Instrumentation

Fabrice Rougier Clarinets, Turkish clarinet, cacarot
Isabelle Cirla Bass clarinet
Soheil Nourian Zarb and daf

The band

In Iranian, "Zira" means "Because": it is precisely because music goes through all eras and cultures that it is where cultural mixing happens, where emotion arise.
This trio's repertoire is rooted in new traditional music, aiming to constantly rewrite a musical history.
The band was founded on Fabrice Rougier's initiative, because he was searching for a specific clarinet's sound. Based on oriental or western traditional writing, from here and elsewhere, he shifts the rhythms, spaces out the tempi and opens up the improvisation fields. To develop this harmonic alchemy, he chose an original instrumental configuration, mixing the modulated vibration of his clarinets to the depth of Isabelle Cirla's bass clarinet and to the hammering of Soheil Nourian's Iranian percussions. Resulting in music with round and warm tonalities in which each musician get the liberty to improvised its melodic part. Themes range from traditional music (D. Loddo), borrowing from favourite jazz composers (D. Liebman, J. Zorn…), incursions in contemporary music, to composition where they get a particular and strong identity.

Biographies

	Fabrice Rougier Clarinets, Turkish clarinet, cacarot
	Picture by : ©JF Havez

Composer and performer, he is involved in the French musical life since 1984.
He first met Isabelle Cirla while playing with the quartet of saxophones Fractal, and later by participating to other bands: the Orphétéon, Messieurs Mesdames Company. Not hesitating to play his music in the street, he founded the band Tusto Bufo, adventured himself in the theatre field with the Théâtre de la Croix Blanche and in the tale field with Dider Kowarsky. His interest in world music led him to join the band La Talvera in 1997 (traditional music of Occitanie and D. Loddo creations). That's where he discovered new instruments like the cacarot (little clarinet with 7 holes made of a simple reed pipe that one plays with a continuous breath). He participated to several creations and musical encounters, notably with the Massilia Sound System. He co-directs the University of Toulouse- Le Mirail 's jazz Big Band. Gathering around thirty students in musicology, he shares there his taste for modern jazz as well as his affection for traditional music.

Discography

Imanol : “Oroituz elkar” (San Sebastien, 1987)
Cie Croix Blanche : “Lorca poète à NewYork”, “Antonin Artaud”
Compagnie Messieurs Mesdames (coprod. France 3 Sud, Toulouse, 1995)
Jean Louis Hargous “Blue Blow Bat” (Jazzle Production, San Sébastien, 1999)
La Talvera : “Turlututu”, 1997 ; “Pampaligossa”, 1999 ; “Faguem ribòta” 2000
Compilation : ‘‘The Rough Guide to the Music of France’’ (World Music Network, 2003)
Pòble mon pòble, 2004
Zira : “Les Zarbres” (Fractal, 2002)

	Isabelle Cirla Bass clarinet
	Picture by : ©JF Havez

Also a saxophonist, her course is made of encounters with theatre (Théâtre de l'Acte), dance (Compagnie Hélène Viscose), circus, brass band (Saxidromus), jazz (Fractal, l'Orphétéon, Compagnie Messieurs Mesdames), electro acoustic music (G.M.E.A of Albi, Lux Nox), improvised music (Crok). She is interested in musical adventures in all its various forms, broadening techniques in improvisation, confrontation of the various means of expression, diversified and plural musical approaches in general… this taste for certain means of expression can be found in the pedagogic experiences she undertakes with children, teachers, musical school…

Discography

Imanol : “Oroituz elkar” (San Sebastien, 1987)
Compagnie Messieurs Mesdames (coprod. France 3 Sud, Toulouse, 1995)
Jean-Louis Hargous : “Blue Blow Bat” (Jazzle Production, San Sebastien, 1999)
Saxidromus : “La vie est belle” (Saxidromus Production, 2003)
Lux Nox : “S.M.S.” (BMC Production, Budapest, Hongrie, 2003)
Zira : “Les Zarbres” (Fractal, 2002)

	Soheil Nourian Zarb and daf
	Picture by : ©JF Havez

Born in Teheran in 1956, he was introduced to Persian traditional music at an early age. He practiced different string instruments before approaching zarb (tombac). He can play several percussions but zarb remains his favourite instrument. Arrived in France in 1976, he met the zarb master Djamchid Chémirani with whom he shared work and friendship. This complicity widened to the family circle as he developed it several times with Keyvan Chemari, Djamchid's son. It's only after exploring all aspects of Iranian traditional music that Soheil Nourian decided to make use of zarb's richness through other cultures. He then met various bands and committed himself to sharing his musical development with two specific bands: the trio Zira (of jazz inspiration) and the band Taxim (world music). He composed several creations with both bands.

Discography

Taxim: musiques d’Orient et d’Occident (Production Arimp, 2003)
Zira : “Les Zarbres” (Fractal, 2002)

Irregular featuring : Keyvan Chemirani Zarb and daf Picture by : ©JF Havez

It's during a musical quarters with Keyvan Chemirani in Toulouse, in September 2002, that we had the opportunity to evaluate the musical possibilities that a second zarb offered. From then on, we are happy to put forward this widened trio…

Links :

http://perso.orange.fr/claudie.bodin/Site%20Drom/chemirani.htm
http://chemirani_trio.mondomix.com/fr/itw606.htm

Pedagogic interventions

Zira also offers school performances to children in primary schools, high-schools, musical schools …

Zira already have an experience of such interventions with the musical school of Plaisance-du-Touch (Fr) and carried out a project in 2003 with two cultural classes of the primary school of Rabastens (Fr) ending with a public performance, within the framework of the Festival Jazz Balades (project subsidized by the Conseil Général du Tarn).

For informations regarding the pedagogic interventions, please refer to the heading "school concert".

For information regarding prices, please refer to the heading "contact".

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