bagdad (1924), a very successful project I did with my Middle Eastern ensemble the 1001 Nights Orchestra in Austin in late 1990s. Another musician who was also part of that project is Alby Roblejo, a great percussionist who specializes in frame drums and who will join me as well. It was partly due to pure coincidence that these friends could all be collaborating with me in NYC, so, I am thrilled!

DBD: Let’s talk a little about your music career and music projects in Austin.

KH: I am currently involved with three different musical projects. with 1001 Nights Nights Orchestra we do folk, traditional and pop interpretations from most of the countries in the Middle East region the Balkans and Southwest Asia. We just released a live recording of a show that accompanied folk dancers in Austin.

With Ojalá, along with me my music partner Javer Palacios who is from Mexico have created bilingual songs that whether were influenced by Spanish Moorish music or vice versa Mexican songs that travelled to Iran and the Middle East. We have one release with this band.

Additionally, I am a frequent guest with Texas Early Music Project under the direction of Danniel Johnson. I bring in the Middle Eastern influence in the Medieval, Sephardic and early music of Southern Europe and North Africa with my oud and my santur (a Persian hammered dulcimer).

DBD: Besides being a musician you’re also a ethno musicologist and scholar.
Were you first a musician and became later a scholar?

KH: I consider myself a musician first and foremost. I am a “scholar” in the sense that is applied to my academic life. I have a background in anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies with significant work in ethnomusicology and am now pursuing my doctorate degree. I have written on subjects related to music and media. I guess I’d be considered an amateur ethnomusicologist in the sense that I research and try to find the roots of the music I perform, but I am not a professional musicologist.

DBD: Can you tell us a little more about your love of the barbat?

KH: The barbat is an earlier version of the oud, which is a lute common throughout the Middle East. The barbat is considered to be a predecessor to the oud and used to be played in Iran often in the pre-Islamic period. After this period, it was adopted by Arab musicians and named the oud (literally “wood”). It is also a primary instrument in Turkey, Greece, Armenia and many other countries. I started learning the oud on my own by listening to masters such as Simon Shaheen, Marcel Khalefe and Abdolvahab Shahidi in the 80s.

Then I attended the UT Middle Eastern ensemble directed by Prof. Anne Rasmussen in the 90s and learned the Arabic system there. Then, in the mid 2000s I joined another version of the UTMEE this time directed by Prof. Sonia Seeman and learned some of the Turkish and Ottoman systems. I also learned and played the oud in the Persian traditional system in the 90s with Dr. Mojtaba Khoshzamir in Houston, Texas. Recently, I visited Ostad Hossain Behroozinia, the master of the barbat and took some lessons with him in Vancouver. That inspired me to buy my own barbat which is smaller than the oud with a longer neck.

DBD: How is it living as an Iranian-American in the US? Is your music appreciated in this country?

KH: I have adapted really well. I’ve rarely had any issues as an Iranian-American. In fact, I’d say that my playing Middle Eastern music has helped me better integrate into the American society as an educator which I think is a good way to introduce my culture.

DBD: what can your music give to your community and musicians around you?

KH: I do lot of community work, whenever I can. We do a monthly residency in Austin which is free to the public. We use this as a platform to engage with Austin folks who’d like to be exposed to our music. These sessions are often very improvisatory and we often invite other musicians to come sit in with us.

DBD: How do you feel about music activism?

KH: I think it’s very important these days. Music has never been taken seriously enough that people treat it like other professions such as an MD, or an engineer, or a lawyer, etc. We need to make sure musicians are paid well for what they do and I am glad that organizations like the Musicians For Musicians (MFM) are doing this.

DBD: Thanks a lot for this interview and have a great show. Please enjoy your stay in New York.

KH: Thank you! - DooBeeDooBeeDoo