Singing in both English and Pashto/Afghaani, Simin Tander owns one of the most exciting and breathtaking voices on today’s European jazz scene. Her music is characterized by her warm, powerful timbre and poetic lyrics that reflect on her Afghan roots and her experiences as a woman.
Tander has released several critically acclaimed albums that showcase her versatility as an artist. Her debut album, ‘Wagma’, was released in 2011 and featured her original compositions sung in English and in her unique improvised language. ‘Where Water Travels Home’, released in 2014, introduced old Afghan songs and Pashto poetry into Tander’s music and captured the attention of the international press. In 2016 Tander signed with the legendary ECM label and released ‘What Was Said’, a trio album with pianist Tord Gustavsen and drummer Jarle Vespestad, which was awarded the prestigious ‘Annual German Record Critics’ Prize’.
“Unfading” arrives in 2020, featuring a renewed quartet and envisioning a rich, transparent and profound sound. The album received outstanding reviews, being described as “intriguing and utterly hypnotic.”
In 2024, Simin Tander unveiled the single “Remembering,” offering a glimpse of her upcoming album “The Wind,” set for release in March 2025. “The German-Afghan singer Simin Tander presents, in The Wind (Jazzland Recordings), a blend of original compositions and traditional themes in Pashto and European styles. The album stands out for its delicate ballad delivery, free vocal improvisations, and percussive exhalations. Accompanied by Indian-Norwegian violinist Harpreet Bansal, electric bass, and drums, the ensemble creates energetic rhythmic storms,” praised The Guardian (UK).
Beyond her rich compositions and highly original performances, Simin’s unique approach to live vocal improvisation is an iconic and distinctive hallmark of her artistry. She already performed at some of the world’s leading jazz festivals, including the Madrid Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Fest, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Hong Kong Jazz Festival, among many others. She is now preparing for her debut on Portuguese stages.
PRESS QUOTES
«The Wind stands as another haunting work of dark lyricism and sweet melancholy from an exceptional artist.»
ALL ABOUT JAZZ (USA)
«The unique German/Afghan singer Simin Tander’s The Wind (Jazzland Recordings), a mix of originals and Pashto and European traditionals, draws on her tender ballad delivery, wild, wordless improv and percussive exhalations, while Norwegian-Indian violinist Harpreet Bansal and electric bass and drums often kick up hard-grooving storms.»
THE GUARDIAN (UK)
«Simin Tander mines her family heritage on THE WIND. (…) keening like the wind (…) slow and deep (…) from low howles to a thundering climax.»
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️FINANCIAL TIMES (UK)
«The strikingly pliant vocals of German-Afghan singer (..) from breathy tenderness to sudden, tremulous passion accompanied by violinist Harpreet Bansal, percussionist Samuel Rohrer and bassist Björn Meyer. (…).astonishing.»
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE SCOTSMAN (UK)
«Ethereal, haunting music (…) divine.»
JAZZWISE Magazine (UK)
«Simin Tander has delivered a work of high artistic integrity and executional rigor. THE WIND doesn’t just float; it carries. (…) a multilingual, multi-modal exploration of jazz vocalism at the intersection of European jazz and world music. Tander’s vocal phrasing is expressive and improvisational (…) strength through subtlety (…) raw, committed, and technically nuanced.»
STACCATOFLY (USA)
TOUR DATES
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