Cyrus Nabipoor
Cyrus Nabipoor
There are a few desires/concepts that started me down the path of effect pedals & continue to guide my decisions around them.
1. I have a serious fascination with the range of tonal possibilities on the trumpet. I like to use extended techniques to achieve multiphonics, natural distortion, vocal and percussive sounds. Proceeding further down this rabbit hole, one finds effect pedals necessary. They help me broaden my spectrum of timbre so that I can imitate the sounds I hear in my head as close as possible, whether they be that of a trumpet or a completely different instrument.
2. I love playing improvised solo shows. There is something so beautiful about a single person holding the audience's’ attention, working many controls at once. It’s very different than being part of a band. Because the trumpet relies on human breathe and can be a fatiguing instrument, it’s really hard to support an entire concert by yourself. Pedals make it possible. By using things like delay, reverb, and creating layers of loops I am able to perform solo sets. These tend to be of the ambient/noise/soundscape variety. I slowly build layers into a loop, until I decide to let that idea fade away and transition to a new one.
3. One of the most common reasons driving many horn players to pedals....being heard above the band! When you’re performing with an electric band, and it comes time to take a solo or play a featured line, it often feels like a losing battle. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a good sound engineer, they have their work cut out for them in this respect as well. Between cymbals, chordal instruments, and the trumpets wide range of overtones, it’s no surprise that the details of our sound are often drowned out. This causes you to overblow, which throws your whole equilibrium off, and then it’s really hard to get back on track. Pedals can help. I find that compression not only helps narrow my harmonic spectrum into a range that will find its own place in the mix, but also makes my articulations pop harder. Octaves gives my sound more weight, especially during solos. I also use very light reverb at the end of my chain all the time. All of this aids me in either soaring above the band or finding my own comfy spot in the mix.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyrusnabipoor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyborgslaya/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/trumpettones
Website: http://cyrusnabipoor.com/
NORUZ: http://thebandnoruz.com/
“As a New Orleans-based transplant by way of Portland, Oregon, Cyrus Nabipoor finds himself at the crossroads of the rich history of his chosen instrument and the endless possibilities wielding it can provide. The young trumpeter, composer, educator, and bandleader is rapidly accruing a who’s who of local talent as his list of associated acts, ranging from numerous styles of jazz across its history to funk and its groove-laden offshoots, rock, experimental improvisation, and in many cases, a mixture of the above. He’s equally adept and gaining ground in mastery of the trumpet as a pure acoustic medium as well as an electronically mediated source of soundcraft. Expect to hear more and more from this up-and-coming artist regardless of where in the world you find yourself.”
-Nick Benoit
As a leader:
NORUZ
Solo Effect-Loop
Cyrus Nabipoor Quintet & Trio
As a member:
Brass Lightning
Outer Core
Sexual Thunder
Doombalaya
As a sideman:
Jonathan Freilich’s Naked Orchestra
Jeff Albert’s Unanimous Sources
Jon Roniger & the Good For Nothin’ Band
Sam Price & the True Believer’s
Taylor Smith & the Roamin’ Jasmine
and more…
Cyrus was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He began playing trumpet in middle school because a trombone wouldn’t fit on his bike, and he’s sure glad he dodged that bullet. As an adolescent he was taught by Cynthia Plank and local trumpeter Derek Sims. In high school he joined the Alan Jones Academy of Music, where he learned how to stop playing stupid shit (mostly). Cyrus holds a Bachelor of Music from Loyola University New Orleans. He graduated magna cum laude and was awarded outstanding undergraduate in both Jazz and Brass. While there, he studied with Nick Volz, Tony Dagradi and Jimbo Walsh. Cyrus also spent a term at the Grieg Academy in Bergen Norway studying with ECM legend Per Jørgensen and Martin Winter (principal trumpet, Bergen Philharmonic). He regularly returns to Norway, where he has ongoing collaborations with Simen Kiil Halvorsen, Roar Kjeldahl Berntsen, Arne Fjose Sandberg, Petter Asbjornsen & many more. Cyrus is a frequent collaborator of Pacific Northwest beat-making-duo Korgy & Bass. He also co-founded ‘Lore’, a multimedia storytelling performance improv series, with visual artist Ida Floreak.
Cyrus has performed with Jamison Ross, Elle King, Eric “Benny” Bloom, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, James Singleton, Steve Masakowski, Johnny Vidacovich, Michael Ray, Mike Dillon, Stanton Moore, Larry Sieberth, and Jarle Vespestad. Cyrus is a recipient of the 2015 International Trumpet Guild Jazz Scholarship.
Pedals:
EHX Pitchfork
EHX Q Tron +
EHX Tone Corset
EHX Freeze
EHX 360 Nano Looper
Daphon Phaser
Eventide Space
Eventide Black Hole
MXR Carbon Copy
Subdecay Spring Theory
Mooer Micro DI
Boss EQ
AMT Wireless Microphone
Edwards Gen. 2 Bb trumpet
Monette mouthpiece