The Yorkshire Standard

Dariush Kanani is a guitarist and singer from Chapel Allerton, Leeds, and has launched his first album, Mr Troubadour.

Image: Jim Harris (harris-associates.com).

Now 25, Dariush has been playing guitar since he was 11 years old.

At the age of 16, he developed his fingerpicking technique, citing Jimmy Page as his original influence. This led him to listening to music by Bert Jansch, Davey Graham and John Martyn and also the late John Redbourn and Stefan Grossman, both of whom he has studied under.

Around the age of 20, whilst studying at Leeds College of Music, Dariush started to listen to singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer, and began experimenting with writing his own lyrics.

Dariush’s mother, who is passionate about the arts in all forms, supported and continues to support, his university study and subsequent vocational training, because she herself had been discouraged by her parents from following her passion for art, despite her obvious talents. Her unwavering faith has no doubt led to the success of Dariush and his younger brother, gypsy jazz musician, Kourosh Kanani.

After a year, Dariush realised that the academic study of music wasn’t for him and entered the world of work. A year later, however, he embarked on a course in Music Journalism at the University of Huddersfield and was able to perform music and study at the same time.

Again though, he realised that studying within an institution wasn’t for him and left. Dariush hasn’t looked back. He says he learnt important skills, but that it was by being in the very presence of greats such as John Redbourn and Stefan Grossman, whom he got to know personally and perform with, that a profound change in his musical style came about.

Testimony to the relationships that were built at that time is that he supported Grossman’s sell out tour at The Heeley Institute in Sheffield on 10th April.

In his first album, a number of styles are apparent, which reflect his growing maturity as a musician. Under the tutelage of Redbourn and Grossman, he discovered his own authentic style, going full circle from fingerpicking to complex guitar playing to strumming and singing and back to complex guitar work. What has emerged is a gentle style that speaks to the soul. Dariush’s work continues to evolve and develop as he picks up influences from other artists and moulds them to his own unique style.

So why Mr Troubadour? The name of the album was suggested by Dariush’s friend, fellow musician, Roger Davies. Fittingly, the word is French and comes from the Old Occitan trobador, from trobar, which means to compose. The music and lyrics on the first album were composed by Dariush himself, who has also studied with Clive Carroll in France.

There are two launch events for the album, which was recorded by Matt White in Shipley.

The events are to take place in May. One took place on the 9th at Glyde House, Bradford, and one at The Grove, Holbeck, Leeds on the 16th.

You can find Dariush on Facebook by searching Dariush Kanani Musician, and on Twitter @Dariush Kanani.

By Anj Handa.