Hafez Modirzadeh

For over two decades, composer/saxophonist/theorist Hafez Modirzadeh has developed his pioneering “chromodal” concept, a cross-cultural musical approach developed from his own American jazz and Iranian dastgah heritages. He has published extensively on the subject while developing alternative performance techniques to adapt the saxophone to the Persian tuning system. Dr. Modirzadeh studied the dastgah repertoire extensively with Iranian violinist Mahmoud Zoufonoun, followed by a stint at New England Conservatory to study saxophone with Joe Allard and musical concepts with George Russell. He received his Masters from UCLA and his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. He was twice named an NEA Jazz Fellow (1989, 1991) and was granted a Fulbright to work with Gnawan and Flamenco musicians in Morocco and Andalucia in 2005-06, which resulted in his latest CD, “Bemsha Alegria” (2007, Disques Chromodal). Dr. Modirzadeh is currently a full-time professor of World Culture in Music at San Francisco State University where he directs the World Music and Dance Program. He has performed internationally over the last 20 years with such musicians as Don Cherry, Zakir Hussein, Steve Lacy, Oliver Lake, George Lewis, Peter Apfelbaum, William Lowe, James Newton, Wadada Leo Smith, Omar Sosa, Royal Hartigan, and many Asian and Asian American musical artists such as Fred Ho, Miya Masaoka, Liu Chi Chao, Danongan Kalanduyan, Mark Izu, Anthony Brown, Akira Tana, and Kenny Endo. Perhaps the highlight of Dr. Modirzadeh’s performance career was when he was asked by Ornette Coleman to play with his Quartet at the San Francisco Jazz Festival in 2007. His recorded output as a leader include: Bemsha Alegria (2007, Disques Chromodal); Dandelion (2003, Disques Chromodal); By Any Mode Necessary (1999, X-Dot 25); The Mystery of Sama (1998, AIR); The Peoples’ Blues (1996, X-Dot 25); and In Chromodal Discourse (1993, Asian Improv).

A must read article by Amir ElSaffar in All About Jazz about what he and Hafez Modirzadeh are trying to achieve musically on Radif Suite. Check it out!

posted on April 18, 2010 by Yulun

Amir ElSaffar and Hafez Modirzadeh’s Radif Suite was selected by Nate Chinen as part of his New York Times critic’s Playlist column! Chinen writes: “The two leaders pursue the sort of brash polyphony once synonymous with Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman, and now open for sharply rigorous adaptation.”

posted on April 5, 2010 by Yulun

Check out the really fascinating article by Amir Elsaffar in the most recent issue of All About Jazz New York (on page 13) discussing the theories behind his new CD Radif Suite. There is also a review of the CD in the same issue.

posted on April 1, 2010 by Intern

Pi Recordings is proud to announce the new release from Amir ElSaffar and Hafez Modirzadeh: Radif Suite. The release has already been praised as:

“A rewarding collection thick with ideas and inspiration”
LA Times
“A new grammar for composition and improvisation”
Dusted Magazine

The CD is available for purchase from the website.

posted on March 25, 2010 by Intern