Migration: Nasser Cheshmazar, Creator of 'Rain of Love'

A two-dimensional image can be presented of Nasser Cheshmazar, the renowned composer who passed away in Tehran at the age of 67. A skilled arranger and experienced composer, he lamented in an interview in July 2007 that he did not have a cohesive collection of his works: "Unfortunately, I have no archive of my past works. Whether it’s my arrangements, which number over 250 to 300, or my melodies, which might include 40-50 songs. This is why I am not very familiar with them; now I remember them as memories, knowing who wrote the lyrics and what they were." Nasser Cheshmazar is also a product of the transformation that occurred in Iranian pop music in the 1970s, following a line derived from the teachings of his father, Ismail Khan Cheshmazar. These teachings, along with his music studies in the United States, allowed young Nasser to reveal a lasting image through his arrangements, creating a modern atmosphere with melodies close to Iranian modes. He stated, "The melodies I received were from Mr. Jahanbakhsh Pazouki, Parviz Moghaddasi, Parviz Atabaki, and Mr. Babak Afshar, among others. The melodies belonged to these gentlemen, and I had to write the harmony or orchestration beneath their melody lines, which fortunately, especially Mr. Pazouki, always utilized corners and modes of Iranian music, making their melodies always delightful and holding a special place among the people." Nasser Cheshmazar mentioned that his shortcomings were more pronounced after the revolution when he was in exile, and due to the atmosphere he was in, he may not have had the sensitivity and precision he needed in his work. He followed this process in composing and presenting melodies alongside his arrangements, resulting in songs that fit well within the voices of their singers but had a clear difference from their previous works, a difference that showcased his innovative spirit. "When I started writing melodies, especially for singers like the late Mahasti, or Mrs. Hamira, or Mrs. Haydeh, I tried to give them melodies that were a combination of contemporary space with melodies close to our modes." In his peak years, Nasser Cheshmazar formed a small music group with the singer Toofan, who was the star of shows by the famous performer Parviz Gharib Afshar at that time. This collaboration bore delightful fruits, with "God of the Skies" featuring lyrics by Jahanbakhsh Pazouki and sung by Toofan being one of the hottest products of this partnership. The fame of this group and their popularity led renowned innovative singers to approach them. Aref was one of these singers, and his collaboration with Nasser Cheshmazar resulted in a different song called "Balabala" with lyrics by Parviz Vakili. Aref stated, "There were only four of us, but the four who made a commotion were very much liked by everyone. The nighttime programs we performed; later they even added girls and boys. They later added violins and wind instruments." Aref continued, "Nasser Cheshmazar and Toofan were very passionate about their work and were always looking to improve it. The first time I went to America with Nasser Cheshmazar, when I entered his music room, he carefully and joyfully picked up all the instruments, listened, and performed." However, Nasser Cheshmazar's narrative about singing is closely related to the narrative of the song "Avazeh Khaan Na Avaz" written by Saeed Dabiri, which was nostalgically sung by Fereydoun Farrokhzad: "I never choose a singer based on the range of their voice; I place great importance on the fusion and recitation of poetry with melody, so that they can express the fusion of melody and the meaning of the poem and the warmth of the poem and melody with the mastery they possess." Alongside the revolution, Nasser Cheshmazar also left Iran for a short time. His presence in America, along with several other figures involved in Iranian pop music, helped lay the groundwork for pop music artists who were censored inside Iran. Googoosh stated, "Nasser shares a common feeling with me. But unfortunately, I do not have access to him. I mean, because he lives in Iran and has been busy with film music these years." During this time, Nasser Cheshmazar actively invited artists of those years, such as Mahasti, to Los Angeles, composed songs, and arranged albums. The result of this collaboration includes arrangements and songs like "Anaranar," "Madaderangi," and many others that are still enjoyable. Nevertheless, he had a critical view of this part of his career: "My shortcomings were more pronounced after the revolution when I was in exile, and due to the atmosphere I was in, I may not have had the sensitivity and precision I needed in my work." However, Mansour Tehrani, a lyricist who worked with Nasser Cheshmazar on enduring songs like "Khalvat" sung by Googoosh and "Do Parandeh" sung by Leila Forouhar, noted that he had grievances from Los Angeles but always kept quiet: "In 1988, when Nasser returned to Iran, we were actually in the Pop Studio with Emad Ram and Nasser Farhoodi. He entered the studio, knelt down, kissed the studio door, and with a strange demeanor, affected us all. He said there are many stories. I couldn't bear it. Of course, one of the reasons for Nasser's return was his mother." Nasser Cheshmazar remains in Iran to evoke a new image of himself, an image that Googoosh and many others recognize him by: Mohammad Zarghami: "Nasser Cheshmazar?" Googoosh: "Film music." Until then, he had only worked in the field of song music and arrangement, although he also had an experience in composing the theme music for Parviz Gharib Afshar's show along with Mansour Tehrani, who also had a hand in filmmaking at that time. Mansour Tehrani stated, "Since I was familiar with the cinema people and was making films at that time, some only knew Nasser as a composer. They couldn't believe that he could also compose film music. Anyway, I think it was Sirous Alvand who introduced Nasser to one of his friends, and he started working." He also shone in film music with works like Hamoun, Poison Mushroom, and Strange Sisters, but his distance from singers and his absence in their works remained evident. Googoosh stated, "Nasser shares a common feeling with me. But unfortunately, I do not have access to him. I mean, because he lives in Iran and has been busy with film music these years." According to Mansour Tehrani, the death of Toofan also left a bitter impact on Nasser Cheshmazar's spirit: "When Toofan died, Nasser became very sad; he loved Toofan very much. He called me and sang a song we had given to Toofan called 'Nazanin' over the phone while playing the piano with emotion." Aref also believes that they lost each other at the time of the revolution: "The missing half of Toofan was Nasser Cheshmazar, who were separated; they complemented each other." Mansour Tehrani: "In 1988, when Nasser returned to Iran, we were actually in the Pop Studio with Emad Ram and Nasser Farhoodi. He entered the studio, knelt down, kissed the studio door, and with a strange demeanor, affected us all." The creator of "Hijrat" with Googoosh's voice, "Ghamgin va Tanha" with Mahasti's voice, "Ham Zabanam Bash" with Hamira's voice, and "Zayer" with Ramesh's voice immortalized himself in the instrumental album "Rain of Love" in the years following the revolution. A composer who was considered a pioneer of electronic instruments in Iran and always sought new paths in his songs and music in connection with the past; Mansour Tehrani recalls Nasser Cheshmazar's only work with Dariush as an exceptional piece in his career: "One of his difficult works was a poem by Bahman Farshi; this poem was free verse, and he composed a beautiful melody for it that Dariush performed." In recent years, Cheshmazar has brought some of his enduring songs to the stage with a large orchestra, and in some cases, according to him, some works were not granted permission for vocal performance again due to the name of the singer, such as the song "Hijrat." He was supposed to produce the album "Haft Meydan" in the coming year.