Biography
Jalil Shahnaz (1921-2013) was a Persian classical musician and virtuoso of the Persian musical instrument, tar. He was born on May 22, 1921 in Isfahan, Persia (Iran) to a musical family. His first teachers were his father and his older brother who were tar players.
He started palying the tar in Radio Isfahan orchestras and in concerts in private art circles; he was soon recognized his amazing skill in tar but also his ability to improvise and give the appropriate musical answers to the singer he accompanied each time. In 1957 he was invited to work with Radio Tehran. In the capital he worked as a soloist in the "Golha program" and in the Persian music programs of the Persepolis Arts Festival. In the late 1980s, he became a member of the "Persian Music Maestros Ensemble". With this ensemble he performed in various concerts inside and outside Iran. He was active in the field of music until 2004, many of his albums, as well as many recordings with different artists, have been released. He is still recognized as the most prominent tar player of the modern era.
He died in Tehran on June 17, 2013.