Ajam – Bahre Taveele Ajami [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]
Lyrics: Amin Ajami, Arash Fayyazi – Attar Neyshaburi
Music and Arrangement: Amin Ajami, Arash Fayyazi, Nariman Akrami
Directed by: Mehran Alavi

‘Bahre Taveel’ is an authentic form of rhythmic poetry that is used in street music and performances in Tehran, Shiraz, Esfahan, Mashhad, Tabriz, and many other major urban centres in Iran. In Persian spiritual literature ‘Ajami’ is a title given to someone who is aware of a secret or a higher truth but protests ignorance due to the circumstances that they are in. ‘Bahre Taveele Ajami’ is a raucous salute from a ‘Marekegeer’ (a form of street entertainer) to, not just the mind but, the heart of the audience. The poet explains that the hardships and frustration of the times cause him to go into deep thought and to block out external interference; within the solitude a voice whispers into his ear:
“Become Ajami in the face of the corrupt, listen to the message of your heart and be the keeper of that secret”

Ajam has been spreading the energy and essence of the Iranian Roots Music to audiences from Europe to North America, the Middle East and North Africa since 2010, as boasted in the lyrics of this track:
“The drops that drip from my fangs trickle from the ‘Bahre Taveel’ (expansive ocean), the beat of the authentic rhythms, the tune of the eloquent vocabulary, from the side of the River Thames to the banks of the River Nile.”

The soundscape of this track draws influence from Iranian Urban Roots Music, in particular the traditional martial arts practices of the Zoorkhaneh but also that of the Taziyeh (passion plays) street performances which have throughout time served as vehicles for preserving and rejuvenating Iranian Urban Roots Music.

This music video for ‘Bahre Taveele Ajami’, directed by Mehran Alavi, is filmed in several locations in South and Central Tehran, in particular the historic district of Abmangol which is stil retains the heritage and character of Old Tehran. Ajam would like to the kind and generous people of this area who not only tolerated our nuisance during the filming of the sequences but also for their hospitality and generosity. Further thanks to our friends from the Alamdar teahouse, other close friends and the ‘Ajamioon’ that made this vision come to life