AIAP Meeting Wednesday November 30, 2011 @ 6:00 PM

Please click here to RSVP

Lecture in Persian Time: 6:00 PM Topic:   "Study of the contemporary relationship of Persian poem and music" AIAP's Lecture Series is pleased to present Mr. Mohsen Namjoo as our guest lecturer for the month of November. Mohsen Namjoo is an Iranian musician, singer-songwriter born in 1976 in Torbat-e Jam, a small town in northeastern Iran. The New York Times called Namjoo "Iran's Bob Dylan". Mohsen Namjoo was born in Iran in a Muslim family. When he was one year old, his family moved to Mashhad where he lived until the age of 18. His father, Mohammad Hossein Namjoo, died when he was 12. His family encouraged him to start attending music classes in classical Persian vocal music. In 1994 he studied Music at University of Tehran in addition to taking some theater classes. In 1997, Namjoo quit the music program explaining that he had some conflicts with some faculty in the music department because they wanted to put him through more years of traditional Iranian music practice which were the repetition of what he had already learned in the earlier years of his life.

Namjoo also studied Iranian folk music. He is also familiar with Western musical styles, particularly blues androck. In late 1997 and early 1998, Namjoo had his first two concerts, themed "modern combination of Iranian poetry and music". In 2003 he started recording parts of his own works in Tehran. His debut album titled Toranj was officially released in Iran in September 2007. He also composed soundtracks for movies and plays. In 2006 he was sentenced in absentia to a five-year jail term for allegedly ridiculing the ash-Shams, a sura of Quran in the song named "Shams" by Iranian courts. The conviction took place in spite of his formal apology. After establishing in the West, he sang this song in his Oy album as a single. In 2010, Namjoo kicked off his "A Minor" tour with a new band ensemble centered around some of his most popular and courageous songs. He also writes poetry, and sometimes uses his own satirical lyrics in his songs blended with the classical poetry of Hafez, Rumi or Saadi. His music and words are very emotional and, in his works, he creates a fusion of various styles from traditional Iranian to blues and rock. He was featured in the documentary Sounds of Silence (directed by Amir Hamz and Mark Lazarz) which has been screened at international film festivals. He also appeared in a feature narrative film called Few Kilograms of Dates for the Funeral (Director Saman Saloor), played in various film festivals.

Dinner Prices:
RSVP Prof. & Family Members: $13
RSVP Non Members: $18
NON-RSVP (Based on Availability)

LOCATION
Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine
Click for Direction
5915 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, California 92111