About Maz
Maz Karandish is a devotee of music: A vocalist and multi-instrumentalist covering grounds from Raga, Maqam, and Dastgah to Harmony, Jazz, and Opera. He has been studying music from a very young age and has spent extensive time exploring world music within each of their respective traditions over the past two decades. Maz utilizes his voice in addition to about a dozen instruments to bring the
various forms of music to life. He is currently most active in exploring the sitar as it is expressed and understood within the Imdad-Khani tradition while maintaining his connection to his roots through Persian Classical and Folk music.
Maz finds himself devoting the majority of his time to exploring the possible fusion of Indian, Persian, and Eastern music with modern soundscapes. In addition, he sings and plays Oud, Persian Tar, Turkish Saz, and Ney with the Santa Barbara Middle Eastern Ensemble where he specializes in Near East, Persian, Arabic, and Turkish repertoire. On his spare time, Maz enjoys writing compositions that incorporate world instruments, synths, electronic beats fused with world vocal sounds ranging from West African folk-based melodies, Indian syllable-based Dhrupad/Tarana, and on to Tahrir-based Persian classical singing.
Maz finds himself devoting the majority of his time to exploring the possible fusion of Indian, Persian, and Eastern music with modern soundscapes. In addition, he sings and plays Oud, Persian Tar, Turkish Saz, and Ney with the Santa Barbara Middle Eastern Ensemble where he specializes in Near East, Persian, Arabic, and Turkish repertoire. On his spare time, Maz enjoys writing compositions that incorporate world instruments, synths, electronic beats fused with world vocal sounds ranging from West African folk-based melodies, Indian syllable-based Dhrupad/Tarana, and on to Tahrir-based Persian classical singing.
The Project - Mah-Ze-Tar:
The first project, Liquid Lotus, was an illumination of the possible ways in which musical fusion, inspired by Indian Raga music, could come into form in a way that creates a deeper connection with non-traditional listeners. The second project, Reeshe (Roots), further expanded this notion and went on to reimagine nostalgic Persian melodies, based in Radif and Maqam, with tasteful electronic additions that create a bridge for the listener. The upcoming project that Maz is now working on, “Diversity”, is expected to come out in June of 2022. More information will be shared over the coming months. Stay Tuned!
Notable Collaborations:
Desert Dwellers- David Starfire- Balkan Bump- Jef Stott- Adam Shaikh- Kaminanda
Notable Festival Performances:
Lightning in a Bottle, Lucidity, Symbiosis, Oregon Eclipse, Burning Man, Oregon Country Fair, Haurkaze Tokyo Festival