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GHAZAL (Urdu poetry by Sauda) Your heart cannot be won by me nor can my soul bear this restlessness. Need is a burden which cannot be revealed therefore I remain silent. Whenever you are before me my eyes fill with tears that are unable to flow, like an ocean that stands still at the sight of you passing by. (Persian poetry by Rumi) Come Beloved, for today is all that is ours, and like the...
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GHAZAL (Urdu poetry by Sauda) Your heart cannot be won by me nor can my soul bear this restlessness. Need is a burden which cannot be revealed therefore I remain silent. Whenever you are before me my eyes fill with tears that are unable to flow, like an ocean that stands still at the sight of you passing by. (Persian poetry by Rumi) Come Beloved, for today is all that is ours, and like the ephemeral moments of a flower's bloom, it will fade. For tomorrow nothing may remain of me, my heart, or this world, if the radiance of your love reveals itself as it does today. NAHAN "The Hidden" (Persian poetry by Rumi) Rejoice, for he who knows Truth knows that bliss begets bliss. If you can drink of life's bitterness and laugh in the face of adversity, in your soul no bitterness will remain. Arise, for the Beloved has arrived. He who has stolen a thousand hearts. In drunken ecstasy, he has come with drum in hand, to lift the veil and reveal to you his song. Rejoice, for he who knows Truth knows that bliss begets bliss. Today arrives as witness to the long journey behind it, so have mercy, for a seeker must travel far in search of truth. ALLAHI ALLAH This is a very old traditional folk song. It is a song in praise of Allah (God), asking him to do his will but refrain from bringing suffering upon anyone. Although it is a very simple song, the lyrics are highly appropriate for the times in which we find ourselves. The second verse sums up the sentiment of the song: "When glass breaks it is possible to put the pieces back together, but a heart once broken cannot be pieced together again. The suffering of man is immense, and only in love can relief be found in that suffering." THE HUNT This is an old traditional folk song from Khorassan, Iran. There is a lot of play on words here mostly for the rhythmic impact which makes it challenging to translate. It is basically the story of a hunter told from his own perspective, who goes on a hunt one day with a friend. On the hunt he describes to his friend that everything he sees, from the mountains to all the animals he comes upon, remind him of his beloved. Seeing his beloved in all things, he cannot bring himself to kill a single creature. DUNYA (Urdu poetry by Dard and Shad Azimabadi) Old age is coming and youth is slowly slipping away. Where have the days of our lives gone. Tomorrow, others' lips will recount the very tale that we ourselves tell today. The world is but a playhouse. He who perceives this ranges amongst the wise. On the surface we live our lives and go about our way, but in the depths of our souls we always remain estranged. GOLZAR (Persian poetry by Rumi) Come, the meadows are in bloom. Come, the Beloved has arrived. Lay the entire heavens and the Earth before the magnificent sun. For the rays of exaltation have pervaded and illuminated all things. Mock the cold heart that won't rejoice. Weep for him who has torn himself away. Come, the meadows are in bloom. Come, the Beloved has arrived. DILRUBA (Urdu poetry by Anees, Mehar, and Amjad Hyderabadi) The world is like an impermanent resting place' Where in all things just simply come and go. He who sees something come and never go has seen old age, and he who sees something go and never come has seen youth. In everything, I see the face of my Beloved. In everything, I see the glory of my God. He who sees the creator in all created things, he is one who has truly seen God. What quarrel do you have with fate? Everything is the will of God. All that has happened, has done so by the will of God. You keep asking "why" things happen the way they do, when in every "why" lies the will of God. Niyaz is: Azam Ali, Loga Ramin Torkian & Carmen Rizzo All songs produced and arranged by Azam Ali, Loga Ramin Torkian, & Carmen Rizzo All songs written by Azam Ali & Loga Ramin Torkian Additional music by Carmen Rizzo All songs published by KarmaTara Music (BMI), Nandi Publishing (ASCAP), Povilu Music/Chrysalis Music (ASCAP) Recorded at Nandi Sound (Los Angeles) & Suite 775 (Hollywood) Engineered by Loga Ramin Torkian & Carmen Rizzo Mixed by Carmen Rizzo & Azam Ali Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood) Azam Ali - Voice, Hammered Dulcimer, Frame Drums, Riqq, Zils, Chan Chan Loga Ramin Torkian - Rabab, Guitar Viol, Saz, Djura, Electric Guitar Carmen Rizzo - Programming, Keyboards, Synthesizer & Drums Guest musicians: Arash Khalatbari - Daf, Doire, Tombak, Darbuka, Gharghaba, Voice Satnam S. Ramgotra - Tabla, Indian Dhol, Tolak Tony Levin - Bass Guitar Andre Haroutunian - Darbuka, Turkish Dhol Jamie Muhoberac - Synthesizer Photography by Dorothy Low & Olaf Heine Art direction/design by Michael Snyder Niyaz English logo by Amir Ghorbani Niyaz Farsi hand calligraphy by Massoud Valipour All translations by Azam Ali with the kind help of Soheil Khan, Saied Kazemi, Bijan Motahedeh, and Loga Ramin Torkian Thank you to: Wesley Van Linda, Cheryl McEnaney, Pat Berry, Bob Duskis, the entire Six Degrees staff, Soheil Khan, Kurosh Adim, Saied Kazemi, Tina Rizzo, Ali Sachedina, Fabian Alsultany, Amir Ghorbani, Jed Smith, Jeff Rona, Dan Pinder, Kenny Macpherson, Sara Kapuchinski & Scott Cresto at Chrysalis Music Publishing, Bela Canhoto at Native Instruments, Kevin Walt at M-Audio. Our deepest gratitude to the talented musicians who generously gave their time & talent to help bring this project to fruition. And to all our friends and family for their support and encouragement.
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