Diaspora Arts Connection proudly presents Mahan Mirarab, Sam Minaei, and John Hadfield at Central Stage on Saturday, December 17, 2022. Mahan will present his new album, "Say Your Most Beautiful Word," dedicated to the Woman, Life, Freedom Revolution in Iran.

About the ArtistS

Mahan Mirarab is an Iranian/Austrian guitarist, composer, arranger and music producer based in Vienna and Berlin. He has spent years learning about Persian traditional music as well as the indigenous sound and cultures of the country such as Arabic, African, Turkish, Kurdish, etc., while refining his skills in Jazz, western classic and popular music. Notably using fretless guitar, he specialises in blending the microtonal systems with jazz and improvised music. Read more here: http://www.mahanmirarab.com/

Sam Minaie: Iranian-American bassist and producer, Sam Minaie, was born and raised in Reno, Nevada where he attended the University of Nevada, Reno. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Reno, he moved to Los Angeles to study with Charlie Haden at California Institute of the Arts where he received his Master’s degree. Currently living in New York City, he has enjoyed touring and recording throughout the world with artists including Tigran Hamasyan, Kneebody, Donny McCaslin, Dhafer Youssef, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra (tuba), Peter Epstein, David Ake, Ravi Coltrane, Jeff Ballard, Nate Wood, Mark Guiliana, Patti Austin, Melody Gardot, Butch Morris, Tootie Heath, Jean-Michel Pilc, Ari Hoenig, Shai Maestro, Nate Wood, Ben Wendel, Houman Pourmehdi, Alfred Ladzekpo and numerous others. As a producer and post production engineer, Sam has either written for, mixed, or mastered dozens of records and is the founder of birdFood Studio in NYC. His debut record, ‘Heyo!,’ is available for download or order at samminaie.com.

John Hadfield: As a composer and percussionist, John Hadfield’s dedication to music has taken him from his native Missouri to concert halls and clubs across the world. He has released three albums of his own compositions—John Hadfield’s Paris Quartet, The Eye of Gordon and Displaced and has composed for many projects, including Heard By Others, a duo project with Lenny Pickett, Believers a trio with Brad Shepik and Sam Minaie, For James a duo with Ron Blake, as well as the feature-length documentary After Spring. In 2019 he composed and performed in Apologue 2047, a multimedia performance art piece directed by Zhang Yimou which explored themes of the relationships of humans and technology. Read more: https://www.jhadfield.com/about

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