Shokrali Azadi

Master Shokrali Azadi is one of the outstanding players and makers of the tanbur and a leading figure of Iran’s maqam music (built on maqams, the traditional melodic pieces of the tanbur repertoire). He was born in 1958 in the village of Jeyhunabad in Sahneh county, Kermanshah province. A love of music and of the soul-soothing sound of the tanbur took root in him in childhood and shaped the course of his artistic life.

Early musical training

Shokrali Azadi began playing the tanbur as a teenager under the great master the late Seyed Amrollah Shahebrahimi.

He then attended the classes of eminent masters of maqam and mystical music, such as:

• Master Keykhosrow Pournazeri

• The late Seyed Khalil Alinejad

• Abdolreza Rahnama

• Seyed Faramarz Ranaei

In this way he broadened his knowledge and skill in playing and understanding the ancient maqams of the tanbur, and became one of the accomplished figures of the golden generation of tanbur players in western Iran.

Ensemble work and collaboration with the great masters

In 1988 he joined the Shams Tanbur Ensemble, led by Master Keykhosrow Pournazeri, and took part in various performances and concerts with this group.

Some time later he joined the Baba Taher Tanbur Ensemble, led by the late Seyed Khalil Alinejad, which in the 1990s was one of the most active ensembles of maqam and mystical music in Iran.

Instrument making and the Milad workshop

Master Azadi learned to build the tanbur at the Sheyda workshop under the late Master Seyed Khalil Alinejad and Abdolreza Rahnama.

After years of experience and practice he founded his own workshop, “Milad”, in Sahneh, where to this day he builds tanburs under his personal mark “Milad”.

Thanks to their high build quality, warm sound and faithfulness to the authentic tanbur-making traditions of Sahneh, his instruments hold a special place among professional players.

Film and theatre

Besides music, Shokrali Azadi has also been active in acting and theatre.

He played a role in the feature film Bashir by Ahmad Ramezanzadeh (1994).

In this film his character inspires a teenager who, on hearing the sound of the tanbur and his words, changes the course of his life and steps into the world of spiritual music.

He has also appeared in many stage productions in Kermanshah and Tehran, beautifully combining the arts of music and drama.

Style and artistic outlook

Drawing on the teachings of the old art of maqam playing and on the mystical school of Sahneh, Master Azadi has always emphasised in his works and performances the bond between the spirituality of music and the authenticity of the tanbur. He has trained many students, and a new generation of tanbur players in the region has benefited from his teaching.