Azam Ali

Azam Ali (Persian: اعظم علی‎‎) is an Iranian American singer and musician. As of 2013, Ali has released eight full-length albums with the bands VAS and Niyaz, as well as four full-length solo albums.

Biography

Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1970, Ali spent most of her childhood in Panchgani, India. Ali and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1985, after which Ali discovered the santour. Ali then studied the santour under Persian master Manoochehr Sadeghi, which led to the rediscovery of her voice. She is now living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In 1996, Ali formed "alternative world" group VAS with percussionist Greg Ellis after meeting the year prior at a concert at UCLA. She and her husband, Loga Ramin Torkian, are also part of another group, Niyaz, an Iranian acoustic electronic group. In 2005, Azam Ali was featured in Enter The Chicken, a Buckethead album, singing the song "Coma" with Serj Tankian.

Solo career

In 2002, Ali released her first solo album, Portals of Grace. This was followed up with 2006's Elysium for the Brave, which reached #10 on Billboard's World Albums chart on 23 September 2006. Ali's third album, From Night to the Edge of Day (2011), is a collection of lullabies inspired by her son.Lamentation of Swans - A Journey Towards Silence (2013), Ali's fourth album, is a joint effort with her husband Loga R Torkian that began in 2009 and explores the intimate spaces they had to carve out for themselves to escape the demands of touring.

Ali

Ali ibn Abi Talib (/ˈɑːli, ɑːˈliː/;Arabic: علي بن أبي طالب‎, translit. ʿAlī bin Abī Ṭālib, Arabic pronunciation: [ʕaliː bɪn ʔabiː t̪ˤaːlɪb]; 13 Rajab, 21 BH – 21 Ramadan, 40 AH; 15 September 601 – 29 January 661) was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, ruling over the Islamic caliphate from 656 to 661.

Born to Abu Talib and Fatima bint Asad, Ali was the only person born in the sacred sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam, as many sources, especially Shia ones say. Ali was the first young male who accepted Islam. After migrating to Medina, he married Muhammad's daughter Fatimah. Ali took part in the early caravan raids from Mecca and later in almost all the battles fought by the nascent Muslim community. He was appointed caliph by Muhammad's Companions (Sahaba) in 656, after caliph Uthman ibn Affan was assassinated. Ali's reign saw civil unrest and in 661, he was attacked and assassinated by a Kharijite while praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa, dying two days later.