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The Persian Connection

Through their love for the Persian musical traditions, the Rembrandt Trio has come into contact with some of the great Iranian musicians.

The connections and collaborations have initiated a number of projects for a number of years already. Internationally renowned musicians such as Kayhan Kalhor, Hossein Alizadeh, Mahsa Vahdat and Mohamed Motamedi have joined the projects, tours and recordings.

The first thing that links Persian music to the Rembrandt Trio is improvisation, which is equally important in both both Persian and Jazz styles. The ability to ‘play by ear’ enables musicians to create meaningful interplay and build a new piece every time they play.

‘A milestone in Dutch improvised music!’
MusicFrames

Making of ‘Same Self, Same Silence’ Hossein Alizadeh & Rembrandt Trio

‘Same Self, Same Silence’ documents the unique collaboration between the Iranian grandmaster Hossein Alizadeh and the Dutch Rembrandt trio. In an ancient church, Persian melodies and oriental scales intermingle with echoes of jazz – all played on a set of one of a kind instruments. Invited by the famously inquisitive jazz pianist Rembrandt Frerichs, the prominent lute-player Hossein Alizadeh transports melodies from Iran into a space where all four musicians bring their own traditions and backgrounds into play.

Vinsent Planjer, Tony Overwater, Rembrandt Frerichs and Hossein Alizadeh play instruments especially built for them or collected from musical eras past, to find a common language in music. On ‘Same Self, Same Silence’ – a line lifted from a famous Iranian poem – we can hear how, when we dare to immerse ourselves in a different culture, we discover new horizons.