Mehrnam Rastegari: Soundprints of the East
Joe's Pub425 Lafayette Street, New York 10003
Mehrnam Rastegari brings Soundprints of the East to Joe’s Pub. The available information confirms the title and Rastegari as the billed artist, but does not specify the performers, lineup or set format for this date. It is therefore best understood as a presentation under her project title rather than a billed ensemble whose personnel can be named.
An NYC-based Persian musician, Rastegari is a singer, violinist, kamancheh player and award-winning composer for film, theatre and short films. The kamancheh, a Persian bowed spike fiddle, is central to her musical practice. Her score for Dispirited received the Best Original Score award at the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards. She has also played violin on “Mirage” for Assassin’s Creed and is a member of the New York Arabic Orchestra. In another Joe’s Pub project, Senavazi, she has performed originals alongside traditional Persian, Kurdish, Balkan and Turkish material, though that project’s instrumentation and repertoire are not confirmed for Soundprints of the East.
The stage is set in a converted library space with a striped bar and photos of legends like Leonard Cohen and Amy Winehouse lining the walls. You'll find yourself seated on velvet couches or at candle-lit tables, close enough to hear every note from the back. The sound, engineered by technicians who've worked with John Legend and The Notorious B.I.G., is consistently ranked among the best in New York. Three shows a day, dinner and drinks served throughout, and a menu ranging from Italian small plates to craft cocktails; it's a place where music and conversation flow together, and where both rising stars and legends have made their U.S. debuts.