Beyond Any Form Explained

Beyond Any Form
Type:	studio
Artist:	Homayoun Shajarian and Tahmoures Pournazeri
Cover:	Beyond Any Form.jpg
Released:	(Iran) (Worldwide)
Recorded:	2011–2014 Fantasy Studios (Berkeley) Rusl Studio (Los Angeles) MDM Studio (Istanbul) Shamss Studio (Tehran) Studio Bell (Tehran)
Genre:	Persian traditional music, World music
Label:	Mystic World Music (Worldwide), Irangam (Iran)
Producer:	Sadroddin Hosseinkhani

Beyond Any Form (Persian: نه فرشته‌ام نه شیطان; lit. I am neither Angel nor Devil)^[1] is a collaborative studio album by Persian traditional musicians Homayoun Shajarian and Tahmoures Pournazeri, as vocalist and composer respectively.^[1]

The album was unveiled on March 11, 2014, in a ceremony held in Vahdat Hall.^[1]

Beyond Any Form includes eight songs in Persian language based on lyrics from renowned Persian classical poet Mowlana Jalaleddin Rumi and contemporary poets Shafiei Kadkani, Simin Behbahani and Hossein Monzavi.

Composer Tahmoures Pournazeri describes the album as an "Iranian contemporary music" album, lacking Radif and inspired by classical, Tanbur, Flamenco and Kurdish music.

The 5th track, is based on a melody from Paco de Lucía^[2] and the 7th track is played improvisationally.^[3]

The album also features American composer David K. Garner, Indian Sitar virtuoso Shujaat Khan, Venezuelan flautist Pedro Eustache and American blues guitarist Jimmy Johnson.^[4]

Beyond Any Form was among the best-selling albums in Iran.^[5]

A music video of Why Did You Leave Me? was directed by Baran Kosari for the unveiling ceremony, featuring a number of Iranian actors, including Sahar Dolatshahi, Navid Mohammadzadeh and Mehrdad Sedighian among others.^[6]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Beyond Any Form liner notes.^[7]

• Homayoun Shajarian – vocals
• Tahmoures Pournazeri – composer, recording supervisor, photographer, setar (track 1–5, 7–8), barbat (track 3, 6), daf (track 3)

Additional musicians

• David Garner – arrangement
• Ramón Stagnaro – guitar (track 8)
• Sohrab Pournazeri – kamancheh (track 3, 6, 8)
• Jimmy Johnson – bass (track 5, 8)
• Shujaat Khan – sitar (track 6)
• Pedro Eustache – duduk (track 6)
• Hamidreza Taghavi – santour (track 8)
• John Wakefield – percussion (track 5–8)
• Shahab Paranj – kouzeh & kick (track 8)
• Mehmet Akatai – darbuka, bendir (track 3)
• Mahyar Torayhi – santour (track 3)
• Kaveh Grayeli – setar (track 3)

• Philip Brezina – violin (track 1, 6)
• Stephanie Bibbu – violin (track 1, 6)
• David Ryther – violin (track 1, 6)
• Peter Masek – violin (track 1, 6)
• Jory Fankuchen – violin (track 1, 6)
• Natalie Carducci – violin (track 1, 6)
• Noemy Lafrenais – violin (track 1, 6)
• Evan Buttemer – viola (track 1)
• Nils Bultman – viola (track 1)
• Cilo Tilton – viola (track 1)
• Elizabeth Chio – viola (track 1)
• Andrei Gorbatenko – bass (track 1)
• Alden Cohen – bass (track 1)
• Seth Osborn – piano (track 1)
• Roshanak Kaymanesh – chor (track 1)
• Samira Mohseni – chor (track 1)
• Shuin Corrasco – cello (track 1, 6)
• Joanne De Mars – cello (track 1, 6)

Artistic personnel

• Pouneh Mirlou – graphic design and illustration
• Neda Moradi – illustrator
• Arash Gharighi – photographer
• Behrouz Badiei – photographer
• Hananeh Tabatabaei – photographer
• Soroush Payandeh – photographer

Technical personnel

• Sadroddin Hosseinkhani – producer
• Mehdi Beshkoufeh – associate producer
• Adam Monuz – sound engineer
• Jesse Nichols – sound engineer
• Alberto Hernandez – sound engineer
• Jill Tengan – sound engineer
• Omid Nikbin – sound engineer
• Reza Sadeghi – mixing

External links

• Beyond Any Form at Amazon.com

Notes and References

1. News: 'I am neither Angel nor Devil,' takes three years of collaboration. Mehr News Agency. March 11, 2014. October 19, 2014.
2. News: Tahmoures. Pournazeri. http://www.musicema.com/node/213122. Seda Weekly. fa:نه فرشته‌ام، نه شیطان موسیقی معاصر ایران است. I am neither Angel nor Devils genre, is Iranian contemporary music. October 19, 2014. Persian.
3. News: Newsha. Mazidabadi. http://www.magiran.com/npview.asp?ID=2957273. Etemaad. fa:نه مدرنم، نه سنتی. 'I am neither Traditional nor Modern'. May 25, 2014. 7–8. 2969. Persian.
4. News: "Neither Angel Nor Devil Am I" Released. Cultural Heritage News Agency. August 12, 2014. October 19, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712212826/http://chnpress.ir/NSite/FullStory/News/?Id=1649&Serv=0&SGr=0. July 12, 2015.
5. News: Shajarian concert extended. Islamic Republic News Agency. August 11, 2014. October 19, 2014.
6. News: Parviz. Barati. http://www.magiran.com/npview.asp?ID=2929784. Shargh. fa:واكنش شجریان به برخی منتقدان كلیپ جنجالی آلبومش: حرمت‌ها را در كلام و دوستی‌ها حفظ كنيم. Shajarian's reaction to the controversial music video of his album. April 14, 2014. 1. 1998. Persian.
7. Homayoun Shajarian and Tahmoures Pournazeri. Beyond Any Form. 2014. booklet. Irangam.