| Tigran Hamasyan — For Gyumri (Feb. 16, 2018) |
Tigran Hamasyan — For Gyumri (Feb. 16, 2018) 
:::>>> Nonesuch Records releases its third recording from pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan, For Gyumri, on February 16, 2018. A companion to last year’s An Ancient Observer, For Gyumri includes five additional songs. Hamasyan says of the two records: “These songs are musical observations about the world we live in now, and the weight of history we carry with us.” Hamasyan will tour this winter/spring; see details below. For Gyumri is available to preorder now at iTunes and the Nonesuch Store, where purchases include an instant download of the track “Rays of Light.”
:::>>> Hamasyan named the album in tribute to his hometown of Gyumri, Armenia, where he was born in 1987 before relocating with his family to Los Angeles in 2003. He currently resides in Erevan, Armenia. Hamasyan began playing piano at the age of three and started performing in festivals and competitions when he was eleven, winning the Montreux Jazz Festival’s piano competition in 2003. He released his debut album, World Passion, in 2005 at the age of seventeen. The following year, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Additional albums include New Era (2007); Red Hail (2009); A Fable (2011), for which he was awarded a Victoires de la Musique (the equivalent of a Grammy Award in France); Shadow Theater (2013); Luys i Luso (2015); and Mockroot (2015), for which he won the Echo Jazz Award for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year. In addition to awards and critical praise, Hamasyan has built a dedicated international following, as well as praise from Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau. 
Born: July 17, 1987, Leninakan, Armenian SSR, (now Gyumri, Armenia)
Location: Gyumri, Armenia
Album release: Feb. 16, 2018
Record label: Nonesuch
Duration: 29:28
Tracks:
1 Aragatz 4:21
2 Rays of Light 3:46
3 The American 6:33
4 Self — Portrait 2:47
5 Revolving — Prayer 12:02
℗ 2017 Nonesuch Records Inc.
By Rodney Fuchs. Posted on 10 January, 2018
:::>>> Great news for fans of jazzy neo~classical music! Tigran Hamasyan, who kind of invented ‘piano djent’ on his 2015 record Mockroot, is back with new music. Even though he just released his latest record An Ancient Observer in 2017, there will be more new music out very soon. Stepping back from his trio work on Mockroot, Hamasyan created a piano and voice~only piece with An Ancient Observer. The record was less jazzy, and more about shaping a neo~classical sound showcasing his Armenian roots and his vocalise work. Now that we got “Rays Of Light”, what can we expect?
:::>>> “Rays Of Light” is a very slow~paced track that features a soundscapy introduction, before transitioning into a very light piano tune. A slight detune provides a very organic feel to the sound, and one can even hear the pedals, quite similar to Ólafur Arnalds‘ recordings. As our editor Dominik stated in his review for An Ancient Observer:
:::>>> ‘It’s not like the mixture of jazz, contemporary classical music and Armenian folk Tigran Hamasyan has come to be known for has ever been easy to classify/describe, but this record is extremely unique, even for his standards. And while I’m still not entirely sold on the whole one man, one piano approach, I did enjoy An Ancient Observer very much; it’s an exceptional offering from one of the most promising young (jazz) musicians out there today.‘
:::>>> If those words won’t convince you, the new single probably will, even if it’s quite different from what Hamasyan did in the past. You can read the full review here! But as announced: For Gyumri is an upcoming EP by Hamasyan, set to release on February 16th. One month to go, time to get excited! :::>>> http://www.itdjents.com/
About:
:::>>> Tigran Hamasyan was Armenian by descent — he was born in 1987 in Gyumri, Armenia — but raised in Los Anegeles where he first encountered pop and jazz. Although he was first moved as a child by the rock sounds of the giants of the ‘60s and ‘70s — Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles — Hamasyan would focus his sights musically on jazz, becoming an adept piano player in the style as a youngster. Moved by the sounds of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Miles Davis, Hamasyan found himself part of the festivities at the Yerevan Second International Jazz Festival in 2000. He would go on just a few years later to win a number of contests, one of which was at the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival. With his band Aratta Rebirth, he issued Red Hail in 2009. Two years later he issued A Fable (credited simply as Tigran), his debut solo date for Verve, featuring the artist on piano and vocals, and followed it with 2013’s acclaimed Shadow Theater, which featured a band, strings, voices, and electronics by Jan Bang. That year he won the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music. Hamasyan issued Mockroot, an eclectic set that offered original electro~acoustic compositions and a traditional song, for Nonesuch in 2015. That same year his ECM debut, Luys i Luso, comprising Armenian sacred music from the fifth to the 20th century arranged for piano and voices, was issued. It was recorded a year earlier in the company of the Yerevan State Chamber Choir conducted by Harutyun Topikyan. He returned to electro~acoustic jazz with 2016’s double~length Atmospheres on ECM, for a collaborative date with Arve Henriksen, Bang, and Eivind Aarset.
:::>>> Hamasyan issued his second album for Nonesuch, An Ancient Observer, in March 2017 after returning to live in Armenia; it’s a collection of new compositions written over the course of four years — two based on Armenian melodies. Some pieces were written out while others, though composed, offered ample space for improvisation. Many include wordless vocals layered into the mix. As is his trademark, musical influences proved myriad, ranging from classical Baroque dance and Armenian folk music to J~Dilla~esque hip~hop grooves adapted to piano to tracks with pedals connected to a synthesizer. He issued five additional tracks from those sessions in early 2018 as the EP For Gyumri, titled for his hometown, prefaced by the video single “Rays of Light.” ~ Chris True
:::>>> “He’s the hottest pianist in jazz and he likes to mix things up, whether it’s bebop, thrash metal or dubstep. But his heart is in the folk music of his native land.” — (The Guardian)
:::>>> “The language I try to use when I’m improvising is not bebop but Armenian folk music.” — Tigran Hamasyan
Discography:
•¨• 2006 World Passion N octurne
•¨• 2007 New Era Plus Loin Music
•¨• 2009 Aratta Rebirth: Red Hail Plus Loin Music
•¨• 2011 A Fable Verve — #70FR
•¨• 2013 Shadow Theater Verve #127BEL (Wa) #63FR
•¨• 2015 Mockroot Nonesuch Records
•¨• 2015 Luys i Luso ECM Records — #68FR
•¨• 2017 An Ancient Observer Nonesuch Records #111BEL (Wa) #191FR
EPs:
•¨• EP No. 1 (2011) Released exclusively on vinyl and digital download
•¨• The Poet — EP (2014)
•¨• For Gyumri (2018)
Collaborations: 9x
Awards:
•¨• 2002: 3rd Prize Concours International de Piano~Jazz Martial Solal (Paris).
•¨• 2003: 1st Prize Jazz à Juan Révélations in the jazz instrumental category.
•¨• 2003: 1st Prize Prix de la Critique et du Public, Concours de Piano du Montreux Jazz Festival.
•¨• 2005: 3rd Prize Concours de Piano~Jazz de Moscou.
•¨• 2005: 1st Prize 8ème Concours de Solistes de Jazz de Monaco.
•¨• 2006: 1st Prize Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
•¨• 2006: 2nd Prize Concours International de Piano~Jazz Martial Solal.
•¨• 2013: Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music
•¨• 2016: ECHO Jazz Awards.
Website: http://www.tigranhamasyan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tigranmusic
Nonesuch: http://www.nonesuch.com/
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| Tigran Hamasyan — For Gyumri (Feb. 16, 2018) |
:::>>> Hamasyan named the album in tribute to his hometown of Gyumri, Armenia, where he was born in 1987 before relocating with his family to Los Angeles in 2003. He currently resides in Erevan, Armenia. Hamasyan began playing piano at the age of three and started performing in festivals and competitions when he was eleven, winning the Montreux Jazz Festival’s piano competition in 2003. He released his debut album, World Passion, in 2005 at the age of seventeen. The following year, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Additional albums include New Era (2007); Red Hail (2009); A Fable (2011), for which he was awarded a Victoires de la Musique (the equivalent of a Grammy Award in France); Shadow Theater (2013); Luys i Luso (2015); and Mockroot (2015), for which he won the Echo Jazz Award for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year. In addition to awards and critical praise, Hamasyan has built a dedicated international following, as well as praise from Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau.
Location: Gyumri, Armenia
Album release: Feb. 16, 2018
Record label: Nonesuch
Duration: 29:28
Tracks:
1 Aragatz 4:21
2 Rays of Light 3:46
3 The American 6:33
4 Self — Portrait 2:47
5 Revolving — Prayer 12:02
℗ 2017 Nonesuch Records Inc.
By Rodney Fuchs. Posted on 10 January, 2018
:::>>> Great news for fans of jazzy neo~classical music! Tigran Hamasyan, who kind of invented ‘piano djent’ on his 2015 record Mockroot, is back with new music. Even though he just released his latest record An Ancient Observer in 2017, there will be more new music out very soon. Stepping back from his trio work on Mockroot, Hamasyan created a piano and voice~only piece with An Ancient Observer. The record was less jazzy, and more about shaping a neo~classical sound showcasing his Armenian roots and his vocalise work. Now that we got “Rays Of Light”, what can we expect?
:::>>> “Rays Of Light” is a very slow~paced track that features a soundscapy introduction, before transitioning into a very light piano tune. A slight detune provides a very organic feel to the sound, and one can even hear the pedals, quite similar to Ólafur Arnalds‘ recordings. As our editor Dominik stated in his review for An Ancient Observer:
:::>>> ‘It’s not like the mixture of jazz, contemporary classical music and Armenian folk Tigran Hamasyan has come to be known for has ever been easy to classify/describe, but this record is extremely unique, even for his standards. And while I’m still not entirely sold on the whole one man, one piano approach, I did enjoy An Ancient Observer very much; it’s an exceptional offering from one of the most promising young (jazz) musicians out there today.‘
:::>>> If those words won’t convince you, the new single probably will, even if it’s quite different from what Hamasyan did in the past. You can read the full review here! But as announced: For Gyumri is an upcoming EP by Hamasyan, set to release on February 16th. One month to go, time to get excited! :::>>> http://www.itdjents.com/
About:
:::>>> Tigran Hamasyan was Armenian by descent — he was born in 1987 in Gyumri, Armenia — but raised in Los Anegeles where he first encountered pop and jazz. Although he was first moved as a child by the rock sounds of the giants of the ‘60s and ‘70s — Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles — Hamasyan would focus his sights musically on jazz, becoming an adept piano player in the style as a youngster. Moved by the sounds of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Miles Davis, Hamasyan found himself part of the festivities at the Yerevan Second International Jazz Festival in 2000. He would go on just a few years later to win a number of contests, one of which was at the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival. With his band Aratta Rebirth, he issued Red Hail in 2009. Two years later he issued A Fable (credited simply as Tigran), his debut solo date for Verve, featuring the artist on piano and vocals, and followed it with 2013’s acclaimed Shadow Theater, which featured a band, strings, voices, and electronics by Jan Bang. That year he won the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music. Hamasyan issued Mockroot, an eclectic set that offered original electro~acoustic compositions and a traditional song, for Nonesuch in 2015. That same year his ECM debut, Luys i Luso, comprising Armenian sacred music from the fifth to the 20th century arranged for piano and voices, was issued. It was recorded a year earlier in the company of the Yerevan State Chamber Choir conducted by Harutyun Topikyan. He returned to electro~acoustic jazz with 2016’s double~length Atmospheres on ECM, for a collaborative date with Arve Henriksen, Bang, and Eivind Aarset.
:::>>> Hamasyan issued his second album for Nonesuch, An Ancient Observer, in March 2017 after returning to live in Armenia; it’s a collection of new compositions written over the course of four years — two based on Armenian melodies. Some pieces were written out while others, though composed, offered ample space for improvisation. Many include wordless vocals layered into the mix. As is his trademark, musical influences proved myriad, ranging from classical Baroque dance and Armenian folk music to J~Dilla~esque hip~hop grooves adapted to piano to tracks with pedals connected to a synthesizer. He issued five additional tracks from those sessions in early 2018 as the EP For Gyumri, titled for his hometown, prefaced by the video single “Rays of Light.” ~ Chris True
:::>>> “He’s the hottest pianist in jazz and he likes to mix things up, whether it’s bebop, thrash metal or dubstep. But his heart is in the folk music of his native land.” — (The Guardian)
:::>>> “The language I try to use when I’m improvising is not bebop but Armenian folk music.” — Tigran Hamasyan
Discography:
•¨• 2006 World Passion N octurne
•¨• 2007 New Era Plus Loin Music
•¨• 2009 Aratta Rebirth: Red Hail Plus Loin Music
•¨• 2011 A Fable Verve — #70FR
•¨• 2013 Shadow Theater Verve #127BEL (Wa) #63FR
•¨• 2015 Mockroot Nonesuch Records
•¨• 2015 Luys i Luso ECM Records — #68FR
•¨• 2017 An Ancient Observer Nonesuch Records #111BEL (Wa) #191FR
EPs:
•¨• EP No. 1 (2011) Released exclusively on vinyl and digital download
•¨• The Poet — EP (2014)
•¨• For Gyumri (2018)
Collaborations: 9x
Awards:
•¨• 2002: 3rd Prize Concours International de Piano~Jazz Martial Solal (Paris).
•¨• 2003: 1st Prize Jazz à Juan Révélations in the jazz instrumental category.
•¨• 2003: 1st Prize Prix de la Critique et du Public, Concours de Piano du Montreux Jazz Festival.
•¨• 2005: 3rd Prize Concours de Piano~Jazz de Moscou.
•¨• 2005: 1st Prize 8ème Concours de Solistes de Jazz de Monaco.
•¨• 2006: 1st Prize Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
•¨• 2006: 2nd Prize Concours International de Piano~Jazz Martial Solal.
•¨• 2013: Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music
•¨• 2016: ECHO Jazz Awards.
Website: http://www.tigranhamasyan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tigranmusic
Nonesuch: http://www.nonesuch.com/
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