Iranian pianist and composer in jazz fusion music style Hami Keivan latest release “Music for
Themes” (2017) for solo piano, is based on traditional Iranian music. He has previously released
“Minimal for Noise and Piano which is for Piano, Synthesizer and iPad” (2014), and “The Colors”
(2013)
Born in Isfahan to a musical family on May 7, 1987, Hami’s musical studies began at the age of 6
with the tombak, an Iranian hand drum. His first music teacher was his father a professional hand
drum player. At 15, he entered the “Young Music Festival” in Isfahan and ranked first in this
nationwide percussion music event. But 1 year later, he gravitated towards the piano as his primary
instrument and went on to a music high school for a three-year course in 2001-2002. “I loved the
percussion yet I wanted to learn composition and find new colors on melodic instruments,” he
says. “When I was 8 I watched a Yanni concert in black and white TV and said to myself, the
piano is another planet in my music life.” In fact, I used to play tombak, I wanted to compose
melodies on a melodic instrument.
While studying European classical music in high school, he grew interested in contemporary music
and composition. “ I was 17 and tried to buy some tapes and books to learn more about musicians
such as Arnold Schoenberg and Bela Bartok,” he says. “ I just wanted to find out more about
Modern Music and new words in music ocean.”
After his graduation from high school, he moved to Tehran to work on his piano technique and his
composition. In fact, he then continued his education at the Tehran Conservatory of Music,
focusing on composition and piano in 2006. He studied composition and piano with Marina
Aghabakian, Alex Havansian, and Mohammad Pazhutan. He also studied David Cope’s method
in modern composition and electronic music composition with professor Mohammad Pazhutan.
During this time, he also worked on his first symphony, written in a contemporary style.
After graduation, Hami decided to explore a fusion music style. “ I love jazz and electronic music,
and I’m also a fan of Iranian music,” explains Hami. “So I decided to fuse Iranian music with jazz
and electronic music to expand the traditional sound.”
In 2013, he released his first album, “The Colors,” composed for Iranian instruments and
computer. In 2014, He entered two pieces of his album, “Red” and “Black,” in the FAJR music
festival Tehran, Iran and won a second place among 120 entries. To continue expanding his
vocabulary he took online courses at Berklee, including Jazz Improvisation with Gary Burton in
2014.
His music career is not limited to composing and performing. Hami enjoys being an educator and
has been teaching piano and composition at Baste Negar, Maktoob Nokhost and Hezar Dastan
music have instituted in Iran since 2007.
He is currently completing his Masters on Contemporary Performance and Production
Concentration at the Berklee College of Music, Valencia, Spain.