Se (2003)
Label: Independent
Artist: Haale
Featuring: Haale (Vox/Setar), Chris Buono (Guitar), Bill Foster (Bass), Keith Carlock (Drums)
For more information: http://www.haale.com

Asemooneh Aabee

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

When I was ready to really step out as a sideman one of the first gigs I was recommended to was a spot in Haale Gafori’s band back when she was exclusively singing in English. Dave Fiuczynski had played on her CD, Wide Eyed Seamstress, and threw me in the fire when it came time to do gigs to support it. The kicker was Keith Carlock was the drummer–about a year before Keith settled in with Steely Dan and his tours with Sting. After encouraging Haale to shift gears and consider doing more Persian tunes in the set after a startling reaction at a gig in the village we eventually found ourselves in Lou Scalise’s Swamp Music studio on Crosby Street (NYC). In one day we recorded three tunes live, of which Asemooneh Aabee was showed to us by Haale sitting on the floor with an acoustic. At this time I was real into Bill Frisell’s compressed clean tone and that’s what I was going for here. I lined up my Retrospec Squeeze Box into a Line 6 DL-4, which had just come out and was all the rage, right into my ’65 Pro Reverb and just played. That session ended up becoming an EP called Se that was voted Best Unsigned CD of 2003 by Global Rhythm Magazine as well as landing Haale as one of the top up and coming artists of that year. Not bad for a day’s work.