In Convergence Liberation

In Convergence Liberation represents the latest step in saxophonist/composer/theorist Hafez Modirzadeh s thirty-year quest to create a seamless exchange between different musical cultures of the world. It follows on the heels of his 2012 release Post Chromodal Out!, which was a New York Times Critics Pick that topped many year-end best-of lists. The new work further explores the concept of 'chromodality', a cross-cultural musical approach that allows for the co-existence of different musical temperaments from around the world which Modirzadeh originally developed from his own American jazz and Iranian dastgah heritages. The suite of seven chamber works on In Convergence Liberation utilize such disparate influences as Persian and Iberian scales, Andalusian poetry, the Iraqi maqam, and the classical string quartet tradition as performed by the acclaimed ETHEL. Vocalist Mili Bermejo and Iraqi-American trumpeter/singer Amir ElSaffar, singing in Spanish and Arabic, respectively, demonstrate the power of music to break free from cultural barriers to create a true universal language.