Madman of God: Divine Love Songs of the Persian Sufi Masters

by Sussan Deyhim

Overview

Remarkably for a singer of such high reputation, who has been active as a recording artist since the mid-1980s, this is Sussan Deyhim's first solo recording. Previous outings included albums created in tandem with Richard Horowitz, the magnificent Majoun among them, and innumerable guest appearances on CDs by the likes of Bill Laswell, Jah Wobble, Russell Mills, and Brian Eno. On Madman of God Deyhim returns to the roots of her own musical tradition: a millennium's worth of Sufi love poetry. Familiar folk music to generations of Iranians, Deyhim transcends the merely archival in her interpretations of these classic melodies with her rich, musty vocals and eclectic arrangements. More than ably assisting her are a cross-genre collection of musicians, including Raz Mesinai (aka Badawi), Reggie Workman, Karsh Kale, Horowitz, cellist Dawn Bukholtz Andrews, and Reza Derakhshani on a variety of stringed traditional instruments. Deyhim certainly exercises her gift with flourish; the largely wordless vocal of "Daylaman (Inextricable)" or her show-stopping imitation of tablas on "Negara (Mesmerized Mirror)" are but two striking examples. Together with performances like the elegiac "Hamcho Farhad (Our Tears, Our Wine, Our Sight)" and "Navai (Savage Bird)," with its distinctly Celtic undertones, this album is actually more accessible than her more avant-garde (though equally entrancing) efforts with Horowitz. ~ Stephen Fruitman

Product Details

Release Date:	04/25/2006
Label:	Crammed Discs
UPC:	0876623002123
Rank:	177033

Tracks

1. Gereyley (Nocturnal Dialogue)
2. The Candle & The Moth
3. Daylaman (Inextricable)
4. Meykhaneh (Wine Cave)
5. Bade Saba (The Wind of Saba)
6. Negara (Mesmerized Mirror)
7. Hamcho Farhad (Our Tears, Our Wine, Our Sight)
8. Navai (Savage Bird)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sussan Deyhim   Primary Artist,Vocals
Reggie Workman   Guest Artist,Bass (Upright),Bass (Acoustic)
Will Calhoun   Guest Artist,Drums,Udu
Karsh Kale   Guest Artist,Tabla,Synthesizer Pads
Glen Velez   Guest Artist,Percussion,Daff
Richard Horowitz   Strings
Raz Mesinai   Zarb
Hearn Gadbois   Zarb
David Soldier   Violin
Reza Derakhshani   Ney,Setar,Taragat,Kamanche

Technical Credits

Sussan Deyhim   Audio Production,Liner Notes,Producer,Engineer,Arranger
Richard Horowitz   Sample Arrangements
James P. Nichols   Mixing,Engineer
Vincent Kenis   Mastering
Reza Derakhshani   Calligraphy
Paul Van Der Jonckheyd   Mastering
Joel Bluestein   Mixing,Associate Producer
David Austin Cook   Engineer
John Yates   Engineer
Diego Cortez   Art Direction