Abbas Bakhtiari was born in 1957 in Bandar Shahpourin, Iran. His family were
Lors/Lurs, an aboriginal tribe within Iran. His father, Javad Bakhtiari, was a master of
the ney and the zurna and passed his knowledge of traditional music onto his son.
In 1983, Abbas moved to Paris to continue his studies of Persian music under the
scholarly guidance of Hossein Omoumi, a professor and master of the ney and Persian
vocals. He continued his musical education with Shahram Nazeri, a Kuridsh tenor of sufi
origin who has risen to become one of Iran’s most respected singers. Alongside Shahram
Nazeri and other Iranian musicians, Abbas Bakhtiari began to perform at a variety of
international festivals of music. He has since accompanied many other international
known musicians like Sheykh Ahmad Al-e Tony, singer Soufi d' Egypt, Flamenco guitarist
Tomatito,and a range of French, Brazilian, Australian and Kurdish musicians and singer.
Since 1990, Abbas Bakhtiari has primarily focused on the daf, a large-sized frame drum he acquired while studying in
Paris.
Abbas Bakhtiari has elevated the presence of Iranian music and culture on the world music scene. He’s recorded a CD with
Dariush, one of Iranian pop music’s most famous singers, wherein Dariush sings the poems of Simin Behbahani a treasured
poetess of Iran. He also composed the music for “Mastan”a CD dedicated to traditional and mystical Iranian music. His
composition were inspired by the tradition, philosophy and culture of the Kurdish people residing in Iran.
In addition to his work with Iranian musicians he has collaborated with Armenian, Egyptian, French and Spanish
performers. He performed a CD of Kurish mystic music with Ali Akbar Moradi on tanbour and Kourosh Moradi on tonbak
and daf on a project in co-operation with “la Maison des Cultures du Monde“ (The House of the Cultures of the World) and
funding by the Ministry of Culture.
Recently Bakhtiari has grown increasingly involved with cinema. In addition to his work on musical scores such as the
soundtrack for " Exils"," Deux Anges" and “Gazastrophe” he has also acted in feature-length films including “Vengo” and
“Les Femmes San Hommes”.
Source: http://www.rainineden.com/silkroadrelief/artists/abbas-bakhtiari.html
