Zar

Zar is the name used for more than one group, but the facts given here describe a German heavy rock band from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, active from 1988 to the present, with John Lawton, Tommy Clauss and Lars Nippa as members. It begins as a hard rock act and later moves towards melodic heavy metal and power metal. Its early sound is compared with Dio, Europe and TNT, while its later direction is described as closer to Axxis.

German heavy rock band

The band’s first release is Live Your Life Forever, issued in 1990. It follows with the single Carry On in 1991 and the album Sorted Out the same year. Further releases include From Welcome... To Goodbye in 1993, The Holy Rhythm of Nature in 1995 and Hard to the Beat in 2003.

John Lawton does not want to sing on the harder material for the second album and is replaced by Thommy Bloch. Lawton later returns as a guest vocalist on one track on From Welcome... To Goodbye. The current lineup listed includes André Sauber on vocals, Tommy Clauss on guitar and Lars Nippa on drums.

Other groups using the name Zar

The name also refers to an Iranian folk-jazz ensemble, also known as The Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, formed in Bushehr, Iran in 1990. That group focuses on the traditional music and dance of the Persian Gulf and the southern Iranian coast, using instruments such as the neyanbān, ney-jofti, dammām, zarbetempo, traditional flute, senj and boogh. It performs in Iran, Europe and North America and is founded by Saeed Shanbezadeh, who starts playing music at the age of 7, later wins first prize at the Fajr Music Festival in Tehran in 1990, teaches in Toronto in 1996 and in Paris in 2007, is appointed professor and director of the House of Culture, Music and Dance of the Isle of Kish in 1998, appears in Dialogue with the Wind the same year, and leaves Iran in 2002 to live in Paris.

Another act named ZAR is a Danish folk band with two CDs, both of which receive Danish Music Awards. Its debut Strengeleg wins best debut recording of 2002, and in 2004 Sine Lauritsen wins Best Vocalist for Tusind Tanker. That group performs traditional Danish songs and tunes alongside influences from jazz and pop, tours widely in Denmark, and also plays festivals in Scotland, Canada, the USA, Germany, Italy and Scandinavia.

A further Zar-related entry describes a duets project by keyboardist Jo Thirion and drummer Katie O'Looney, who release Reservoir on Stupeur&Trompette! in 1995, produced by Elliott Sharp.