Gord Grdina’s The Marrow performs rare gig with premier Persian vocalist, January 30 at BlueShore at CapU
Fathieh Honari is known for bringing a profound understanding of Persian classical poetry to her deeply expressive vocals.
At left, The Marrow; at right, Fathieh Honari.
Juno award-winning oud player Gord Grdina’s quartet The Marrow is acclaimed for melding mesmerizing Middle Eastern musical traditions with jazz. For the first time, the group will be joined by a vocalist, one of Canada’s premier Persian singers, Fathieh Honari, on January 30 at Capilano University’s BlueShore Theatre.
The oud, an ancient lute-type instrument, is typically heard in music of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In Western jazz, not so much. Grdina is on a mission to change that.
Combining Arabic maqam and Persian dastgah with a great deal of Western improvised music, The Marrow’s sound is dense with rhythmic counterpoints and captivating ebb and flow between the players.
The Marrow usually features New York aces Mark Helias on bass and Hank Roberts on cello, along with Montreal-based Persian percussionist Hamin Honari. The presence of Fathieh Honari (Hamin’s mother) brings “an exciting dynamic” to the group, says Grdina.
Iranian-born, Vancouver-based Fathieh is known for bringing a profound understanding of Persian classical poetry to her deeply expressive vocals. "Every time she sings, the whole room and all the energy just changes,” says Grdina. “There’s this deep connection that happens when she sings that brings everybody together.”
Find tickets and more information here.
Post sponsored by the BlueShore Theatre at CapU.