Haale
with Rufus Cappadocia
with guest dancer Sheila Anozier

Show Description

"[Haale] sings with a supple, blissful Persian flair and the intensity of an arena rocker. While she quotes mystic poets or slashes guitar riffs, her electric band of downtown New Yorkers kicks out hypnotic grooves, taking cues from Iranian traditions and psychedelic rock. Her name is Haale (think "halle"-lujah), and she's ready to break out; just ask fans like David Byrne or Sean Lennon."
- The Boston Globe

"Percussionists provided driving rhythms...over which Haale's warm, supple voice unfurled like a curlicue of smoke. Her band's amplified rumble served as a reminder of the extent to which rock bands like the Doors and the Velvet Underground turned to the East for their hypnotic efforts; here their borrowings were reclaimed with interest."
-The New York Times



Haale (pronounced like *hal•le*•lu•jah) evokes both the spiritual and traditional culture of her parents' homeland of Iran, and the energy of psychedelic rock and roll from the sounds of New York City, where she was born. Her music and her message are formed by the powerful combination of these influences, invoking both a swaying trance and a rock sensibility she describes as "Psychedelic Sufi Trance Rock." Haale's debut recordings were released on her own DarYa Records in January 2007 to critical acclaim. Popmatters called the EPs "a panoramic blend of luscious rock, heady bass, and brilliantly produced rhythms" and the College Music Journal lauded Haale's "totally original songs." After seeing Haale at a club last fall, David Byrne invited her to be part of his Nonesuch Records-sponsored "One Note" series at Carnegie Hall. That show served to kick off a season of near continuous touring, playing clubs, colleges, and festivals like South by Southwest in Austin, Bonnaroo in Tennessee and the MIMI Festival in Marseilles, France. Haale's debut full-length album is due out in March 2008.



Meet cellist Rufus Cappadocia, a multi-lingual musician, performer, composer and recording artist of incredible range and diversity. From the modalities of Middle Eastern, West African and pan-European folk forms to blues, rock and jazz along the way, adding elements American roots, Mediterranean textures, and Caribbean percussion for good measure, Cappadocia's effortless and natural embrace of all music is awe-inspiring. After many travels, Cappadocia landed in NY and joined the multi-faceted jazz ensemble, The Paradox Trio, though the nomadic artist was embraced by virtually every artist and musical community he sought out, including such widely assorted musicians as Celtic pioneer Seamus Eagan and master Haitian drummer "Bonga" Jean-Baptiste with the Voodoo Drums of Haiti; musical polymath Ross Daly, who was instrumental in introducing Cappadocia to Middle Eastern and Balkan music; Vishal Vaid, a virtuoso Indian Ghazal vocalist and guitarist David Fiuczynski, with whom he formed the Eastern Modal fusion group, Kif.