­Art everywhere has confined itself to concepts and definitions; in this way, we have also reduced it to various classifications. When we fail to categorize a piece of art we are unsettled and this colors our judgment. Definitions are meant to provide us with a common language, so that we could speak to about a work of art, say call it "impressionistic"; otherwise, I doubt it that Mr. {Van Gogh} had said to himself, having pick up the brush and pain, "Today I want to draw my impression of irises." He did what he felt like doing and others found ways of talking about it. Do we decide whether a work is good or not based on the style used? What if a work doesn't match any of the labels we have come up with? We know, for example, that the color azu­re was not well known in European painting. Now, if Van Gogh had somehow used this color in his paintings, would we say he mixed Impressionism with Eastern art? Why not look at simply as a way for the painter to introduce a new color, thus making his work more diverse in terms of an outlook?

In music, too, such preoccupation with styles is prevalent. Is it enough to introduce "Iranian" instrument within a "western" musical structure to arrive at "fusion"? Inversely, would we call it "Iranian Rock" if we bring elements of rock into Iranian music? I prefer to simply say that the musician is garnishing his/her music with different tastes. A few years ago, I wrote a sentence in the liner notes of the album of BARAD Band: "We have always wanted to listen to a brand of rock music that was not mere import but created by the country's young musicians." Today, I want to ask forgiveness from Barad, our listeners and myself, for that sentence. It is a vacuous pronouncement spawned by my preoccupation with definitions and words.

Did METALICA call its music a fusion of Trash Metal with Iranian music when they introduced the six/eight beat in "Eye of the Beholder" from And Justice for All? No. They were doing their own thing and they decided to expand their horizon by exploring a new beat that was unknown before that. The essence of music is simple. When we make or play music, we need to enjoy what we are doing, and if we are lucky enough to create the same joy for others, then we have connected with our listeners.

There was a time when {Ramin Behna}, much like the young generation of the eighties, had to grapple with issues of the day like all of us: the effects of Iran-Iraq War, choosing university courses under aerial bombardment, analyzing lyrics of PINK FLOYD, waiting in gasoline lines, wondering at the music of {Alan Parsons}, drinking Iranian-made soft drinks, getting together with neighborhood boys to listen to the latest album of JETHRO TULL, covering "Hotel California" for a sweet heart, carrying music instruments stealthily, waiting in line for hours for the concert of masters of Iranian music. These were all common experiences that had fused itself into our lives and this is the only true fusion that we see in Behna's work. His latest album, Not Like That, has a taste of all of these. In this album, it seems as if I have heard "Fable" before, with the same electric piano and guitar in the background. In "Debonair I" I can detect the synthetic figures of works of {Al Di Miola} just as much as the brocades of our rug. The rhythmic section of {Hossein Alizadeh} is in our blood, just as arabesque designs, but I can also see the military overcoats or the piano sections of {Rick Davies} in the music of SUPERTRAMP. "Charmez-Bass" reminds me of our pranks.

In this multicultural world of ours, being influenced by various musical genres is as common as wearing jeans. But just as much as Iwon't be mistaken for an American cowboy by wearing jeans, we can't mistake the music of Not Like That with any other genre of music. It is much like a fingerprint. Ramin Behna is a vessel filled with memories and influences from his surroundings, and it wouldn't make a difference whether we call him Iranian or not. It is no longer important if his music is fusion or not. What's important is that he is Iranian and a mixture of all those things that an Iranian is going through in this day and age. We can like his music or dislike it, but there is no use comparing his fingerprints with that others.