Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe

♬ Katanga / كاتانگا

Abbas Mehrpouya / عباس مهرپویا was born in Tehran, Iran on July 27, 1927

Long before Grey Past released the “Raks Raks Raks” compilation or Finders Keepers released the “Pomegranates” compilation, my first introduction to Persian music was a CD-R I got from a guy in the Netherlands. The record cover above was used as the cover for that disc. Since that time, many Irani compilations and re-issues have been released – most notably is Mehpouya’s “Sitar” album.

This song is unique since it starts with Johann Sebastian Bach‘s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor“.

Unlike most of the artists I have covered, there is plenty of information about Abbas Mehrpouya available. There is a Wikipedia page, but it is in Farsi. There is also a website – also in Farsi and the text cannot be converted in an online translator. There is an excellent article about the man on The Persian Mag website in English with some amazing pictures from his travels around the world – and an outtake from the photo session for the record cover above.

Catalog number SARE-1027 Ahang Rooz of Iran. Released 1973.