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Cruising On The Vessel of Bandar Music
By Raha Faridi
raha@tehranavenue.com
August 2006
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Of the 20 tracks that found their way into the Competition Section of TehranAvenueIndependent Music Festival (TAMF), 3 were from bands of the Persian Gulf province of Hormozgan. JAHLEH was one of these bands that attracted the attention of many listeners. All three bands learnt about TAMF through reporter Raha Faridi, who is from the region. Because it is a littoral province along one of the most important maritime routes in the world, Hormozgan has been at the crossroads of many cultural influences. This is perhaps the reason for its music to be formally diverse and rich in content -- editor

***

Mūsa Kamalī founded the group JAHLEH in 1992. The name, jahleh, refers to a clay pot used as a water container in some villages of the Hormozgan province and made in the city of MINAB. There are three different types of jahleh. The largest one is called jamali jahleh, which women would carry to and from the well. Young women carried the regular jahleh, while young girls carried the gadūk jahleh, the smallest of the three. The jahleh was the traditional method of storing and cooling water.

According to Mūsa Kamalī's research, jahleh was also used as a musical instrument around two thousand years ago. With the onset of electricity, jahleh was eventually relegated to a historical artifact. Kamalī and his ensemble are responsible for the revival of jahleh as a musical instrument. In addition to jahleh, other regional instruments the ensemble uses include dohol, kasser, peepah, which are percussion instruments, and ney jofti, a double flute made of a specific kind of cane.

The group’s work includes written music for Persian Gulf Radio and Television, two movie soundtracks, theatre productions, and live performances at the Kista World Music Festival in Stockholm, Sweden.

Being a family-based group has had a great influence on Jahleh’s creativity and togetherness. Their ensemble is comprised of 15 members --women and men ranging from 16 years old to 80.

{Ustād Qanbar Rāstgū}-- singer and master of the ney jofti; has played this instrument since 12 years of age and is known throughout the province of Hormozgan. One of the few remaining ney jofti players who brought his knowledge of old folk songs from the region to the ensemble. He teaches his art to young people in Bandar Abbas, to make sure this old style of music and storytelling does not fade away. He also leads the Zār ceremonies, a traditional healing ceremony native to Bandar Abbas as well as other countries in the region, including Ethiopia. He currently works in a library in Bandar Abbas.

{Ahmad Ravān} -- like many in Bandar Abbas, Ahmad is of African descent. He is an exceptional talent who writes and performs the group’s rap music. His raps are about their traditions and social issues related to their neighborhood. He also plays the tumba, a hand drum, jahleh, writes music for the group and teaches his art to local youth.

{Fatīmeh Ravān} -- background vocals, she is currently continuing her education and was recently engaged to Mūssa Kamalī.

{Halīmeh Ravān} --background vocals and homemaker.

{Zahrā Ravān} --background vocals; teaches and works as a tailor from home.

{Kolsūm} (Ahmad’s wife) -- background vocals; teaches and tutors students and occasionally does embroidery work.

{Hamīd Sa'īd} -- composer; producer; guitaritst and regional folk instruments, oud, flute and other wind instruments, and various hand drums.

{Hāmed Dehbāshī} -- jahleh; fisherman; night school student.

{Hamīd Dehbāshī} --jahleh; fisherman.

{Hossein Gordin} -- bass guitar; founder of music group Mamboleyvah.

{Mehdī Nazarī} --hand drums.

{Issā Balūchestanī} -- new member; vocals; a sharveh singer (a specific folk style).

{Mansūr Abedīnī} --19 year old guitarist; blends folk music with blues.

{Mūssa Kamalī} -- hand drums; group manager; has made a few short documentary films on the people of Hormozgan province; painter (his work is inspired by the shape of the jahleh); writes poetry and short stories about his people and has been published in Bandar Abbas newspapers.

The group incorporates many different music genres in its own music. Ahmad Ravān raps, Issā Balūchestanī sings local pop music, Qanbar Rastgū sings in the regional folk style, Mansūr uses his blues influence, and Hamīd Sa'īd sings Bandari reggae. Jahleh combines the traditional dastgāh and radīf of Hormozgan with today’s popular music as well as different genres like reggae, blues, rock, and flamenco to create an innovative new sound. The ensemble's lyrics have a social and cultural character that reflects the cultural traditions of the people of Hormozgan.

From the beginning, their group had difficulty finding practice spaces and was forced to practice at Ahmad Ravān’s house and at times in Mūssa Kamalī’s yard in a tent in which they would have 15 members squeeze in to practice. Finally one of their members, Mehdī, got a small, old house in which the group was able to practice. The ensemble realized early on that it must operate independently and that members should teach youth from the area to preserve their indigenous music and instruments, they founded the center Peepah Sara House of Art. Their foundation is dedicated to supporting the arts and was very much needed in Hormozgan.

They conduct music classes for children and youth, along with photography and filmmaking classes, research on the music of their province, old traditional folk art of the region, book publishing, a new library, the formation of music groups comprised of young boys and girls and taking trips to different villages in the province learning different music styles by collaborating with musicians of each village.

The Peepah Sara House of Art was designed using leaves and branches of the palm tree. On the walls there is a specific kind of straw indigenous to Hormozgan that creates a special acoustic sound. Everything that is in the center, from tables and chairs to lampshades, is made from natural materials found in the region. The center was designed to create a warm and friendly atmosphere in which people who come by find it hard to leave the center.

www.hormozgani.net
Fax: 011 98 076 13343579
Email: peepah-sara@yahoo.com

Snippets

1/ "Badshans" (Luckless)
2/ "Dingomaro"
3/ "Garma-o khorma" (Heat and Dates)
4/ "Jahlehnavazi" (Playing the Jahleh)
5/ "Gol-e bostan" (Flower of the Garden)
6/ "Jofti-o gitar" (Jofti & Guitar)
7/ "Khastegari" (Search for a Bride)
8/ "Kghar"
9/ "Mahigiri" (Fishing)
10/ "Piremard-o darya" (Old Man and the Sea)



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