Ishmael

Ishmael's father was born in the village of Gulpashan in the Urmia district of northwestern Iran. His mother was born in the United States, to parents who hailed from the same area as his father; ethnically, they are Assyrian; Ishmael himself was born in Connecticut.

From the ages of eight to fifteen, he studied classical piano; as a teenager, he also took symphonic tympani lessons with San Francisco symphony tympanist Walter Larew.

His Turkish musical training was with Kanuni Shenchalar in Istanbul and Udi Hrant in the U.S.A. Ishmael formerly played in the Santa Clara philharmonic Orchestra as head typanist, accompanying such classical musicians as Yehudi Menuhin and Issac Stern, And, along with Vince Delgado, he was a pioneer of Middle Eastern music in San Francesco nightclubs. He has also worked in hotels and clubs in New York, Puerto Rico, Reno, and Las Vegas. He has performed at numerous Middle Eastern functions: conventions, weddings, pricate parties, in concerts and radio programs, and has given lecture demonstrations in colleges and high schools. Recently, he was soloist with the University of California Santa Barbara Middle Eastern ensemble for several concerts.