Emad Bonakdar

Review by Angel Romero — World Music Central · December 25, 2020

Upcoming Performance

★ Upcoming Concert ★

Emad Bonakdar — "Without Borders"

Saturday, September 27, 2025 — 8:00 PM
Brava Theater
2781 24th Street, San Francisco

Diaspora Arts Connection proudly presents Emad Bonakdar's "Without Borders" — a unique concert offering a blend of authentic Iranian, Flamenco, and Jazz music. Witness the beautiful dance of Flamenco dancer Fanny Ara, and live performances by three vocalists with unique voices, Dina Zarif, Azadeh Farpour, and Khatchatour Khatchatourian.

This concert especially focuses on women and the pressures they have faced throughout history, celebrating women's freedom and empowerment. It emphasizes the role of female artists and aims to bridge cultures through a memorable and unforgettable experience for all music lovers and advocates of social justice.

Flamenco Dance: Fanny Ara
Vocalists: Dina Zarif, Azadeh Farpour, Khatchadour Khatchadourian
Musicians: Khatchadour Khatchadourian (duduk), David Rokeach (drums), Lukaš Wesley (bass), Matt Wright (oud, sound effects)
Emad Bonakdar: composer, arranger, music director, guitar, tar

Diaspora Arts Connection (DAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the San Francisco Bay Area community through nurturing artists of diaspora.

Tickets →

Composer, Multi-Instrumentalist and Performer, Emad began learning guitar at a very young age. Initially, he started his training in Jazz and Pop. It took Emad twenty years and a lot of soul searching before he found his place in Flamenco Music, a style that touched his heart and allowed him to express his deep emotions and passion in a way that no other genre of music could. His love of traditional Persian Music, coupled with expressive and soulful Flamenco Music, created a style that is uniquely his own. His first concert in Fusion Music was in Tehran on 1991. His first album, ARG influenced and inspired by the immense culture of ancient Persian Empire and Magham Melody, was produced in 1999. He also composed music for TV serials and short teaser advertisements.

Emad has also been active in the movie industry and has composed the music score for the movie Mum's Guest directed by Daryoush Mehrjooee, Ebrahim Hatamikia, Ramin Mohseni and others.

In 2004, he was nominated for an award by World Music Festival in New York. His last live performance in Iran was a benefit concert for Bam (An ancient architectural site in Kerman) Earthquake, which resulted in a DVD that has been released recently. He composed theater music for Tarabnameh 1, directed by Bahram Beyzaie. In 2006 he moved to US with new ideas in Fusion Music.

In the past several years, he has brought his new Fusion Music to audiences at Yoshi's (San Francisco, CA), Red Poppy Art House (San Francisco, CA), Central Stage Theater (Richmond, CA), and Palace of Fine Arts (San Francisco, CA).

Gallery

Albums

★ Released December 4, 2020 ★

Eastern Constellation

Jazz · Flamenco · Indian · Persian Fusion • Item # 1031

▶ Spotify ▶ Apple ▶ YouTube

Eastern Constellation is a fusion of Jazz, Flamenco, Indian and Persian music — "a journey through the Eastern lands where it meets the Western harmonies." It combines Persian style drum instruments, Daf and Bandir, with the suspended chords of Flamenco Guitar and other instruments. It is also inspired by the Arabic rhythms and melodies and includes soaring vocals in Dastgah-e Homayoun, which all are influential in the Flamenco music. Eastern Constellation includes hints and short references to various rhythms and melodies from different provinces of Iran especially Khorasan, combined with a Flamenco music base.

Track notes:
Eastern Constellation — combines Persian Daf and Bandir with Flamenco Guitar; inspired by Arabic rhythms and Dastgah Homayuon vocals.
Khorasan — hints and references to rhythms and melodies from different provinces of Iran, combined with a Flamenco base.
Days of Our Lives — charts the events in a human's life (birth, death, kindness, love, jealousy, friendship, animosity) and the human's unknown destiny.
Arg — In Persian, Arg means Palace. Inspired by Arg-e-Bam, a famous historical building in Iran depicting architecture and urban life of Iran 2000 years ago. An homage to the grandeur and preservation of this valuable Iranian cultural heritage.

1. Eastern Constellation, Pt. 1 3:12
2. Eastern Constellation, Pt. 2 5:43
3. Eastern Constellation, Pt. 3 3:59
4. Eastern Constellation, Pt. 4 4:13
5. Khorasan 7:09
6. Days of Our Lives 7:10
7. Arg 8:52
8. Persian Bee 3:51
9. Eastern Constellation Extended (Bonus Track) 16:53

Credits

Composed by: Emad Bonakdar

Emad Bonakdar: Flamenco Guitar, Palmas, Castanets, Jaw Harp, Sampling

Babak Riahipour: Fretless Bass • Mammad Zadeh: Tombak • Siavash Nazeri: Daf

Mamak Khadem: Vocals (Track 3, 9) • Darshan Jot Sing: Tabla, Vocals (Track 6)

Recording Engineer: Shahram Sherbaf • Mastering: Jeff Gross • Graphic Design: Naeeme Mohammadi

★ Released December 11, 2020 ★

Mum's Guest (Soundtrack)

Original Film Soundtrack • Item # 1032

▶ Spotify ▶ Apple ▶ YouTube

Mum's Guest is the soundtrack to the movie Mum's Guest (Mehman-e Maman), a family drama comedy film, directed by Dariush Mehrjui. Mum's Guest did real well at the box office and won a number of prizes at several Film Festivals. Emad Bonakdar conceived and composed the music. He has performed many of the instruments used in this soundtrack including Guitars and Keyboards.

1. The Beginning 5:00
2. Mum Is Sweeping 1:34
3. Mum in the Alley 0:37
4. Motorcycle in the Alley 0:33
5. Mash Maryam Is Sad, Pt. 1 1:14
6. Mash Maryam Is Sad, Pt. 2 3:11
7. Mum's Party (4 Mezrab) 4:16
8. Mum's Party (4 Mezrab Techno) 3:05
9. In the Cave 2:57
10. Punishment 0:29
11. I'm Thinking 0:31
12. Stealing Chicken 1:05
13. Mum Had A Stroke 1:30
14. Decision 0:59
15. In Solitude 0:31
16. Usef on the Way Home 1:36
17. The End 0:18

Composed by: Emad Bonakdar

Emad Bonakdar: Guitars, Keyboards, Sampling • Reza Abaee: Ghaychak • Hamed Nikpay: Oud, Tar, Setar • Homayoon Nasiri: Tombak

Recorded and Mixed by: Emad Bonakdar • Mastered by: Jeff Gross

★ Released April 16, 2021 ★

Alpine Jazz in Niavaran

Live Improvisational Fusion • Item # 1034

▶ Spotify ▶ Apple ▶ YouTube

A project by Emad Bonakdar. Alpine Jazz performed with several fusion Persian musicians at the Niavaran Palace in Tehran. This improvisational album captures the collaboration between Western Jazz and Eastern Progressive Musicians. This rare fusion masterpiece includes: Trombone, Acoustic (Flamenco) Guitar, Persian Setar, Tombak, Daf, Alphorn, Hammered Dulcimer, Bass Hammered Dulcimer, Percussion and Drums.

Alpine Jazz is a Soundscape from Switzerland.

1. Landing in Tehran, Pt. 1 10:51
2. Landing in Tehran, Pt. 2 11:34
3. Walking in the Palace 10:13
4. Good Old Days 10:28

Live performance at Niavaran Palace, Tehran

Roland Dahinden: Trombone, Alphorn • Roland Schiltknecht: Hammered Dulcimer, Bass Hammered Dulcimer • Gabriel Schiltknecht: Percussion, Drums

Massoud Shaari: Setar • Emad Bonakdar: Guitar • Pezhham Akhavass: Tombak, Daf

Sound Engineer: Reza Moghaddas • Mastered by: Emad Bonakdar

Cover Design: Naeeme Mohammadi • Cover Photo: Mehrzad Kashfi (Motif outside the Niavaran Palace)

Recent Performances

★ Performance ★

Persian Fusion Performance — Central Stage, Richmond CA

August 12th and 13th — 7:00 PM
Emad Bonakdar · Farnaz Ohadi · Ali Bazyar in Concert

★ Without Borders — Fusion Concert ★

Emad Bonakdar & Friends — Club Fox, Redwood City

August 28, 2022 — 7:00 PM
Club Fox · 2209 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063

A dynamic mix of Persian Traditional influenced Jazz and Flamenco Music.
Special Guest Vocalist: Dina Zarif

Emad Bonakdar: Guitar, Tar • Dina Zarif: Vocal • Nima Hafezieh: Piano • Lukas Vesely: Bass • Brian Fishler: Drums

★ Live at Central Stage — Sponsored by X DOT 25 Music ★

Emad Bonakdar & Friends — Richmond, California

May 20, 2022

Emad Bonakdar: Tar, Guitar, Tanbur • Nima Hafezieh: Piano • Lukas Vesely: Bass • David Rokeach: Drums • Special guest vocalist: Dina Zarif

Emad Bonakdar

Upcoming Performance

Emad Bonakdar

Gallery

Albums

Credits

Recent Performances

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