Mamak Khadem

MAMAK KHADEM, formerly of the sensational cross-cultural fusion ensemble Axiom of Choice has just released her first solo album Jostojo (“Forever Seeking”) and is in the midst of a tour of the United States.
Born in Tehran, Iran, Mamak immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager where she grew up with American pop, rock and jazz. “My family was divided into two. On my father’s side, they were mostly intellectuals, political activist and non-social; on my mother’s side, they were very warm, open and loud. I still remember my mom and aunt singing at parties with lots of passion.” In Tehran, Mamak sang with the Children’s Choir of National Television of Iran. But her family was going through a very difficult period. Her parents separated and her brother was diagnosed with cancer. Mamak was sent abroad to school. Two years after her arrival in the U.S., the 1979 revolution in Iran and the eight-year war with Iraq changed her destiny.
“At the time there were not many Iranian immigrants in Los Angeles. I didn’t speak the language and finding a friend who spoke in my native Farsi was almost an impossible task. I had no connection with my classmates and was a loner. Music became my closest companion and friend. I chose math as my major and received my master’s degree in applied mathematics –it was a language I understood. “
After the revolution, Mamak finally had an opportunity to explore her rich heritage and began training in Persian Classical music with radif vocal masters. “After years of traveling to Iran to study this music I realized that I didn’t want to be a pure traditional singer. I wanted to create my own style of music - accessible to everyone, but with an Iranian signature. It was a challenge.” In Axiom of Choice, Mamak had a chance to collaborate and create in an ensemble that pioneered an exciting Persian contribution to world music. Poignant and innovate, Axiom’s CDs Beyond Denial and Niya-yesh exploded onto the world music scene and Axiom was nominated Best Recombinant World Music Ensemble in 2001 by the LA Weekly Music Awards. Their third sensational album Unfolding, was inspired by the Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer Omar Khayyam and embraces his mystical poetry and vision.
Inspired by her travels throughout the Middle East, the music of Jostojoo has been a very personal and exciting journey for Mamak. She has had the freedom to explore a variety of different regional and folk melodies not only from Iran but from Greece, Turkey and Armenia and experiment with arrangements that are contemporary and cross over numerous different musical styles. Jostojoo weaves a canopy of fresh interpretations both simple and rich. It is a stunningly emotional musical event deeply connected to its classical roots and yet liberated from any dogmatic considerations of form, instrumentation, and lyrical content. This music will move you to the core. In sound and in sentiment, Jostojoo is hauntingly memorable.
Mamak also appears on Omar Faruk Tekbilek’s album Alif, with Jamshied Sharifi on his album A Prayer For The Soul Of Layla, and with Tulku on Season of Souls (later compiled on the Buddha-Bar series). Mamak also sang the music composed by Eve Beglarian in the production of the Libation Bearers directed by Lee Breuer at Patras Festival in Greece. Mamak can be heard on numerous film and television scores, including those for the feature films The Peacemaker, Traffic, and Dracula 2000, and The Profiler, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Battlestar Galactica TV series.