The Nightingale of Iran

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The Nightingale of Iran is a six episode documentary podcast co-created by sisters Danielle Dardashti and Galeet Dardashti, presented by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and distributed by PRX .

Contents

In the show, the sisters explore their family's multi-generational puzzling musical history, and search for the truth of why their family left Iran in the 1960s at the height of national fame [1] [2] [3] .

Danielle Dardashti is the host, writer, director, and senior producer. Galeet Dardashti is the musical director, producer, and subject expert. The show includes clips of music and family tapes, as well as interviews with experts and family members. [4] [5]

Background

The 6-episode audio documentary was released in March 2024 [6] .

Younes Dardashti, an Iranian musical icon and grandfather of Danielle and Galeet, was known as the "Nightingale of Iran" for his powerful voice [7] . In the Dardashti family, his Jewish musical legacy was cherished and passed down through generations. Their father, Younes’ son Farid, became a teen idol, singing on Iranian TV in the 1960s before leaving to study in the United States. There he met their mother, Sheila, an Ashkenazi folk singer from New York. As children, Danielle, Galeet and their sister Michelle (now the rabbi at Brooklyn’s Kane Street Synagogue) traveled the country with their parents in a Jewish American family band.

It was only when the sisters began researching their grandfather that another image emerged — that of a Jewish Iranian artist who never found the same acceptance among Jews as he did with Iran’s Muslim public, an audience he would ultimately lose in the Iranian Revolution. Performing under the shadow of a stigmatized tradition, in which Jews barred from many industries were historically overrepresented as hired musicians or “motrebs,” Younes left Iran during a short-lived golden age for its Jewish minority.

Accolades & Press

In 2024, the show garnered numerous accolades, including Signal Awards for Best Documentary, Best Writing, and Listeners' Choice; Best Podcast of the Year and Best Society & Culture Podcast in the 2024 Quill Podcast Awards; an invitation to be an official participant in the Tribeca Festival 2024 Creators Market; and Best Music Podcast in the People's Choice Podcast Awards. [8]

The Nightingale of Iran podcast has generated press attention from a number of media outlets, including Jewish Journal [9] [10] , The Wrap [11] , Hadassah Magazine [12] , Kveller [13] , Variety [14] , Hey Alma [15] , JTA [7] , Haaretz, My Jewish Learning [16] , Mentally? A Magpie [17] , and Forward [18] .

About the Creators

Danielle Dardashti is an Emmy award-winning documentary writer/producer, a former on-air TV news reporter, and a storySLAM champion who has been featured on NPR’s Moth Radio Hour. She is the co-author of the Jewish Family Fun Book (Jewish Lights) and co-founder/Creative Director of live storytelling show Storyboom. Danielle, CEO of dash., leads corporate storytelling workshops all over the world.

Galeet Dardashti is a renowned musician and anthropologist of Middle Eastern Jewish culture. In her new release, Monajat, she sings and composes around samples of her famed Iranian grandfather - The Nightingale of Iran - with an acclaimed ensemble of musicians. She has held Assistant Professor positions at JTS and NYU and is currently a Fellow at University of Pennsylvania’s Katz Center.

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References

  1. ↑ Julius, Lyn (April 11, 2024). "The real reason why Persian Jews became musicians". The Times of Israel Blog . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  2. ↑ Bartov, Shira Li (March 8, 2024). "Their grandfather was a celebrity during the golden age for Jews in Iran. So why did he leave?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  3. ↑ Beasley, Diana (June 14, 2024). "The Nightingale of Iran". podcastradious.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  4. ↑ Refael, Tabby (April 4, 2024). "Why a New Jewish Documentary Podcast, 'The Nightingale of Iran,' Absolutely Soars". Jewish Journal . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  5. ↑ Zaltzman, Lior (March 6, 2024). "This Podcast Uncovers a Famous Iranian Jewish Family's Incredible Story". Kveller . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Nightingale of Iran". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Bartov, Shira Li (March 8, 2024). "Their grandfather was a celebrity during the golden age for Jews in Iran. So why did he leave?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  8. ↑ "19th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards". Podcast Awards . 2024. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  9. ↑ Refael, Tabby (September 26, 2024). "A Multisensory Hebrew and Persian Concert at Skirball Gives Its Listeners Wings". Jewish Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ Refael, Tabby (April 4, 2024). "Why a New Jewish Documentary Podcast, 'The Nightingale of Iran,' Absolutely Soars". Jewish Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ Bryant, Jacob (October 29, 2024). "Signal Awards 2024 Winners: Trevor Noah, Anderson Cooper, Kara Swisher Take Top Podcast Honors | Exclusive". TheWrap. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ Musleah, Rahel (July 3, 2024). "A New Podcast Unravels a Persian-Jewish Mystery". Hadassah Magazine. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ Zaltzman, Lior (March 6, 2024). "This Podcast Uncovers a Famous Iranian Jewish Family's Incredible Story". Kveller. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ Dunn, Jack (June 4, 2024). "Tribeca Festival 2024 Reveals Creators Market Participants (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ Frick, Evelyn (February 13, 2024). "These Persian Jewish Sisters Are Uncovering Their Grandfather's Mysterious Escape from Iran". Hey Alma. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Jews in Persian Music". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Review: The Nightingale of Iran". Mentally? A Magpie. February 8, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  18. ↑ Lashon, Be’chol (September 8, 2023). "Persian Jewish musician Galeet Dardashti duets with her famed Iranian grandfather in 'Monajat'". The Forward. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
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