This project, which initially took the form of a series of encounters between Keyvan Chemirani and other great voices of the world, led to the creation of a disc, entitled The Rhythm of Speech. The languages are Persan, Tamil with karnatic music of Southern India and Bambara with the didadi of Mali, conveyed by 3 singers of immense talent. The languages have been allowed break free their prosodic framework, thanks to the rhythmical inventions, as subtle as they were unexpected, from the young percussionist Keyvan Chemirani. Despite the various backgrounds of these artists, the result doesn’t become just a hotchpotch of several different oral traditions but a whole new music.
Keyvan Chemirani:
Keyvan starts learning Zarb at age 13 with his father, assimilating the traditional technique and knowledge rapidly. Until 1989, he studies and graduates in mathematics at the same time as he starts an international career as soloist and accompanist. He also plays the Udu, an earthenware jar used in the East and in Africa, as well as the Bendir and the Riqq, two mediteranean percussions. He performs numerous concerts with various traditional groups.