ABOUT

With a constantly evolving sound that incorporates electronic music, Iranian folk, hip-hop, and contemporary classical music, SHAYAN is a forward-thinking, ever-changing jazz ensemble from Melbourne, Australia.

Led by saxophonist Omid Shayan, the group was formed in mid-2015 after Omid won first prize at the ‘Darebin Music Festival Composition Competition’. The prize-money allowed him to focus his energy on composing for the group and provided enough funds to record their debut EP which was released in 2016.

In 2019 the band released their debut Album ‘Sounds From Cross Street’.

In 2020, the SHAYAN was awarded a Grant from Creative Victoria for the creation and performance of a new set of works with the electronic string duo "‘Melbourne Amplified Strings’. The compositions were recorded and will be released in the groups second full length album ‘Living in the Machine’

In 2021, SHAYAN were one of 15 recipients of the 2021 ABC Jazz Composer Commission and composed a suite original music for a chord-less quintet, exploring the intersection between contemporary Jazz and Traditional Iranian rhythm and melody. The the seven-track album  ‘The Heart is a Candle’ was recorded at ABC Studios as part of the commission in August 2022 and launched to a sell-out crowd at The Jazzlab in Melbourne in May 2023.