SoSaLa/SADATO/TEHRAN-DAKAR BROTHERS

A Resurrected Masterpiece of Japanese NO WAVE in NYC

“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, New York, 11/3/2024

Release date: December 16th, 2024

SoSaLa (whose artist name was Sadato at the time this album was recorded) has released his next retrospective recording, 1994 – Live at CBGB. This live album follows up on the previous album, 1993, this time looking back to 1994, a significant year in SoSaLa’s music career. The music was performed live at the legendary punk club CBGB in New York on January 8th, 1994, with SoSaLa’s Tokyo-based quartet, SADATO.

SADATO was a well-known band in the Japanese independent rock and noise music scene and one of the first and few with a DIY approach to music. Because of this, the song “Life Drunk” was dedicated to Gallon Drunk, and “35 Cent Puppy Sandwich” was devoted to FUGAZI and their DIY attitude. SADATO fearlessly pioneered New York City underground NO WAVE music to audiences in Tokyo. SADATO’s music was deep, noisy, and angry indie rock, with dada-inspired messages expressed in the lyrics. CBGB’s manager, Louise Parnassa Staley, loved their music so much that she invited them to perform twice the same week.

This retrospective album, recorded and mixed by famed producer and engineer Martin Bisi, is another must-have for fans of SoSaLa’s unique and accomplished music career.

The CD is a high-end 24-bit limited edition, with only 100 autographed copies.

Stream here: https://soundcloud.com/sohrab-saadat-ladjevardi/sets/sosala-1994-live-at-cbgb

Buy here: https://doobeedoobizllc.thrivecart.com/sosala-1994-cd/

The reason for my trip to come to Tokyo, as you already know, was to attend my wife’s mother funeral who passed away recently. As usual I took one of my horns with me, this time it’s my soprano saxophone, which is smaller and lighter than my tenor saxophone. I had no idea, how my sax would get involved in my life in Tokyo. Of course no concerts were planned by me and playing on Tokyo streets was out of question.

In the morning of the day when I was going to say my farewell to my mother-in-law before the cremation, I went to the Sozen-Ji Temple near by. I took my soprano with me. When approaching the temple the Kannon worship ceremony had already started. I did my prayer which was dedicated to my wife and her mother. After the ceremony I took a walk in the temple site and sat down on a bench on the east side of the temple complex. It was a lovely morning, around 6:30am. I just observed the people around me who were mostly elderly people, some joggers and young Chinese women who seemed to live and work here.

After a while I got the impulse to play my sax…a musical ode to my mother-in-law. A piece of music which would take off the fear from her and would make her “hot” trip to the other world easier and faster. I recorded the music with my iPhone.

When I and my family were at her coffin saying our good-byes, I put my iPhone close to my mother-in-law’s right ear and let her listen to my sax. Please listen to my sax In memory of Kazuko, my madar #2.
Music joins me everywhere I go, and I’m very happy that my music could join my mother-in-law’s spirit’s trip to heaven?

Below you find a couple of videos which speak for themselves. Enjoy.