Teleet Trio
Janice Isabel Jackson – singer
Chris Churchill – acoustic and electric bass
Mohammad Sahraei – tar, setar, daf, rain stick, and hand drum
In vernacular Farsi, the word Teleet is used to imply a blend, mix, jumble, or a collage of different, even unlikely, ingredients. The word is borrowed from Persian cuisine. The Teleet Trio is the embodiment of programming music which is a collage of styles and innovative approaches to traditional music from diverse regions of the world with original tunes added to the mix. The instrumentation is also a mix of western instruments with those from the Middle East (specifically Iran). Canadian, Iranian, Appalachian Mountain folk songs mixed with ancient Swedish cattle calls and instrumental works played on a mix of western and middle eastern instruments. From classical to folk singing the scope of their song choices range from the Appalachian Mountains to the farmlands of Iran. The Teleet Trio is an expression of the desire to reinterpret musical styles with exciting and surprisingly refreshing arrangements.
Biographies
Janice Isabel Jackson has sung over 240 world premieres, many works written for her and performed with contemporary music ensembles and in concert halls around the world–Beijing, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Torino, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Berlin, Johannesburg, Cape Town and, and more. She has appeared in countless contemporary music festivals including the November Festival (Ghent), Wien Modern (Vienna), Ludwigs Lust (Hamburg), The Proms (Amsterdam), IRCAM (Paris), Big Torino 2000 (Turin), the Diem Festival of Electro-acoustic music (Denmark), and the Scotia Festival of Music (Nova Scotia). She is also the Artistic Director of the Halifax based contemporary vocal music society Vocalypse Productions and has sung with many orchestras throughout Europe and Canada. Throughout 2018 and 2019 she takes part in French composer Patrick Defossez’s multimedia project, CO2 Cycle de Lieder. As an improviser, she has performed with Fred Frith (USA), Barry Guy (England), Etienne Rolin (France), Michael Baird (Holland), and more.
Music has taken Chris Churchill to over 85 countries. He freelances regularly on double bass and electric bass. Chris has been active in the music industry as a bassist, producer, composer, arranger, orchestrator, and educator for over 25 years. He has worked with Grammy, Juno, and ECMA winners. He’s led his own groups at music festivals and has performed on over 30 cruise ships. He has played for over 25 musical theater productions across Canada and had musical appearances on HBO, APTN, Eastlink, and CTV television.
Mohammad Sahraei is graduated with a Master of Ethnomusicology, Bachelor of Music, Master of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Accounting. He traveled to several countries, doing fieldwork on their music, and has published several essays relatively. He participated in many musical and cultural events in Halifax such as OBEY Festival, Jazz festival, Multicultural Festival and additionally started to hold International Music Concerts since 2017. He also has a Live Film Score performance on his resume. Moreover, Mohammad is a music teacher, has published Nahavand Album in Iranian music, and is the former and head of World Music Museum Society in Halifax.
Performance History
October 2018 – Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery
November 2018 – Private Event
January 2019 – OPEN Water’s Festival, Upstream Music Association
January 2020 – OPEN Water’s Festival, Upstream Music Association
October 2020 – St. Andrew’s Church, Halifax
September 2021 – Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, Lilian Piercey Recital Hall