18 VINTAGE GUITAR February 2011 VintageGuitar.com

Ph

oto

: C

olin

Pie

rso

n.

So, I called the law school, asked them to give my seat to someone else, and few weeks later I went to Spain, where I started to study Flamenco extensively. For 10 years, I kept going back to study with maestros in Madrid and Sevilla.”

Mehran’s recent release, Angels of Persepolis, showcases not only flamenco guitar, but contemporary electric instruments, horns, accordion, cello, and percussion. He played only one guitar while recording it. “It was a 1997 Jose Romero. He has a shop in Madrid, and I bought it that year; it’s been my main guitar since. It has a spruce top, and is made of cypress – it’s a negra, meaning the body is dark, and has a deeper, more-classical sound, as op-posed to a rubio (guitar), which is more bright and very typical of Flamenco.” Professional Flamenco guitarists use guitars made mostly in Spain, and Jose Romero’s are also used by Paco DeLucia and Tomatito.

“I have another Flamenco guitar made by Juan Lopez Aguilarte, in

These days, the term “world music” is used by everyone from ethno-musicologists to public relations reps to describe music that references specific cultures or indigenous groups – and stringed instruments such as guitars often figure into such sonic mixes. Iranian-born guitarist Mehran Jalili and his flamenco-based music exemplify such multi-cultural excursions.

Mehran’s interest in the instru-ment originated when he one day heard an uncle playing. In 1976, he immigrated to the U.S. at age 14 following the deaths of his parents. He lived with an uncle in Chicago, and became immersed in the city’s influences, musical and otherwise.

“As I grew up, playing guitar, Chicago was a major force for its musical diversity and rich history in blues and jazz,” he said. “But I learned that it was below L.A. and New York.”

In the early ’90s he played a double-cut Gibson Les Paul in a rock band called No Romeo, his style influenced by Jimmy Page. “It was more important to play with soul than shredding notes,” he said. The band played showcases in Los Angeles before Mehran opted for law school, only to be abruptly dissuaded when he one night watched a Flamenco guitarist.

“My jaw just dropped with all the sounds he was getting out of a simple nylon-string guitar,” he recalled. “I was trying to tap my foot to his rhythm, and I could not understand the timing. It was a moment of truth; I was thinking, ‘If someday I become an attorney and see another guy play like this, I will become bitter, resentful and jealous.’

MehranA True “World” Musician

Granada, and it is completely rubio. But because I wanted the mood of this album to be dark, I used the Romero guitar.”

Angels of Persepolis could also be considered a protest album, as it ad-dresses sociopolitical situations in Mehran’s native country.

“I wanted the CD to have a romantic and nostalgic feel,” he explained. “I want-ed it to be modern and jazzy Flamenco, with an Eastern tinge. But I started it concurrent with the post-election events in Iran, and was heavily affected by the news and things I was seeing. As an art-

ist, I decided to dedicate my work to raise awareness.”

The album title and cover il-lustration are references to current events in Iran.

“Persepolis was the capital of Iran 2,500 years ago,” he explained. “It was destroyed by Alexander. I was born in Shiraz, about 50 miles from the ruins, and visited it many times growing up. It is sodeep in history – a staple of Persian culture – where the first human rights were written and practiced, which later became a model for the rest of the world. Now, it’s a only a few pillars and a skeleton of what was the center of a great empire.

To me, it represented our heritage and history. The angels are the masses who have been rising up for their freedom.”

Listeners might think ‘Angels’ of Persepolis has a Pink-Floyd-goes-to-Persia vibe, given its interpolation of ambient sounds.

“It’s next to impossible to tell a story with instrumental music and no lyrics,” Mehran observed. “Being a die-hard fan of Pink Floyd, I decided to use sound effects to create an ambience to describe my intent.” The album also includes recordings of crowds in Iran singing a protest song, as well as a spoken-word poem from a protestor. Mehran plans on touring to support the album, and has been working a Flamenco-guitar instructional DVD. – Willie G. Moseley

Dio, Dio’s logo, ornate leaf work, and is inscribed with “In Loving Memory of Ronnie James Dio.” It has a ma-hogany body, maple top, mahogany neck, nickel-plated hardware, and a Floyd Rose bridge.

Dio’s career spanned more than 50 years fronting bands such as Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, and Heaven and Hell. He passed away May 16, 2010, after a bout with stomach cancer.

Money raised by the sale of the guitar go to cancer research, screen-ings and programs.

GUITAROLOGY TURNS ONEGuitarology, the weekly l ive

jam in Los Angeles that combines jazz, blues, and country, will hold a birthday party for itself on January 12, before the start of NAMM. VGcontributor Stephen Patt leads the house band, attendance is free, and it happens at The Melody, 9132 Sepulveda Boulevard (four blocks north of LAX).

Recent guests who have graced the stage at the event include Maroon 5, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Jon Brion, and Pete Anderson. For more information, go to guitarology-la.com.

STUDENT LAYOUT FEATUREDThe layout o f th is month ’s

feature on the Gretsch Duo Jet (page 32) is the product of the oh-so-artistic mind of Natasha Schaefer, a student in the Graphic Design and Communication (GDC) Program at Bismarck State College, located in VG mag’s hometown of Bismarck, North Dakota. The layout was an assignment involving all 23 sophomores in the Design II class taught by Thomas Marple, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design. VG staff including art director Doug Yellow Bird, publisher Alan Greenwood, and editor Ward Meeker reviewed the students’ work.

“This project was fun and differ-ent,” said Schaefer. “It gave us a real, hands-on project, like a real job.” VGchose a layout by Linzy Melchior as a very close runner-up. You can see several of the students’ efforts at VintageGuitar.com.

To stay up-to-the-minute on hap-penings and events relating to the artists and companies you read about in VG, be sure to check out the VG Newswire, on the home page at VintageGuitar.com.

BSC student Natasha Schaefer.