SoSaLa a “Musician with Attitude (MwA)”

NEWS

11/11/2022

Demonstrators rally at the National Mall to protest against the Iranian regime, in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic republic’s notorious “morality police.” (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“…Our vision transcends the stifling diatribes of “leaders” who care only for the sustaining and expansion of their own power. Artists and musicians have tapped into the essence of absolute reality itself, and our craft is one of the few ways to articulate this and make it manifest. Music is the doorway between worlds, and we are the gatekeepers. We touch people’s hearts and souls in a way they can neither achieve nor comprehend.”
SoSaLa’s first home country IRAN has been uprising for more than 6 weeks.
More here: Iran Rising, Woman, Life, Freedom Movement. Commentary by Dawoud Kringle (DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY contributor)

10/14/2022

Announcement

Photo courtesy of Fiona

“A vital journalist specializing in the Scottish music scene, with a particular affinity for jazz and new music,” Scottish Jazz advocate and drummer Fiona Mactaggart became SoSaLa’s representative for the UK and Scotland.

For any UK related inquiries, please contact her by email: fifimactaggart@gmail.com.

 

10/10/2022

LET’S CARE FOR AMERICAN JAZZ MUSICIANS! America’s Voice Demands Social Justice! In solidarity and Music.

Last night I, SoSaLa, submitted the track ENOUGH IS ENOUGH (EIE) to the Recording Academy’s “Best Song For Social Change Award.” This award wants to recognize “creators of message-driven music that responds to the social issues of our time and has the potential for positive global impact.”

 So I chose EIE for this award which is a protest song, feat. Dr. Cornel West, supporting NY’s Local 802’s Justice For Jazz Artists Campaign. SoSaLa cares for jazz musicians and respects what they have done as a creative work force for L’America. He can’t stand any kind of exploitation of this great music.
 
In 2007, Local 802 in partnership with the six major club owners, successfully lobbied the State Legislature to forgive the sales tax on tickets for Jazz clubs. That was done in order to allow the sums formerly collected as admission sales tax to go toward Jazz musicians’ retirement, at no cost to the clubs. However, since the law’s passage, none of the clubs have volunteered to make any contributions into the pension fund. In 2014, the union received official backing from the New York City Council. But nothing has changed since then.
 
With this song SoSaLa wants to speak out about the continuing unfair treatment of jazz musicians by the six major clubs: the Blue Note, Village Vanguard, Iridium, Jazz Standard, Dizzy’s Club and Birdland.
 
“What do we want? Your payments to our pension fund!
What do we want? Social justice!”
 
More in the lyrics here:
 
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH (lyrics by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi and Dr. Cornel West)
 
Can you hear us? Our voices? Our drums?
This noise we make to let people know that we’re tired of you…clubs!!!
Can you hear us? Our music? “Triumphant music” Martin Luther King proclaimed.
How dare you try to ignore us!!!
Martin Luther King once said about jazz: “Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States comes from this music.”
Listen, soon we will pull you out of your back rooms.
Listen, the time has come: enough is enough bloody vampire-capitalists!
Enough is enough…we will take back our blood money.
Listen, you soon will choke on the sales tax you saved.
Again: enough is enough! No more injustice.
Can you hear James Browns “1”? We’ll get you on the 1!
Can you hear Miles’ trumpet? Be sure he’ll blow your minds.
Do you remember Billie Holiday saying: “I’ve been told nobody says the word “hunger” like I do.”
Billie, six New York jazz clubs still don’t care about jazz and its musicians. Their greed is still hiding behind a law.
Enough is enough! Musicians mobilize!
Let New York know that you’re in charge.
—————————————————————————————————————
Enough is enough (8x)! Yeah, hm. Yeah. Enough is enough. Once more (2x). Go for it. Hm, yeah, I hear you. Go for it, baby (2x). I hear you.
 
(Dr. Cornel West speech) We are not always going to agree, it’s not always about unanimity. We’re going to be like the Duke Ellington Jazz Orchestra. Everybody got their own voice. Even Duke is not the conductor; he’s just one voice among the others.
__________________________________________________________________
 
The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, The Jazz Standard, Birdland, Iridium and Dizzy’s Club.
 
Enough Is Enough (2x) – you’ ve owed us a lot of money for the last seven years!
How can you forget your promise?
Enough Is Enough (2x) – your greed and your ignorance!
Enough Is Enough – musicians organize!
Enough Is Enough – it’s time for a boycott!
Clubs, clubs, clubs! We ain’t fools! – Clubs, clubs, clubs! We ain’t fools!
What do we want? A collective bargaining agreement!
And what do we want? Your payments to our pension fund!
What do we want? Social justice!
What do we want? Your payments to our pension fund!
What do we want? Social justice!
What do we want? Respect, respect, respect!
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

9/26/2022

Iran, my first home country is in turmoil now. I’m sure you’re informed about what’s happening there.
In 2009 during the Green Movement her in NY I composed, recorded, released and performed “Welcome Nu Iran” dedicated to the tortured and exploited Iranian brothers and sisters at that time.
Unfortunately, nothing has changed in Iran. Iran is run by a brutal and pseudo religious dictatorship.
This song’s message is quite simple: Iran, Unite! Stop complaining, do something…together. Listen to each other.
A group of people is needed to run the show. Somebody from inside has to come out and lead the people to freedom. Gandhi, Mandela, Martin Luther King and many others have proved that. The Iranian people need to organize. Especially the intellectuals.
Anyways, my love goes to my people in Iran and I feel very bad about my helplessness. So the only thing I can di is share this track with them.

Listen here:

8/20/2022

Support All Music Makers on Capitol Hill

At the 20th GRAMMYs on the Hill, the Recording Academy and its members are fighting for all music makers and advancing creators’ rights on Capitol Hill. Join us in telling Congress to stand up for artists, songwriters, and studio professionals by:

  1. Passing the HITS Act
  2. Advancing the American Music Fairness Act
  3. Ensuring fair compensation for all songwriters

Now, more than ever, we need Congress’s support. Take action to urge your lawmakers in Washington to build a better world for music and its makers.

TAKE ACTION

7/22/22

MFM t-shirtMFM t-shirt

I’m the proud President of the musicians rights organization MFM. It’s a hot and humid summer here in NY. The right time to purchase a MFM t-shirt. Please support my music activism purchasing a MFM t-shirt here: https://musiciansformusicians.org/product-category/t-shirts/

6/29/2022

SoSaLa joined two musicians rights organizations:

Independent Musicians Alliance (IMA) and the Recording Academy (Grammys).

6/20/2022

We’re getting closer to the new CD SoSaLa 1993 release. Adam Reifsteck has started to master the “NO WAVE’ tracks. Featuring NY musicians guitarist Mark C of Live Skull, sax player Peter Gordon (LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA), bassist David Motamed (CELL/DAS DAMEN), a.o.. Recorded and mixed by Martin Bisi at BISI STUDIOS in Brooklyn, in 1993.

SoSaLa with Japanese fan

5/30/2022

Good to see fans wearing the SoSaLa t-shirt in public. This time it’s Chris Coluzzi, a passionate punk, heavy metal, indie rock drummer and Elvin Jones student, who took a walk with SoSaLa in Riverside Park, New York. Do you like the t-shirt? If yes, order and purchase the t-shirt here: https://sohrab.info/merchandise/

SoSaLa t-shirt

 

5/20/2022
SoSaLa decided to release a mini album this year. Music he recorded in 1993. With NY musicians Mark C (g, Live Skull), David Motamed (bass, CELL/DAS DAMEN/The Royal Arctic Institute), Peter Gordon (tenor sax, jew’s harp, LOVE OF LIVE ORCHESTRA), James Lo (drums, Live Skull). SoSaLa on soprano sax, flute, organ and voice. No tenor sax playing this time!
Recorded and mixed by his favorite engineer Martin Bisi at BC Studios. The album will be called SoSaLa 1992 and released on DooBeeDoo Rec. The music is still fresh and exiting to listen to. It documents very well how SoSaLa made music at that time which was NO WAVE (indie-progressive-noise rock).
This will be a limited edition again. 
This might be the photo of the cover…..

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Just Jazz After The darkSoSaLa on air January 13, 2022…Maker Parker Radio show “Just Jazz After Dark” w. host John Pietaro.

Track: Enough Is Enough

Stream here:

https://livestream.com/makerparkradio/makerparkradio/videos/228718436?fbclid=IwAR3DH5w5IzWTphoIfwksS0V9CU9M8HED6d7xfdvGIqIz9hOMF5WWr8z_46M

 

SoSaLa Nu World Trashed CD (Limited Edition) Out NOW!!

BUY Domestic (US): https://doobeedoobizllc.thrivecart.com/nuworldtrashed/

BUY International (from Amazon US): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=SoSaLa+CD&i=digital-text&ref=nb_sb_noss

Press Release here: https://sohrab.info/press-2/

Nu World Trashed Recent CD Reviews

“Overall, the saxophonist jubilantly radiates a third- world spirit, brimming with urban soundscapes.” – Glenn Astarita (ALL ABOUT JAZZ)

(NEW) ALL ABOUT JAZZ (NY) CD review – 9/9/2021 by Glenn Astarita: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/nu-world-trashed-so-sa-la-doo-bee-doo-records

Jazzwise (UK) CD on-line review (May 2021 edition)

JazzWise review

Lucid Culture/ New York Music Daily CD review – 2/22/2021: https://newyorkmusicdaily.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/sosola/

 

London Jazz News (UK) CD review – 2/15/2021 by Fiona MacTaggart:  https://londonjazznews.com/2021/02/15/sosala-nu-world-trashed/

 

 

 

DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY CD review – 12/19/2020 by Dawoud Kringle: https://doobeedoobeedoo.info/2020/12/19/cd-review-sosala-nu-world-trashed/

 

MFM SPEAKS OUT  Podcast Interview

 

NYS Music Interview  by Sal Cataldi (11/5/2020)

“Musicians For Musicians Founder Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi is the personification of the activist-musician. He’s got the high-energy, super creative foreign import that keeps New York City’s melting pot, eternally percolating.” –  Sal Cataldi

Interview: Musicians For Musicians Founder Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

About SoSaLa

” I went to see the musician, Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi a few nights ago, and I must say,

Billy Harper, Morana Mesic and Sohrab
Bill Harper, his wife and Sohrab

that I was totally impressed by his honesty and sincerity. That’s perhaps one of the things that is missing in many practitioners of the music. It was quite refreshing to experience his concert presentation.

PS. It is sometimes good to get “outside of oneself” and see what someone else may be experiencing about his music.” – Legendary jazz man Billy Harper (January 9th, 2018)

SoSaLa is a proud musician. He’s passionate about music and cares for musicians and their social-political issues.

On and off stage SoSaLa advocates that music is not free! It has value. Good quality music is produced by hard work. Musicians need to get compensated for their work, because music is “work” and goes hand in hand with business.

Since 1979 SoSaLa has been on the bandwagon. Releasing a couple of LPs, CDs and music videos. Touring Japan, Europe, the US and Hong Kong. He knows the world and experienced the power of music many times in his long career.

For almost four decades he’s been polishing his craft and sound. Sohrab’s sax sounds like nobody else’s. His sound touches people’s hearts around the world. He’s not only an original player and composer, but also a great entertainer on stage. He interacts smoothly with his audience and let them even participate in his concert.

This is how SoSaLa and his band SADATO GROUP sounded in 1984….

Here is how SoSaLa sounds now with his music project SoSaLa in 2018: https://sohrab.info/SoSaLa

A SoSaLa concert review:

SoSaLa
Photo by Clara Aich

…This was chamber music, infused with subtle elements of performance art. Yet, it would have worked just as well in a large venue. Each musician brought their own strengths to the mix: Saadat constantly moving forward with his unique vision, Belmont adding depths of familiar yet unexpected colors and textures, Haghtalab bringing his sublime musical poetry, and Baba Don with his authoritative presence and worldly wise manner.The purpose was to create an inner experience for the audience, a musical excursion in the places where cultures overlap, and new emotions are felt. And the concert was a success. The audience went away knowing they’d bore witness to a rare and beautiful event. – By Dawoud Kringle (DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY, Jauary 19, 2018)

NU WORLD TRASH CD Reviews…

Freedom, as in civil liberties and free jazz, is the word that best captures “Nu World Trash,” the irrepressible debut by SoSaLa, the intercontinental collective led by Iranian saxophonist and activist Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi. Boasting a formidable musical résumé, Ladjevardi has worked with everyone from Malian pop star Salif Keita to Ornette Coleman and Bachir Attar of Morocco’s Master Musicians of Jajouka. – By Bill Friskics-Warren (The Washington Post, March 12, 2012)

Ladjevardi merges his inward-looking persona with the jazz vernacular and a world music vibe. He chants and hollers when getting his point across, relating to a thematic forum where he scrutinizes his Iranian roots. – By Glenn Astarita (all about jazz, April 18, 2012)