Album Notes

In life there are TRACES that lead us back and forth. The union of music and dance have resonated through the ages; at each stage adding another link to this perpetual motion.

Shamou's drumming career began at an early age in his native Iran. He began his formal music training in Tehran, studied with teachers from the Royal College of Music in London and completed his training at Berklee College of Music in Boston. A well known figure in the Boston music scene in the mid-90's, Shamou was the lead singer and percussionist with the world music ensembles Cosmos Factor and Ozain, and was a percussionist with the Greg Greenway Band - all three groups were nominated for the Boston Globe's Music Award.

Shamou has performed at the Maritime Hall, the Filmore West and Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco. From 1999 to 2001 he was a resident performer with the renowned club DJ's of Funky Techno Tribe, Ruby Skye, and Release in San Francisco, Utopia, the Velvet Dragon @ the Mandalay, C2K @ the Venician and Babies @ the Hard Rock Café in Las Vegas.

Shamou has contributed music to several CD compilations and has released his own CDs Spirits Dance, a solo acoustic percussion and vocal journey through the Middle East, Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean; Shodjah, a world music/rock fusion with his former band by the same name; Loopin' Live at Center for Cultural Exchange with his current band Loopin'; and Traces, his latest solo work.