Vazesh - The Sacred Key

Vazesh perform long-form improvisations inspired by the Persian Radif, and renowned Iranian tar player Hamed Sadeghi's (Eishan Ensemble) music. Featuring Sadeghi alongside Earshift Music founder saxophonist-bass clarinettist Jeremy Rose (Earshift Orchestra, The Vampires) and bassist Lloyd Swanton (The Necks, The Catholics) this is an exciting collaboration driven by an exploration of musical discovery. In 2020 Vazesh were invited to reopen the Sydney Opera House's music program with two sold-out shows. This has been beautifully captured and presented on their debut album 'The Sacred Key'.

Lloyd says It's been a gratifying challenge to meld Jeremy's and my principles of spontaneous improvisation with Hamed's deep immersion in the Persian Radif. There are some obvious areas of overlap, not the least being the modal jazz of the 1960s. And Hamed and Jeremy are both - despite their vastly different musical backgrounds - such open-minded musicians. So when we all tune in to the feeling of commonality as we play, and let that be our navigational star, magic always occurs.

Bouyant invention: never seeming to flag or at want for new ideas - **** Jazzwise, Stuart Nicholson

It's the closest thing to telepathy I've seen. The audience applauds, satisfied by the class, the brevity, the structural perfection and rich invention of Rose, Sadeghi and Swanton's Vazesh. - ***** Limelight Magazine - review of the Sydney Opera House show.

Captivating...the uncanny effect being of three human voices singing in harmony. - **** SMH