Mohsen Namjoo
Encyclopedia
Mohsen Namjoo, is an Iran
ian musician
, singer-songwriter
. born in 1976 in Torbat-e Jam, a small town in northeastern Iran
. The New York Times called Namjoo "Iran's Bob Dylan
".
in a Muslim family. When he was one year old, his family moved to Mashhad
where he lived until the age of 18. His father, Mohammad Hossein Namjoo, died when he was 12. His family encouraged him to start attending music classes in classical Persian vocal music.
In 1994 he studied Music at University of Tehran
in addition to taking some theater classes. In 1997, Namjoo quit the music program explaining that he had some conflicts with some faculty in the music department because they wanted to put him through more years of traditional Iranian music practice which were the repetition of what he had already learned in the earlier years of his life. Namjoo also studied Iranian folk music. He is also familiar with Western musical styles, particularly blues
and rock
.
In late 1997 and early 1998, Namjoo had his first two concerts, themed "modern combination of Iranian poetry and music". In 2003 he started recording parts of his own works in Tehran. His debut album titled Toranj
was officially released in Iran in September 2007. He also composed soundtracks for movies and plays.
He was featured in the documentary Sounds of Silence (directed by Amir Hamz and Mark Lazarz] which has been screened at international film festivals. He also appeared in a feature narrative film called Few Kilograms of Dates for the Funeral (Director Saman Saloor
), played in various film festivals.
In 2006 he was sentenced in absentia to a five-year jail term for allegedly ridiculing the ash-Shams
, a sura
of Quran in the song named "Shams" by Iranian courts. The conviction took place in spite of his formal apology. After establishing in the West, he sang this song in his Oy
album as a single.
Namjoo's first performance outside Iran was in January 2006 at the Tehran Hotspot of the International Rotterdam Film Festival where he played solo. . Mohsen Namjoo performed his first live TV concert on the Persian News Network of Voice of America
for the Norouz event for the celebration of Persian new year on Saturday, March 20, 2010.
In 2010, Namjoo kicked off his "A Minor" tour with a new band ensemble centered around some of his most popular and courageous songs. In June they performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California (US). In October they performed at the Sony Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mohsen Namjoo also released a single titled "Such Strange Times" in June, a song sung in English.
He also writes poetry, and sometimes uses his own satirical lyrics in his songs blended with the classical poetry of Hafez
, Rumi or Saadi
. His music and words are very emotional and, in his works, he creates a fusion of various styles from traditional Iranian to blues and rock.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. born in 1976 in Torbat-e Jam, a small town in northeastern Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. The New York Times called Namjoo "Iran's Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
".
Career
Namjoo was born in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
in a Muslim family. When he was one year old, his family moved to Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
where he lived until the age of 18. His father, Mohammad Hossein Namjoo, died when he was 12. His family encouraged him to start attending music classes in classical Persian vocal music.
In 1994 he studied Music at University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
in addition to taking some theater classes. In 1997, Namjoo quit the music program explaining that he had some conflicts with some faculty in the music department because they wanted to put him through more years of traditional Iranian music practice which were the repetition of what he had already learned in the earlier years of his life. Namjoo also studied Iranian folk music. He is also familiar with Western musical styles, particularly blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
In late 1997 and early 1998, Namjoo had his first two concerts, themed "modern combination of Iranian poetry and music". In 2003 he started recording parts of his own works in Tehran. His debut album titled Toranj
Toranj
Toranj was singer-songwriter Mohsen Namjoo's official debut in 2007, as none of his previous albums were allowed for legal release by Iranian governmental authorities...
was officially released in Iran in September 2007. He also composed soundtracks for movies and plays.
He was featured in the documentary Sounds of Silence (directed by Amir Hamz and Mark Lazarz] which has been screened at international film festivals. He also appeared in a feature narrative film called Few Kilograms of Dates for the Funeral (Director Saman Saloor
Saman Saloor
Saman Saloor is an award winning Iranian filmmaker and screen writer.His first long movie, Residents of Silent Land won award in Kyiv International Film Festival, Ukraine....
), played in various film festivals.
In 2006 he was sentenced in absentia to a five-year jail term for allegedly ridiculing the ash-Shams
Ash-Shams
Sūrat al-Shams is the 91st sura of the Qur'an with 15 ayat. It opens with a series of solemn oaths sworn on various astronomical phenomena, the first of which, "by the sun", gives the sura its name, then on the human soul itself. It then describes the fate of Thamud, a formerly prosperous extinct...
, a sura
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
of Quran in the song named "Shams" by Iranian courts. The conviction took place in spite of his formal apology. After establishing in the West, he sang this song in his Oy
Oy (album)
-Track listing:# "Hammash" - 5:16# "Shams" - 5:51# "Dela Didi" - 7:41# "Qashqai" - 5:55# "Binazir" - 8:00# "Khan Baji" - 7:44# "Cielito Lindo" - 7:36# "Gladiators " - 8:18-Quran sura singing controversy:...
album as a single.
Namjoo's first performance outside Iran was in January 2006 at the Tehran Hotspot of the International Rotterdam Film Festival where he played solo. . Mohsen Namjoo performed his first live TV concert on the Persian News Network of Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
for the Norouz event for the celebration of Persian new year on Saturday, March 20, 2010.
In 2010, Namjoo kicked off his "A Minor" tour with a new band ensemble centered around some of his most popular and courageous songs. In June they performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California (US). In October they performed at the Sony Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mohsen Namjoo also released a single titled "Such Strange Times" in June, a song sung in English.
He also writes poetry, and sometimes uses his own satirical lyrics in his songs blended with the classical poetry of Hafez
Hafez
Khwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī , known by his pen name Hāfez , was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day...
, Rumi or Saadi
Saadi (poet)
Abū-Muḥammad Muṣliḥ al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī better known by his pen-name as Saʿdī or, simply, Saadi, was one of the major Persian poets of the medieval period. He is not only famous in Persian-speaking countries, but he has also been quoted in western sources...
. His music and words are very emotional and, in his works, he creates a fusion of various styles from traditional Iranian to blues and rock.
Studio albums
- Toranj (September 2007)
- Jabr-e Joghrafiyaei (2008)
- OyOy (album)-Track listing:# "Hammash" - 5:16# "Shams" - 5:51# "Dela Didi" - 7:41# "Qashqai" - 5:55# "Binazir" - 8:00# "Khan Baji" - 7:44# "Cielito Lindo" - 7:36# "Gladiators " - 8:18-Quran sura singing controversy:...
(October 2009) - Useless KissesUseless KissesUseless Kisses is the fourth studio album by Mohsen Namjoo. It was released at the Stanford University Launch party on February 13. -Track Listing:#El Sol Sueno #El Sol Sueno #Na Dideh Rokhat#Improvisation...
(February 2011)
See also
- Rock and alternative music in IranRock and alternative music in IranIranian rock is a form of rock music that is largely produced in Europe and Tehran's underground circles, and is rising to challenge "Tehrangeles pop", which has dominated the popular music genre of Iran for decades....
- Persian traditional music
- Music of IranMusic of IranThe music of Iran has thousands of years of history, as seen in the archeological documents of Elam, one of the earliest world cultures,which was located in southwestern Iran...
- My Tehran for SaleMy Tehran for SaleMy Tehran for Sale , is an internationally acclaimed 2009 Australian-Iranian feature film written and directed by avant-garde poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi, produced by Cyanfilms and starring Marzieh Vafamehr, Amir Chegini and Asha Mehrabi.Officially selected by Toronto, Rotterdam, Pusan...
External links
- Mohsen Namjoo's Official Website
- Video : Mohsen Namjoo - Ey saraban Song
- namjooo fans mailing list at Yahoo Groups
- http://www.bugler.blogfa.com/post-52.aspx, Namjoo talks about Copyright in Iran
- http://kosoof.com/archive/360.php, some photos from World AIDS DayWorld AIDS DayWorld AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
2004, TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to... - http://www.iranican.com/blog/?p=177, interview with IranicanIranicanIranican is an Iranian American non-profit multimedia organization. Currently, Iranican publishes video reports called Iranican Reports on a monthly basis and bi-weekly talk shows as Iranican Live on Radio Javan every other Wednesdays at 7PM PT....
September, 2008 - Leaked Song Causes Conviction of “Iranian Bob Dylan”
- Zolf bar bād madeh ... (Don't let the breeze blow through your lock of hair ...), a song by Mohsen Namjoo based on a lyric poem by HafezHafezKhwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī , known by his pen name Hāfez , was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day...
: YouTube (6 min 35 sec). Hafez's pertinent lyric poem can be consulted here. - Ey Sārebān Kojā Miravi? (O Camel-Driver, Where Are You Going?), YouTube (5 min 11 Sec).
- Mohsen Namjoo's Discography on IranSong
- http://www.wordpatch.com/2010/01/oy-mohsen-namjoo-feat.html Review of "OY" Album in Persian and English.