About the ensemble:

Hamed Shalizi (keyboards & harmonium) began his studies at the age of thirteen at Kabul School of Music. There he studied music theory and learned to play the piano in the Western classical style. After leaving Afghanistan in 1985, Hamed learned Eastern Classical Raga system, common in Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent, from the harmonium master Saadiq Pendiwali. Hamed continued his musical pursuits after moving to the United States in the late 1980s. He studied voice and harmonium with Rita Sahai and Genish Tewari. Hamed has accompanied on tour several distinguished Afghan vocalists such as Ustad Farida Mahwash and Haidar Saleem

Azam Parvanta (acoustic & electric guitars) was born into a musical family in Afghanistan. He began studying Afghan classical music at a young age. In the 1970's, Parvanta formed the musical group Stars which became one of the most popular and successful bands in Kabul. Stars was known for its creativity in fusing Eastern and Western music styles. The Stars' collaborative album with Afghanistan's leading pop star, Ahmad Zahir, was a phenomenal success. Parvanta emigrated to the United States in 1978. Soon after he formed the band Studio East, performing a mix of Eastern and Western music at various music venues throughout the United States, shaping the style that would evolve into SAAZ's distinct fusion sound.

Khalid Shalizi (tabla) began learning tabla at the age of fourteen. He learned theory of tabla from Mahesh Dalwey at the Center for Culture and Art in Kabul, Afghanistan. In the early 1990's, he joined tabla classes in Berkeley, California, taught by the Master Ustad Zakir Hussain. Khalid plays the semi-classical style of tabla, mainly accompanying vocalists who sing ghazal, a style rich in poetry popular in Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent. In Saaz, Khalid accompanies instruments with rhythms that are, to some extent, a blend of Eastern and Western beats as well as rhythms that are unique to Afghan music. Currently, Khalid is student of the renowned classical tabla performer, Arup Chattapadya at the University of California, San Diego.

Wali Parvanta (acoustic guitar) comes from a musical family and learned Afghan classical music from his father at a young age. Parvanta moved to Germany in 1979 to attend the Johannes Brahms Conservatory, where he studied guitar, piano and classical music theory. He continued his musical activities when he moved to the United States in 1983. There he joined the band Studio East with his brother, Azam, and played guitar and tabla.

Guest Artist: Mahmood Etemadi (percussion and guitar) played in various bands in Kabul in the 1970's, mainly performing fusion-style Afghan music. Etemadi recently produced two music CDs, Wave of the Past and Can You Hear Me?.

SAAZ Afghan Fusion Ensemble's activities are sponsored in part by the Fremont Symphony Orchestra of Fremont, California and a grant from the Creative Work Fund, San Francisco, California.

Photos by Pia Torelli (© 2004)

© 2004 Aftaabzad Publications