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While musicians and bands are increasingly focused on releasing singles and, at most, EPs, great albums have become rare gems to discover. Alireza Ghahremani’s “Zaranjee” is among them; a jazz album that preserves its Iranian identity while embracing global trends in contemporary jazz.

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On this project published by Vaak Records, Alireza Ghahremani, young Iranian guitar player, composer and producer, teamed up with promising musicians to make a fresh album, among them emerging talented piano player Amir Darabi (mentioned on Best of 2016) on piano, Iranian-Canadian musician and producer Arif Mirbaghi (mentioned on Best of 2023) on bass, Delaram Kafashzadeh on vocals, Mahan Mohammadi on trumpet, Mostafa Saraei on flute, Canadian Patrick Simard on drums and Japanese Kan Yanabe on percussions.

“Zaranjee”, inspired by Alireza Ghahremani’s travels and the people he encountered along the way, delves into themes of love, nature, resilience, pain and passion. Classically trained as a child and later in Iranian traditional music, he seeks to explore Iranian folk culture, poetry, and stories through jazz music.

This album is an organic and seamless fusion of Iranian motifs, Latin rhythms and jazz, avoiding the clichés and superficiality often associated with generic “World Music” blends, resulting in a uniquely independent and outstanding character.

The title track, “Zaranjee”, captures the grief of a young woman mourning a lost loved one, drawing inspiration from the “Gerayeli Maqam” tradition of North Khorasan. Its name, a blend of two evocative words —”Zar” (wailing) and “Ranj” (suffering) — beautifully encapsulates the sorrow expressed through anguished cries and whispered laments. 
(Ali Eshqi)

Credits:

Composed and Produced by Alireza Ghahremani

Executive Production by Hesam Garshasbi

Mixing Engineer Khashayar Heydari

Mastering Engineer Dave Holmes, Lightship95 Studio

Cover Artwork by Tevik Zadourian

Recorded in Iran, UK, Canada, USA, Japan