Swan Bird
"Dynamic composer/songwriter builds on Gypsy/Middle Eastern themes to create ornate chamber pop." - KBUT
"The differing styles play into each other in surprising ways forcing the listener to pay closer attention and appreciate the music more fully." - WLUR
"He has a wonderful gift for blending items be they organic and electronic, gypsy, middle eastern and western sensibilities. It's a real distinctive collection of songs." - WBC Radio
"An album that will grow on one, with each listening revealing some new facet from the instrumentation to the lyrics." - George Graham, WVIA
"..a mesmerizing singer/songwriter combining what sounded like Middle Eastern, flamenco, Caribbean and South American sounds with modern electronica, and a voice that warmed like a desert wind. This was unexpected and required intent listening." - Afrophonics
"...more visual than seems possible for a bunch of sounds..."- The Red Alert
About
An Iranian-American artist based in Brooklyn, Saleh's unique sound is deeply rooted in a troubadour tradition and has a heavy emphasis on lyrics and melody, with nods to gypsy, tango, and electronic music.
His first recording, The Cobblestone EP, was released in 2010 and went on to gain great audience and critical response, sending him around the country playing shows. While on tour in New York, Saleh teamed up with virtuoso cellist Dave Eggar and luminary drummer Chuck Palmer and the three began playing and touring extensively as a trio. They, together with DJ/Producer Chuck Wild (Captain Planet) recorded and released Saleh's first full length album, Undone. Described "like coming in and out of different worlds of music, guided by an incredible voice" and heralded as "one of the best out-of-left-field releases of 2013", the single "Open Your Mind Let Me Out" was nominated for an Independent Music Award.
Following Undone, Saleh released his second full-length album Antoinette in 2017 and reached #1 on the Merging Arts World Music Charts. Nominated for multiple Independent Music Awards, the 10-track album boldly weaves together the dark and hopeful to examine complex themes of shifting identity, cultural appropriation, romance, and the inextricable link between promise and despair.
In August of 2018, Saleh released Swan Bird, 5 tracks remixing some of Googoosh’s biggest hits, reimagining the Queen of Iranian pop in a modern electro context.
The fall of 2020 saw the release of Exoskeleton, his 3rd LP full of lush world orchestration and electronic syncopations.
As a Composer, Saleh scored the Emmy Award winning Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible and the three part 30 for 30 film Dream On. He founded The Libretto Project, and works regularly in television, film and theatre. Currently residing in Brooklyn, he continues to play all over the country, writing music that carves through many genres and influences, asking more questions than it answers.
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