For over two decades, composer/saxophonist/theorist Hafez Modirzadeh has developed his pioneering chromodal concept, a cross-cultural musical approach developed from his own American jazz and Iranian dastgah heritages. While he has published extensively on this topic, he also developed alternative performance techniques to adapt his saxophone for the Persian tuning system. Dr. Modirzadeh was a keen student of the dastgah repertoire with Mahmoud Zoufonoun (Iran violinist). He then spent a time at New England Conservatory, where he studied saxophone and musical concepts with George Russell. His Masters degree was from UCLA, and his Ph.D. is in Ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University. He was twice named a NEA Jazz Fellow (1989 and 1991), and was awarded a Fulbright in 2005-06 to work with Gnawan Flamenco musicians in Morocco, Andalucia, and the production of his latest CD, Bemsha Alegria, 2007 Disques Chromodal. Dr. Modirzadeh currently serves as a full-time professor in World Culture in Music at San Francisco State University, where he directs a World Music and Dance Program. Over the past 20 years, he has performed with many international musicians, including Don Cherry, Zakir Hussein and Steve Lacy. Ornette Coleman asked Dr. Modirzadeh to perform with his Quartet at San Francisco Jazz Festival 2007. This was perhaps the highlight of Dr. Modirzadeh’s performance career. Bemsha Alegria, Disques Chromodal; Dandelion, 2003, Disques Chromodal; By Any Mode Necessary (1999), X-Dot 25,); The Mystery of Sama, 1998, AIR); The Peoples Blues, 1996, X Dot 25); In Chromodal Discourse (1993-Asian Improv) are some of his recorded outputs as a leader. from http://pirecordings.com
