Azadoota () ( syr, ܐܵܙܵܕܘܼܬܵܐ) is an Assyrian Australian

worldbeat Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural c ...

band formed in 1996 in Sydney, Australia that fuses traditional Assyrian pop and folk with

Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...

. Its founder, Robin Zirwanda, the band's percussionist and lead singer, writes and sings the songs in

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Suret ( syr, ܣܘܪܝܬ) ( �su:rɪtʰor �su:rɪθ, also known as Assyrian or Chaldean, refers to the varieties of Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) spoken by ethnic Assyrians, including those identifying as religious groups rather than eth ...

. The name of the band ''Azadoota'' (pronounced ''ah-zah-doota'') means 'freedom' in the Assyrian language.Azadoota musicians
/ref> Represented by traditional costumes worn in the ancient

Assyria Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the ...

n royal court, Azadoota is one of the few professional bands in the world that performs in the Assyrian language, and is the only

Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

act to target their presentations specifically to mainstream audiences. The band performs original Assyrian music which the members describe as "

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

Assyrian

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance-infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and disc ...

worldbeat". The employment of styles derived from

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

in combination with the Assyrian lore provides the band's music a quality where listeners can relate to.

History

Azadoota's lead singer and founder, Robin Haider Zirwanda, was born in

Dora, Baghdad Dora (also al-Dura, or ad-Durah, ar, الدورة) is a neighborhood in Al Rashid administrative district, southern Baghdad, Iraq. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was home to the city's largest concentration of Christian Assyrians, as well ...

in 1954. In his childhood, Zirwanda stated “I used to find the key to the music room and play all the instruments. But the drums were for me”. He migrated to Australia unaccompanied in 1971 when he was 17 years old with a guitar and a suitcase, not knowing a word in English. After his family arrived, they settled in Arnhem Land in the town of Nhulunbuy. Zirwanda then joined a band and formed a close bond with the indigenous community there. After relocating to Sydney in the 1980s, he worked as a percussionist in the

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

scene and also with original bands on the pub circuit. In 1986, Zirwanda played with American folk singer

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

as his percussionist in McLean's 3-month Australian tour. In the early 1990s, the rising prominent of world music inspired Robin to create his own music in his native Aramaic language. Even though Zirwanda wrote lyrics in Assyrian, his music was strongly influenced by the styles he'd been performing as a percussionist earlier in his career, and this became the foundation for Azadoota. In 1996, the band was formed, containing members from the Netherlands to Argentina, combining Latin American music and harmony spanning across musical genres and global cultures, to project and preserve the

Assyrian identity Assyrian nationalism is a movement of the Assyrian people that advocates for independence or autonomy within the regions they inhabit in northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. The Assyrian people claim d ...

in the modern-day world, with its first gig being held in

Byron Bay Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headla ...

.Azadoota -

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

Regarding the name of the band, Zirwanda states, “Azadoota is Assyrian for 'freedom', and our music celebrates of the freedom we have in this country ustraliato express ourselves through music.” They released the album “Planetarian” in 2008 and “Beyond Bridges” in 2011. Their recent songs “Lishana (Jesus Spoke My Language)”, “Mazreta” (Spinning Top) and “Unity” are a plea for Assyrians in the

western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

to protect their heritage in order to secure their future. “Lishana” ("language"), which came out in 2015, became a moderate success among the Assyrians in the diaspora.Picatic - Azadoota
/ref>

Concerts

The band has regularly performed at a diverse range of venues, from the smallest

bush hall Bush Hall is located at 310 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. Originally a dance hall, it is now an independent music venue with a capacity of 400. Bush Hall was built in 1904. It was used as a soup kitchen during World W ...

s and

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s to the most well-known festivals. Azadoota has most notably performed at

WOMADelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of Music, Arts and Dance, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is a four-day event that presents a diverse selec ...

in 2014 and

Woodford Folk Festival The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...

in 2016, which drew in unsuspecting listeners due to the band's ethnic rhythms, theatrical musicality, and the sounds of the ancient language. The band regularly performs at the

Assyrian new year Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyria ...

festival in Fairfield Showground in Sydney each April, which typically draws 10,000 revellers. In August 2018, the band toured North America for the first time. Regarding foreigners listening to Azadoota's music, Zirwanda states “It’s unbelievable; the Aussies buy your CDs, come to your gigs, and pay to see you sing in Assyrian.”Azadoota blends traditional Assyrian rhythms with contemporary music
/ref> On performing at concerts and festivals, Zirwanda states:

Performing at festivals is a big deal for us, because we represent such a little known-nation. We are the only band in the world performing Assyrian music on the mainstream stage, so we carry a great responsibility to spread
awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some infor ...
of culture and the issues facing our people in the global community. Festivals offer us a valuable opportunity to do this. Compared to 20 years ago, I think the audiences now are much more receptive to global music.

Musical style

The band makes use of a

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

, rhythm guitar, brass instruments, guira and

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

. The band may also use

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

s of Assyrian folk music (each associated with folk-dance moves), whilst presenting them in contemporary arrangements. A merengue groove may also be used. Robin Zirwanda fronts the band with

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

and

doumbek The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet- ...

, usually switching casually from Cuban rhythms to those of his ethnicity. Azadoota's music spans genres and generations, with diverse music styles – from percussive-heavy dance tunes inspired by

Caribbean music genres The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, funk,

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

, jazz fusion and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, to

sentimental ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. ...

s. According to the band's lead singer, the horn section indicates a revival of

Assyrian culture The culture of the Assyrians is both distinct from those of neighbouring ethnic groups as well as ancient. Many Assyrians (estimates of fluent speakers range from 500,000) still speak, read and write various Akkadian-influenced dialects of Eastern ...

and a resistance of the destruction occurring in their ancestral lands. Azadoota performs in attire inspired by their ancient royal ancestors, such as Ashurbanipal,

Ashurnasirpal I Aššur-nāṣir-apli I, inscribed m''aš-šur-''PAB-A, “the god Aššur is the protector of the heir,” was the king of Assyria, 1049–1031 BC, and the 92nd to appear on the ''Assyrian Kinglist''. He was the son and successor of Šamši-Adad ...

and Nebuchadnezzar – which would showcase a flamboyant sight and also inspires discussion on themes of Assyrian heritage, musical history and cultural continuity. About the band's style, Zirwanda states:

We use contemporary instrumentation with traditional Assyrian rhythms and song-forms, but because I'm a percussionist by trade I find there's a fair bit of Latin and
Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural el ...
influence in my songwriting...I sing about my
homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...
Iraq, about belonging to a nation without a land, about family and of course about love. Most f oursongs are upbeat and danceable, with a positive message.

Regarding his skills, Zirwanda states, “When you’re in percussion, you learn all the rhythms: congo,

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...

. I’d be tapping on the kitchen table, then I’d start singing a song, and I’d write it that way.” The band's front man Zirwanda cites

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Biography Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village o ...

and

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

as his influence, and as well as his father Awimalk Haider, who had made

jazz music Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a maj ...

in the 1960s in Iraq, blending it with Assyrian folk.

likens their musical style to

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

and

The Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...

. Zirwanda has oftentimes been assisted by his father Awimalk Haider with the

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

because of his talent as a lyricist and knowledge in the Assyrian language.Two of us: Robin Zirwanda and Awimalk Haider
by Sydney Morning Herald, Nina Karnikowski, 25 August 2012 Although the band has gotten positive reception from Assyrians, some have found that its method is concealing the true Assyrian identity and suppressing its integrity. In response to this, Zirwanda says, “We’ve got to get our name s Assyriansout there in the world, in the bigger picture. Why not expose yourself so the world knows about you?”.

Band members

*Robin Zirwanda –

front man The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

and

*Rory – guitar *Stuart Vandegraaff –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

*Paris Freed –

backup singer A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

*Siomon –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Artists listed below have casually filled in the spots of the above members, were past members, or have simply served as additional musicians for the band in the past or present: *Murat Kucukarslan and Ben Wild – bass guitar *Vashti Sivell – piano *Tatyana Dunlop – backing vocals and

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

*Chris Fields and Steve Marin – drums *Ben Samuels – sax and clarinet *Nick Ciccarelli and Marty Farrugia –

trumpets The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

*Nick Ujhazy – guitar

Discography

Albums

*Planetarian (2008) *Beyond Bridges (2011)

Singles

*Lishana (Jesus Spoke My Language) (2015) *Mazreta (Spinning Top) (2017) *Unity (2018) *Shinneh (Years) (2018) *Bruni (My Son) (2019)

References

External links

Facebook page
*
Instagram page
{{Assyrian musicians Latin music groups Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups from Sydney Musical quartets 1996 establishments in Australia Assyrian musicians Syriac-language singers Australian folk rock groups Salsa music groups Australian dance music groups Australian world music groups Australian folk music groups