Sahba Sizdahkhani

Iranian musician Sahba Sizdahkhani serves as a unique crossroad of East meets West. Inspired heavily by 1960’s free-jazz and Persian Traditional Music, he constantly channels the fire-energy and longing for connectivity that these two stormy histories represent.

Sahba began drums at the age of 12, and santour, an ancient string instrument, several years later. A momentous breakthrough resulted upon hearing The John Coltrane Quartet for the first time, making him a stalwart believer in free improvisation as the only means to attaining maximum expansion, revelation, and flight during performance. A recent description of Sahba’s live show in Washington, D.C. by author Joe Hall read:

“You can describe the confluence of textures or every different stroke that the kit was hit with, but that would ignore the essential: that what was running through the place was of the place, from the boards, bricks, concrete and cellar dirt, to the lights studding the windows, the breathing flesh, inside & out. A green horse ran through the establishment, eyes open & beating.”

Sahba has recorded with artists on the imprints of Dischord Records, Southern Lord, and Drag City, and has appeared live with Peter Brotzmann, Devendra Banhart, Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto), Marc Ribot, Eli Keszler, and Mary Halvorson. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Maryland in Art History and Archeology as well as in Jazz Performance at Berklee College of Music.