Mahan Mirarab

Mahan Mirarab is an Iranian/Austrian guitarist, composer, arranger and producer based in Vienna and Berlin. He spent years learning Persian traditional music and other indigenous sounds and cultures: Arabic, African, Turkish, Kurdish, etc., while refining his skills in jazz, Western classical and popular music. A virtuoso of the (relatively uncommon) fretless guitar, he specializes in blending microtonal systems with jazz and improvised music.

He is among the most innovative musical minds in Iran, having redefined music in their culture despite the challenges facing musicians after the Iranian revolution. Over the past two decades,  a new generation of musicians has been inspired and influenced by his guitar playing and compositions.

His desire to expand his musical vocabulary brought him to Europe in 2009, where he met and collaborated with numerous musicians from all over the world, including Anthony Braxton, Erkan Ogur, Alain Perez, Hadar Noiberg, Johannes Berauer, Omar Klein, András Dés, etc. His approach to composition and arrangement introduces a unique blend of rhythms and harmonies that showcases his rich musical vocabulary and his depth of knowledge in a variety of style, avoiding cliche and expanding the understanding of how each style can be interpreted. Mirarab  composes, arranges, and performs in jazz, experimental, acoustic/electronic, folk and traditional contexts, as well as for film, dance and theatre.

His aim is to introduce a new musical narrative regarding Middle Eastern cultures and jazz. In doing so, he has created a complex yet approachable style. He represents a generation of young migrant musicians in Europe who are changing the borders of genre in the music industry and pushing for more diversity of quality, dialogue and creativity.

ALL ABOUT JAZZ : Songs like “Haj Ghorban” and “A Week of Moonlight” dazzle with Mirarab’s enigmatic, transcendent guitar playing, fusing Middle Eastern textures with traditional jazz rhythms.

JAZZ TIMES : “Persian Side of Jazz” enlightens listeners by revealing how widespread jazz’s influence is.

JAZZ CORNER : “Persian Side of Jazz” is one of the year’s most unique and compelling releases mainly because the stylistic blueprint of Mirarab’s compositions draw upon stylistic influences, mainly Persian folk and world music, that are exotic to state-side ears.