Anthology of Iranian Rhythms - volume 1 / The basic works of Master Tehrani by Madjid Khaladj

Hossein Tehrani:

Hossein Tehrani was born in Tehran, Iran in 1912 and he died in 1973 at the age of 61. He started playing Tombak* at the age of 13.He was always found practicing Tombak. At that time Tombak was considered to be a musical instrument worthy of street entertainers only. In 1928 he started serious studies with Hossein Khan Essmailzadel a music master and a kamancheh player. He learnt the tombak rhythm by memorizing phrases in Persian.

He later studied with several master Tombak players as Reza Ravanbakhsh and Kangarlo and others. He was always observing the different methods of playing Tombak and trying to learn the different techniques and rhythms. He even used to observe street entertainers and learn from them.

In 1928, at the age of 26, he met Abolhasan Saba, this was start of a life long friendship. Ostad Tehrani said: apart from musical notation that I learnt from Khaleghi, I have learnt every practical and theoretical aspect of music from Saba. In 1940, at the creation of Tehran radio, he started working there with a group of musicians.

In 1941, he started teaching at madrese aeli mosighi (advance music college). Later on, Tombak was removed from the list of instrument taught at this college. In 1949, Khaleghi started another music college called national music college. The responsibility of teaching Tombak at this college was give to Ostad Tehrani.

While Teaching at these colleges, he collaborated with National Music Ensemble and National Music association.

Liner Notes: © Madjid Khaladj

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Madjid Khaladj:

Of the many talented younger players from the Iranian classical music scene, this player of the tombak and other traditional instruments has made the most widespread inroads on the Western music scene, although the rewards of that may be questioned when they include soundtrack appearances on such Hollywood duds as Geronimo, Last Man Standing or The Insider...

The instrument played by Madjid Khaladj is known as a tombak in Iran, a dombak in Turkey, and has an Irish relative in the bhodran. Khaladj began studying the instrument at the age of seven, the initial pounding and banging of a youth leading to a brilliant career as a traditional musician, pedagogue, composer, and lecturer. He has mastered an entire family of Iranian percussion instruments, including the daf actually considered as a mystical drum. The musical adventures of Khaladj have led to collaborations with the traditional Armenian vocal group Kotchnak, as well as the laid-back California recording scene of world music wannabe Ry Cooder. The Iranian also went far from his roots when he recorded an album entitled Chopin, Impressions with pianist Leszek Mozdzer and the results of this collaboration can only be described as fascinating.

Khaladj has moved well beyond what is sometimes seen as the drummer's traditional role in the background to lead numerous activities on the international scene, including festivals, concerts, and recordings. Since 1984, he has taught the percussion traditions of his country at the Center for Study of Oriental Musics in the Institute of Musicology of Paris-Sorbonne. In 1996, he founded the College of Tombak, a center of Iranian percussion study, in Paris. Since 1999, he has been invited to teach at the Music Academy of Basel in Switzerland.

An astounding part of this performer is his extensive solo improvisation repertory. As for the many master Iranian musicians who call upon him for percussion support, most would agree that he has few rivals in terms of either instrumental sound or accurate rendition of such a wide variety of traditional rhythmic patterns. His regular playing partners have included tar virtuosos Hossein Alizâdeh and Dariush Talâ'i and ney master Hossein Omoumi.

~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide

*zarb

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