|
Jazz siren Rana Farhan proclaims on her web site: "Jazz is peace." She's not just borrowing 60s flower child rhetoric. She knows firsthand.
Born in Iran, she was pursuing her artistic dreams at Tehran University when religious fanaticism took over the country. Suddenly, the young girl who had learned guitar by age eight and grew up singing through a microphone she had plugged into an old radio was told to be silent. All progressive ideas were banned. Women were forbidden to sing.
For a while, Rana and her friends found solace in any albums they could get their hands on, escaping the violence around them through the healing hope of music. But Rana finally decided she had stayed too long. She had lost her country and was about to lose her dream. So she opened a map, chose another country, and moved to New York City in 1989.
Rana has celebrated her newfound freedom ever since, exploring her talents in lacquer paintings, restoring antique furniture, and of course, her music. In her first full-length CD The Blues Are Brewin', she sets her sights on American standards, mixing jazz with blues and even a bit of funk, making it accessible to Top 40 fans. By following the call of music out of a violent, repressive country and into a thriving cultural metropolis, she knows firsthand that jazz is not just peace. For her, jazz is also freedom.
The Blues Are Brewin' was recorded with her partner in music and in life, guitarist Steve Toub, who has opened for acts such as Robin Trower and Squeeze. This collection of standards, including "Stormy Weather" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," was recorded in their apartment. Rana's personal favorite, "Loverman," was actually done in one beautiful take. Her delicate yet sultry voice gives each song a sensual, earthy vibe, turning each song into a musical swoon.
Her personal CD collection runs the gamut from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to modern-day divas like Diana Krall, Cassandra Wilson, and Dianne Reeves. While she collects CDs with the same passion that carried her through her escape from Tehran, she prefers the spontaneity and improvisation of a live jazz performance, letting herself get caught up in the warm and expansive energy.
New York audiences are already caught up in Rana's energy, packing her performances at New York clubs such as the Lenox Lounge and Birdland. She's been added to the playlists of both indie and major radio, including Spokane's "Persian Hour" on KYRS and Buenos Aires' "Goodtime Blues Show." Already looking ahead to her next album, Rana wants to reach out to more music fans, enveloping them in the love and freedom she's found through her music.
Jazz is peace. And love. And hope. Let Rana show you what it sounds like. |
