2020 Northwest Tour


Siamak Shirazi & Babak Amini Live in Concert
Portland, Oregon
February 22, 2020
7:30-10:00 PM
PORTLAND’5 CENTERS FOR THE ARTS
1111 SW Broadway Ave. Portland, OR 97205
Students: $40 (ID at the door)
Regular Tickets: $45
VIP (first 2 rows): $60
Portland'5 Box Office: 800.273.1530

Siamak Shirazi & Babak Amini Live in Concert
Kirkland, Washington
February 29, 2020
7:30-10:00 PM
KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER
350 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland, WA 98033
General Admission: $45
VIP (first 2 rows): $60
KPC Box Office: 425.893.9900
BaSiaNova is a musical collaboration between Babak Amini and Siamak Shirazi which started in Winter of 2017. Their unique perspectives about music and life is expressed in their upcoming album, coming out this Fall, and live performances.
Siamak Shirazi
Siamak has a natural talent for music which started manifesting as early as when he was two years old. He grew up in a family who loved and enjoyed music. He started reciting poetry and singing when he was six years old. Music has remained to be an anchor for his soul through the rough seas of his life, and he always found a way to return to this natural outlet for expression of his innermost feelings. Siamak used to be a professional singer in mid-1980s but set that aside to attend college and later, build a career in Wellness Based Medicine. However, in addition to growing his wellness enterprise, Siamak has always remained a music lover and a musician at heart. And now after taking a 25-year hiatus, he is returning back to music.He is privileged to collaborate with one of the best in the business, Mr. Babak Amini on his comeback project. Babak has been an essential part of Siamak’s vision for his return to singing, and his beautiful soul is ever-present as the energy which is traveling through Siamak’s voice.
Babak Amini
Babak is a highly talented and accomplished Iranian, Canadian Musician Composer, Guitarist, and a member of American Guitar Society (CSUN University, Northridge, CA). He is also a member of Toronto Musicians’ Association, (TMA) and an instructor of Canada Music Academy. Babak Amini was born in April 1970 in Tehran, Iran. He was always amused by the world of music and his first experience of music was with his mentor and renowned teacher Mr. Shahrokh Partovi which he began at the age of 10 and his style being Flamenco. He then followed his ambition by the only master of all trades in guitar, Mr. Simon Aivazian. He entered the professional world at the age of 18. His first album was introduced in 1990 and was called ‘Gray Rain’ followed by ‘Blue of the Rain’. He then released his third album, ‘Shadow of My Own’, which had vocals that was based on poets such as Hafez, Molana, Babataher and Nima. Babak’s curier comprises a vast array of accomplishments, amongst which are the music director and the band leader for many prominent Iranian singers and musicians, including: Googoosh, Ebi, Faramarz Aslani, . . .
John Nastos
Saxophone & flute
Multi-instrumentalist John Nastos was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he found his love of music while exploring the vibrant local music scene. Before graduating from high school, John enrolled at Portland State University, where he studied with Alan Jones, Darrell Grant, and other Portland jazz luminaries. During that same year, he started performing with the Mel Brown Septet, the Gordon Lee Big Band, and other professional Portland groups. In 2004, Nastos graduated from high school and moved to New York City on a scholarship to study jazz at the acclaimed Manhattan School of Music. Nastos’s composition, arranging, and compositional skills have been commissioned for performances and recordings by Damian Erskine, the Bobby Torres Ensemble, the Art Abrams Swing Machine, Portland State University, and Pink Martini (for performances with the San Francisco Symphony and other orchestras around the world).
Matthew Holms
Contrabass
Matthew Holmes is a bassist and creative entrepreneur born in Portland, Oregon where he grew up. Studying with Portland greats like Tim Gilson, Neal Grandstaff, and Phil Baker, Matthew learned how to learn from the masters and set about cutting his teeth at jam sessions. In 2014, he worked as a bassist for Holland America and since returning from sea, he has found work with many projects performing and recording Americana, funk, rock, gospel, bluegrass, country, pop, world and jazz around the Northwest and Southwest US. His diverse experience has given him a sensitive style of accompaniment that supports the music as it is.
Darian Anthony
Drums/Percussion
Darian Anthony Patrick is a musician based in Portland, OR. Focusing on percussion, with training in classical and stage voice and bass guitar, Darian performs a broad range of musical styles with particular focus on Black American and African diasporic traditions. Darian has studied percussion in Portland, OR with masters Israel Annoh (Ebo Taylor, E.T. Mensah, Obo Addy, Ghana Broadcasting Orchestra) and Caton Lyles (Nu Shooz). Prior to moving to Portland in 2014, he spent three years in a private vocal study with master vocalist John Nicholas Peters, preparatory vocal study with Anjin Stewart-Funai at Cleveland Institute of Music, and private study with Elise Mark at Temple University.
Chris Brown
Drums/Percussion
Former NYC area resident Christopher Brown is now back home in Portland, OR following a four-year enlistment in the Marines, two music degrees from Rutgers University, several adjunct teaching positions at his alma mater, and a slew of performances both within the states and abroad. And as of September 2017, Christopher has become a retired member of the armed forces with his 20 years of military service having been completed with the Army National Guard. Since his initial enlistment, and subsequent move to and from the East coast, he has had the privilege of either performing and/or recording with such notable artists as Beyonce, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Lee Konitz, Paquito Di Rivera, David Sanborn, Randy Brecker, Mel Brown, Esperanza Spalding, John Patitucci, Sean Jones, Arturo O’Farrill, Roseanna Vitro and many more.
Nat Hulskamp
Flamenco guitar
Nat is a versatile guitarist with a background in flamenco guitar. Nat studied, performed and recorded in Spain with many of the top flamenco artists, including Diego del Morao, Tomasa la Macanita and Antonio Rey. Much of his work has included a fusion of flamenco music with Middle Eastern traditions which led him to study Persian music. Nat has also performed with Shabava, Dariush Eghbali and Faramarz Aslani.
Greg Goebel
Piano
From straight ahead jazz, funk and pop, to the avant garde, Greg Goebel is considered one of the Northwest’s first call pianists. Praised by critics for “manifesting his ideas with the immediacy and sureness of a master craftsman” (Jazz Times) and as “a force that is stretching known boundaries and moving the music into new territory” (Larry Koonse), pianist Greg Goebel shows himself as firmly rooted in tradition while simultaneously proving to be a unique voice among a new generation.