abstract
| - Rarely does an artist come along who is equally at home performing The Divine Love Songs of the Persian Sufi Masters, as she is on a stage with the likes of Praxis, Buckethead and Bill Laswell, walking the very cutting edge of techno hip hop, but such an artist is Sussan Deyhim. Born in Teheran to an old aristocratic family, Deyhim had been exposed to an amazing variety of music: from India, Egypt, Andalusia, and every part of her own country to the African-influenced styles of the south, Saudi Arabian, Kurdish, Afgani, and the immigrant tribes of the central regions. She studied and performed with Bejart's Ballet of the 20th Century and moved to New York, only to realize that ballet was no longer her calling. She began working with Richard Horowitz, a musician and composer schooled in free jazz, steeped in the music of Morocco and many other forms of %22world music.%22 Their collaboration would produce Majoun for Sony Classical -a unique synthesis. Billboard described her vocals on the album as %22an overpowering presence'.It inspired Peter Gabriel to use Deyhim's voice to evoke Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ. Deyhim eventually collaborated with Depak Chopra for A Gift of Love, with the poetry of Rumi being read by Madonna, Martin Sheen a.o. ).In 2008, Sussan has released 5 albums on her own new label Venus Rising Records: 'Soliloquy', 'Possessed', 'Trouble Man' (ep), 'Logic Of The Birds' and 'Out Of Faze' (a collaboration with Adrian Sherwood and Keith LeBlanc in London and Bill Laswell in New York).Her appearances have ranged from productions like John Claude van Italie's Tibetan Book of the Dead in New York to playing Euridice at La Scala in Milan, from performing with Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble to recording and performing as a soloist with Bobby McFerrin's vocal ensemble.
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