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Summer 2002 (10.2)
Page
20
Vadoud Mo'azzen
  When it comes to talent, Vadoud Mo'azzen
is a creative powerhouse. Besides being an accomplished singer,
painter and poet, he plays the tar and saz, two traditional Azerbaijani
musical instruments.
This multi-talented Azerbaijani was born in 1960 in the historical
city of Ardebil in Southern Azerbaijan (Iran). His last name,
Mo'azzen, sometimes transliterated as "muezzin", refers
to the person who calls faithful Muslims to prayer. Several of
Vadoud's ancestors were famous muezzins, so clearly vocal talent
runs in his family.
Vadoud has performed in Iran, Europe and America; in 1999, he
toured California with Zoya Sabet, a vocalist who is originally
from Gilan (Iran) and now lives in Los Angeles. The two of them
recorded a CD together in Los Angeles with Parviz Gharib-Afshar's
Shiva International Enterprises.
Vadoud began studying music in 1980 and has trained with famous
masters such as Agha Khan Abdullayev (in Baku) and Nasehpour
(in Iran). Some of the songs on his recently released album,
"Sari Bulbul" (Yellow Nightingale), reflect this influence
of traditional ashug and mugham [modal] singing; examples include
"Uzum Daghlar" (Towards the Mountains) and "Sara".
Besides singing in a traditional style, Vadoud also experiments
with Western-style electronic music and what might be called
"metropolitan" singing, inspired by his life in Tehran.
But Vadoud's music is only half of the picture. His passionate
nature and romanticism are also deeply reflected in his oil paintings,
which tend to depict pastoral landscapes, provincial village
scenes and other images of pastoral life in the regions surrounding
Ardebil. He has also painted portraits, including that of Shahriyar,
one of the most famous Azerbaijani poets from Iran.
 
Left: Vadoud's "Sari Bulbul" Album.
Right: Painting of the Anzali Bazaar near
the Caspian Sea.
Vadoud began painting at the age of 12 and later went to Tehran
and Turkey to complete his art education. He has exhibited in
Iran, Germany, France and Canada and also has had a solo exhibition
in the United States.
 In painting after painting, Vadoud's
love for Nature and rural life shows through. For instance, his
painting of the Anzali bazaar near the Caspian Sea is alive with
strolling shoppers and vendors displaying their wares. In his
depiction of snow-capped Savalan Peak, a famous mountain in Southern
Azerbaijan, Vadoud shows a shepherd solemnly watching over his
sheep while overhead, the sun peeks through the clouds. This
realistic-romantic style captures the rich colors, lush landscape
and essential spirit of Vadoud's homeland.
Left:
Painting and book cover
"Savalan Heights in Spring".
In fact, you might say that his voice echoes his paintings, and
his paintings reflect his voice. There is a certain cohesion
and unity between the two, as they both invoke the picturesque
and tranquil images of everyday life in rural Southern Azerbaijan.
To order the art book "Selected
Works of Vadoud Mo'azzen (1991-2000)", contact Yassavoli
Publications, Bazaarcheh Ketab, Enqelab Ave. 13146, Tehran, Iran.
Tel: (98-21) 646 1003; Fax: (98-21) 641 1913; ISBN #964-306-193-0.
To order the art book "Manifestation of Feelings: The Selected
Works of Vadoud Mo'azzen - Oil Paintings" (2001), contact
Mirdashti Farhangsara, Tehran, Iran. Tel: (98-21) 649 0661/-2;
Fax: (98-21) 649 0653; ISBN #964-7141-24-6. To order Vadoud's
cassette "Sari Bulbul", contact Avaye Nakisa in Tehran,
Iran. Tel: (98-21) 311 2435 or (98-21) 390 2048. To order Vadoud's
live concert CD "Ay Giz" (Hey, Girl) or Vadoud's concert
CD with Zoya Sabet, contact Parviz Gharib-Afshar, Producer, Shiva
International Enterprises, 2265 Westwood Blvd., PMB #566, Los
Angeles, CA 90064 USA. Tel: (310) 657-1000; www.gharibafshar.com.
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