...a massive, gigantic beast which - despite its density and mass - moves swiftly and smoothly through the city, slowly but firmly; and as it goes, it devours all sorts of elements and sounds, from funk and jazz to classical to rock to Iranian traditional music.
- AUSTRALIANJAZZ.NET -
An award-winning ensemble from Melbourne, Australia SHAYAN seamlessly fuses contemporary jazz, classical and electronic music with the rich folkloric music of Iran.
The music is a reflection of Omid's experiences as an Iranian-Australian migrant, growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne and living with one foot in the Eastern world and the other in the West.
The group was formed in mid-2015 after Omid won first prize at the ‘Darebin Music Festival Composition Competition’ and is a free-floating ensemble, expanding and contracting to support Omid’s musical vision. In 2020, the SHAYAN was awarded a Grant from Creative Victoria for the creation and performance of a new music with the electronic string duo "‘Melbourne Amplified Strings’.
In 2021, SHAYAN were one of 15 recipients of the 2021 ABC Jazz Composer Commission and composed a suite original music for a chord-less quintet, exploring the intersection between contemporary Jazz and Traditional Iranian rhythm and melody. The the seven-track album ‘The Heart is a Candle’ was recorded at ABC Studios as part of the commission in August 2022 and launched to a sell-out crowd at The Jazzlab in Melbourne in May 2023.
Deeply rooted in modern jazz, SHAYAN is a perfect platform for this talented band and gives us another exciting example of Australian Contemporary Jazz. It is also a wonderful live act.
- Ross Nable, Presenter of Impressions on PBS 106.7FM -