California: USA

Azam Ali

Azam Ali was born in Iran and spent her childhood in India from the age of four, absorbing its music and culture for 11 years. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother in 1985. Shortly there after, Azam began playing the santour (an instrument similar to hammered dulcimer), studying for five years with Persian master Manoocher Sadeghi.

Her musical endeavors inevitably led to the re-discovery of her voice. Her singing not only liberated her creatively, but also connected Azam to her purest form of expression. She knew she found a way to blend her inherent love of Eastern music with her growing passion for early music, particularly that of Hildegard Von Bingen. Her vocal influences range from Indian and Persian singers Laxmi Shankar, Asha Bhosle, and Sima Bina, to Lebanese singer Marie Keyrouz and early music singer Emily Van Evera. Her writing style was naturally influenced by the Persian folk songs, Indian ghazals and bhajans she heard growing up. Originally composing songs around her own poetry, lyrics were too confining for Azam. She began singing phonetically, to use her voice more as an instrument. She is the singer for the Narada musical group Vas, who have released three records to date, "In The Garden of Souls", "Offerings" and "Sunyata"..

Back - Index - Forward