Noruz is a group that has their feet firmly planted in the roots of jazz while reaching out their hands towards other contemporary genres, like hip-hop and rock. While they stretch out to different genres with their roots in jazz, they refuse to be pinned down by any labels that may be placed on them. Some of their main influences include the Robert Glasper Experiment, Snarky Puppy, the Brian Blade Fellowship, Kneebody, and Ambrose Akinmusire. Noruz is a group that is on the path to make a name for themselves in this vast music scene. Cyrus Nabipoor and Amina Michele formed Noruz in the fall of 2013 after a year of jamming together at Loyola University in New Orleans with a group of their musical peers. Members of the band include Cyrus Nabipoor on trumpet, Amina Michele on bass, Jake Hickey on keys, Trent O'Neal on drums, Ben Kahn on guitar, and Ari Kohn on saxophone. In Winter of 2013, with the help of legendary jazz producer John Snyder, they released their debut EP, “Music for Dads”, available on Bandcamp.