All posts by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

1994 Quotes

Anouncement, News, Quotes

“dear sohrab aka SoSaLa

cutting edge music! the ominous 3-note motive in yurei, your vocal in death is to my ears a call to revolution.
in wer wie wo was warum, your vocal cry is a reminder of our responsibility to fight the power.
life drunk has rhythms and the feel of a slow blues with insistent backbeats signaling ‘getting ready’
positive ja feels like a rooted thrust against power (not knowing the lyrics however).
tavalodis a blues that both mourns the current world’s path to extinction and the raw energy to change it (with a hip cut off followed by a beautiful soprano saxophone passage then vocals. i would like to hear a much longer sax statement, because the sound and feel of it as well as the improvisation is deep! i would like to hear a whole piece(s) with just the soprano and possibly acoustic bass and drums!!!!!
35-cent puppy sandwich(great title!) opens with the wind instrument and your explaining the use of farsi. then the rapid vocal and rhythms make a strong groove statement toward upheaval. my 2 cents; i would love to hear a whole album with you on soprano apto, or traditional west asian instrument and farsi, accompanied by acoustic bass and drums, perhaps a piano (but that locks it into a western tuning, so the pianist would have to be sensitive to the maqam, or retune the piano).
kurushi shiawase– i heart the drum playing a groove that reminds me of the duyeg usul (rhythm) in which the chant is ‘la ila ah ilo la’ (pardon my misspelling). i played this rhythm and sang the chant with fred fo in one of his works, song for manong, regarding southern philippine resistance to western imperialism.
65– an overall statement of anger, injustice, exploitation, and the revolution necessary to stop and replace it.
the whole album is a message(s) to the world about how poisoned the planet is and how we need to act ion a revolutionary way to confront and replace the ‘new world odor’ (fred ho’s term) with a just humane society and world. the powerful effect it has is that it is as true and relevant now as it was in 1994 when it was released.
i hear your message as the expression of the means, in malcolm x’s words, ‘by any means necessary.’
wonderful work, still relevant and important today, and ongoing, and congratulations to you, sohrab!!!!” – Royal Hartigan, North Dartmouth, March 17th, 2025

“SoSoLa 1994 Live at CBGB: At times lassoed to earth by blues, funk, and phrygian inspired grooves, the cosmic messengers of this ensemble slingshot into the stratosphere with vocal and instrumental deliveries that command, not ask for your attention. Hold on!” – Lonnie Harrington, New York, 2/17/2025

“SoSaLa – Live at CBGB 1994

SoSaLa’s live album grabs you right from the opening notes of “Yurei”, with a distorted electric guitar soaring over ominous drums and bass, eventually joined by intense vocals. This whole album is powerful music that recalls bits of Primus and Rollins Band (two of my favorite bands from the early 90’s). The rhythm section is incredibly tight, and the guitar player is equally amazing. SoSaLa’s vocals scream into the void, painting word pictures that hang in the air long after the last song ends. Anyone who appreciates this type of cathartic, in-your-face music will love the whole album. Highlights are “Death” and “Positive Ja”. Highly recommended!” – Kevin Keller, New York, 2/12/2025

“SoSaLa/Sadato’s performance on the 1994 Live at CBGB CD is some of the best No Wave music I’ve ever heard. It is high-energy post-punk combined with excellent musicianship, projecting a powerful social/political message that still resonates today. They are in the tradition of the MC5 and even more dynamic, in my opinion.” – David Belmont, New York, January 25th, 2025

“I just listened to SoSaLa 1994-Live at CBGB‘s and I have to say …it is indeed a masterpiece. Whether it’s Japanese, Iranian, German, American or Derailing Angst? I got it. I also enjoyed the song description sheets that are supplied with the CD. A robust artifact and as a listening experience, especially in front of my wood stove and sitting on an armchair suitable for the Maxwell listening agent. I loved it.” –  Stephen R Johnson (musician and activist), Kingston NY, 1/24/25

“I finally had time to sit down with the 1994 CBGB cd last night. I loved it, and loved hearing how your sound has progressed over the years. Different in many ways from how I’ve heard you, but still retaining your signature sound that I’m familiar with. Awesome stuff.” – Sean Johnson (Booking Agent of The Baltimore Consort), Baltimore, January 17th, 2025

“Wow! I would have never guessed you were a rocker.” – Sandra Izsadore (singer songwriter, activist and Fela Kuti’s muse), Los Angeles, 1/12/2025

“SoSoLa’s live recording from CBGB 1994 is thrilling, chilling and drenched in authenticity. The interplay between SoSaLa aka Sadato’s voice and sax and Toshimaru Nakamura’s guitar is exquisite; the whole band is tight and loose, like well-worn boots. While this impeccably recorded music may be 30 years old, it is eerily prescient and timely. This music is just what we need, as we enter a period of dark uncertainty.” – Peter Gordon (musician), New York, November 21st, 2024

“I have known Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi aka SoSaLa since 1985. Our vectors first intersected in Japan, and Japanese culture is an important factor in appreciating Sohrab’s musical aesthetic. His art came into focus during that exciting time in the 1980s when the genre classifications of marketing had not overtaken the music world. Sohrab’s music draws equally from the languages and cultures of free jazz, punk, and funk to form a potent mix outside of any simple branding. He carries that powerful tradition to this day in both his music and organizing work.” – Elliot Sharp (musician), New York, 11/3/2024

“Yeah, Fela would have liked it!” – Rikki Stein (author, producer, Fela Kuti’s manager and friend), London, 8/29/2024

“Man, you’re a real rocker! :-)” – Marc Ribot (musician and music activist), New York, July 27, 2024)

“I can feel the power and passion in your music!” – Morgan Fisher (musician and member of the Mott the Hoople), Tokyo, July 7, 2024