Joseph Fraidon Poles

JOSEPH FRAIDON POLES

In the early 1980’s travelers to Baghdad or Assyrian jazz lovers in the city by the river Tigris may recall the piano player at the Sheraton, Babylon, and Meridian hotels.

Zinda Magazine recently caught up with Joseph Freidoun Poles in London. He speaks fondly of his days with a jazz group in Baghdad until 1983. It was the only band in Iraq playing jazz and blues in Baghdad.

Joseph was born in Kirkuk in 1964. Until 1979 he played with a local band in Baghdad and then switched to to a music genre less appreciated in his homeland. Between 1983 and 1986 he joined the Pilots Band. Sadly the war between Iran and Iraq left many dreams unrealized and Joseph’s band soon split up.

The horrors of war give a new lease of life to Joseph’s unscathed artistic side. He began to write poetry (just like his uncle Sargon Boulus the great Assyrian Poet who passed away in October 2007) It was between 1987 and 1990 that the visiters to the Meridian and Sheraton hotels in Baghdad enjoyed hearing the virtuosity of Joseph on his piano.

Then came the first Gulf War in 1991. Another war, emigration from the homeland and immigration to a mysterious land toward an unknown destiny taught Joseph much more than he had imagined. He began to delve into a new mix of eastern and western music. His compositions described his personal experiences – sounds not quite popular with the Assyrian audiences.

In 1992 Joseph Poles played for King Hussein of Jordan and composed a piece titled “Blanket from a King” in the memory of the late monarch of Jordan.

In 1993 he continued his solo piano career in Malta at the Fortina and Jerma palace hotels. He was presented to the Maltese President as the “Musician of Considerable Merit.”

In 1998 he was playing his piano in Germany. His compositions were broadcast live to 70 countries from Belgium and in September 2000 he performed before an audience of 6,000 people at the Hengelo Festival in Holland. His music has been heard in several European countries and at many festivals, public occasions, and prestigious events. He has also played for dignitaries such as the German Ambassador and was awarded a medal of recognition in Mainz, Germany.

Joseph Poles has writtten several music pieces like “Pictures from My Soul” and “The White Flower”. He also wrote a book on how to teach music.

Joseph Fraidon Poles loves art and his family. Like many Assyrian artists living in the Diaspora he is as unknown among his people as are his musical pieces. The European audiences love him, yet he yearns for the love of his people, for the smooth jazz nights by the banks of the river Tigris, and for an unsettled recognition of his place among the Assyrian greats.

To purchase the original instrumental Cds and Book please visit the official website here Thank you.