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If
there is one person that has pushed the envelope on
the art of performance and creating new rules for an
old game, it would be Shahram Shiva. Reciting Rumi poetry
to the sounds of various forms of music such as Jazz,
Blues, and New Age, may not seem that fitting to the
average audience, but it's all in a day's work for Shahram.
He first "re-discovered" Rumi (Mo'lavi) at
the age of 26 and says he had an instant and electric
connection
with
him. Every word came to Shahram clearly, understanding
the meaning and feeling
Rumi's intention and personality every step of the way.
To him, this art of performance comes naturally and instinctively
and is perhaps one of the most interesting and unique experiences
you will have. Our interview with Shahram follows.
PersianMirror: Tell
us a little about yourself and your background.
Shahram
Shiva: I
was born in Mashad, Iran's second largest city, located
in the North East. My family moved to Tehran when
I was 1 or 2. I basically grew up in Tehran,
until
I was 16. My father was very literate; he used to teach
Persian in his 20s. After marrying my mom, mostly with
her encouragement, he became a successful businessperson.
The image that I have of my father is him reading all the
time. He was a ferocious reader. His collection of books
included Persian and Western classics, also religious and
spiritual books. We still have a pair of hand-written Farsi
versions of Count of Monte Christo. He lost his long fight
with diabetes in 1980. I was too young then I hardly knew
him. But his love of literature has stayed with me. My
family sent me to a boarding school in NY when I was 16
(long and very intenerating story which I won't get into).
I am the youngest of my siblings and knew from very young
that I was going to be sent to the West to continue my
education, as my two brothers and a sister had done before
me. I studied Design at Parsons School of Design and Fashion
Institute of Technology both in New York City. In my early
twenties I embraced Eastern mysticism, both Hinduism and
Ancient Persian schools. Ancient Persians (before it was
called Pars or Persia) are actually the source of spirituality
for the world. Going back about 5,000 years. Today's concepts
of spiritual unity, personal growth, so called Nirvana,
meditative forms of movement (yoga) and even martial arts
trace their roots to the pre-Zoroastrian culture that occupied
our region.
PM: Where
do you live now and what made you decide to live there?
SS: For
the past 15 years or so, downtown Manhattan has been my
home. It is the only place that I can technically call "home." My
sense of placement is not typical. I haven't been back
to Iran since I left in March of 1979 and have no intention
of going back, until there is a regime change. My own family
migrated to Israel also in 1979, which I visit from time
to time, but I have no mental or psychological connection
to Israel. So downtown Manhattan, has been one place that
I can relate to. It's a hotbed of on-the-edge creativity.
It's totally relentless, almost brutally unstoppable, yet
still very real, very human. It lacks cheesy sentimentality
and encourages rapid growth. And rapid growth is what life
is all about. Although I enjoy the country too and go to
Up State NY, every chance that I get.
PM: Can you tell us a little about how you got started to write,
sing and perform?
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SS: When
I heard Rumi sung for the first time, it was a unique experience
for
me. I began translating his Farsi poems from the
Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi collection soon after. It was something
I felt I needed to do. I was published 3 years later. It
was a pretty amazing experience, thinking of it now. That
was about 15 years ago. In 1992 I started performing Rumi--first
as simple recitations and they gradually became more musical
and elaborate. Over the past 14 years, I have performed
Rumi with various types of orchestrations, including: Chamber
music, Minimalism, Blues, Jazz, African, Indian, Persian,
Electronic, World Music, New Age and Rock. We broke some
grounds musically, for example I used to do a Blues set
that we called Rumi Blues.
"When
I heard Rumi sung for the first time, it was
a unique experience for me." -
Shahram Shiva
PM: How do you think your work fits
in with the traditional Iranian music? Is it comparable
and how?
SS: In
my new CD, Rumi: Lovedrunk, we use traditional Iranian
instruments, such as Setar, Kamaanche, Ney, Zarb and Daf,
however they are presented in a global setting with other
world instruments and latest studio editing techniques.
For me that's exciting. My work is not classical in any
shape or form. It is an expression of the universality
of Rumi and of my own sense of being a citizen of the world,
rather than a false sense of belonging to a small corner
of it. You know, what Rumi was doing 800 years ago, was
quite radical. It wasn't "traditional" or "classical" in
any way; it was avant-garde to be exact. He broke new ground.
PM: What are some of the upcoming projects or events that you
have planned in the near future?
SS: I
teach a non-ritualistic form of whirling. Actually I have
devised a unique method that makes it very easy for anyone
to begin whirling almost instantly. It has been very popular
since the day I started teaching it about 8 years ago.
A few of my well-known students are now teaching my method
in their own groups including Deepak Chopra. There is a
movie coming out next year called Game 6, with Michael
Keaton and Robert Downey Jr. Downy's character whirls in
this film. I trained him for that scene and he really did
a nice job. Also my CD is being considered as music for
this film. It's a very sincere Indie project, even though
it features well-known Hollywood stars. It's based on a
script by Don DeLillo and directed by Mike Hoffman. That
is very exciting to me, I should know within a month or
so, if my CD makes it.
PM:
Desert Island. Three things. What will you take?
SS: Desert
islands usually have no electricity, so no CDs can be taken.
I would have to say a piano that is magically kept in tune.
Rumi's Divan. A hand-cranked radio (very popular in Africa),
so I can remain aware of world affairs (I don't want to
be too out of the loop, when they'll eventually find me).
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