PLEASE NOTE: DOORS OPEN 17.00 FESTIVAL STARTS 19:00. Guests with dinner seats are required to be seated at 17:30.
Stockholm Women’s International Jazz Festival 2024 is dedicated to artists from Iran and Afghanistan. Female jazz musicians representing all female voices in their original countries, now silenced by laws but fighting to be heard (#womanlifefreedom).
The evening ends with “Bridges”, a new part of the festival that aims to create collaborations between Swedish and international artists, promote dialogue and build networks.
The evening begins with the Iranian ethnomusicologist and filmmaker Yalda Yazdani, from the University of Siegen, Germany, who will give a short talk and show some videos from her film projects “Female voices of Iran” and “Female voices of Afghanistan”.
Semente is proud to collaborate with Shamsia Hassani, the first female graffiti artist in Afghanistan, who created the artwork for our official poster. A young Afghan woman emerging from clear water holding a piano keyboard shaped like wings. A powerful image like all of Shamsia’s outstanding works of art. It depicts the grief and desperation of Afghan women under the Taliban dictatorship, but also carries a glimmer of hope for change that sooner or later must come. A numbered edition, signed by the artist, will be on sale this evening. The money from the sale goes to the work of supporting women’s rights in these countries.
As members of the Europe Jazz Network, we participate in the campaign #womentothefore, which works for a fairer and more balanced creative music sector.
TONIGHT’S PROGRAM
Simin Tander Quartet (AF/DE/NO)
GolNar Trio (IR/CA/AT)
Bridges
Hannah Tolf (SE) and the Milk Factory (BE)
THE SIMIN TANDER QUARTET
Line up:
The band is led by award-winning German-Afghan singer and composer Simin Tander. Her warm, tender yet powerful timbre has a rare intensity that also radiates heartfelt warmth. Simin opens the door to her Middle Eastern background by also singing in Afghani/Pashto, her late father’s language. Simin’s unique vocal improvisations are her signature. Creates its own language, far beyond the usual scat song. Full of life-affirming freedom. After two famous solo albums, she received the “German Annual Record Critics ́ Award” for her ECM album with Tord Gustavsen. In addition to this, she has sung for UNESCO, UN Women, DW World and Unicef, to raise awareness of the current situation, especially for women and children, in Afghanistan. She shares the richness and beauty of the Pashto language and its poetry unknown to many. On her current album “Unfading” she combines rich songwriting with female poetry from Afghanistan and elsewhere, celebrating strong female voices cross-culturally.
Simin Tander (AF/ DE) – voice, composition
Harpreet Bansal (IN/ NO)- violin
Tord Gustavsen (NO) – piano, electronics
Samuel Rohrer (CH/PT) – drums
“Tander brings refreshing innovation to a modern jazz vocal panorama (…). Her voice is a thing of beauty..” – All About Jazz (USA)
GolNar TRIO:
In 2008, the Iranian/Canadian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Golnar Shahyar settled in Vienna. Known for his improvised singing and music
as well as collaborators in dance, theater and opera projects. She is a tireless advocate for social justice in all its forms and has managed to make this passion an integral part of her music. Her debut album “Tear Drop”, released in November 2022, was nominated for the German Jazzpreis for the best debut album of the year (international). Shahyar’s music, an extraordinary blend of languages and styles, draws on the traditions of South/West Asia and North Africa, and the contemporary music of Europe and America. Her music making is a political act in itself. Golnar’s voice is an exquisitely honed instrument, evocative and astonishingly flexible. On this special evening, she will share the stage with her longtime collaborators and two of the most prominent musicians from Vienna’s jazz, improv and classical scenes: Mahan Mirarab and Amir Wahba.
“A Music that transcends geographical and language barriers.” – All About Jazz
“..Singing like a bird, Golnar tweets gracefully on top of the noble masters, Mahan and Amir. Immensely enchanting, Golnar & Mahan’s concert is a real symposium of art and philosophy accompanied with inspiring musical harmony between the band members.” – Dana’s Newspaper
Golnar Shahyar (IR/CA) – Voice, Piano, Synthesizer
Mahan Mirarab – Guitar, Fretless Guitar, Electronics
Amir Wahba – Percussion
HANNAH TOLF (SE) & the MILK FACTORY (BE)
The Milk Factory, founded by guitarist Edmund Lauret and pianist Thijs Troch, both representatives of the adventurous Ghent music scene that has been causing (inter)national furore for several years now. Although some of the band members are known for their raw in-your-face jazz, it was clear from the start that The Milk Factory would choose a completely different aesthetic. Simplicity and modesty were preferred to virtuosity and opulence. After three instrumental releases felt
the band ready to release a vocal album for the first time. They searched for and found the perfect partner for this in the Swedish singer Hannah Tolf. The result was the album “Vandrare”, which was released in April 2023 on the Belgian jazz label W.E.R.F. Records. Hannah Tolf sings, composes and improvises in the borderland between acoustic and electronic music, between pop and jazz, the familiar and the unexpected. This makes her an exciting addition to the band. She adds intimacy and openness to the existing twilight zones.
“Walker” is sublime. Totally original and utterly compelling.” – Mike Gates, ukvibe.org
“Hannah Tolf’s unpredictable and versatile voice is, just like the instruments of her band members, rich in atmosphere and colour.” – Dick Hovenga, writteninmusic.com
Hannah Tolf – voice and effects
Edmund Lauret – guitar
Stijn Engels – piano and acoustic guitar
Viktor Perdieus – tenor saxophone
Quentin Manfroy – flute
Kobe Boon – double bass and electric bass
Benjamin Elegheert – drums
