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George Mgrdichian, Oud Player
The Times (London)
July 19, 2006, Wednesday
George Mgrdichian, oud player, was born on January 28, 1935. He died
on April 30, 2006, aged 71.
Alongside the Nubian master Hamza El Din (obituary, May 29), George
Mgrdichian did more than any other musician to popularise the oud in
the West. He was happy to play the instrument in Western classical,
jazz and popular contexts and cabaret or a concert hall recital. But he
also conducted serious research into the oud's traditional repertoire
in Armenian, Spanish and Middle Eastern folk music.
Born in Philadelphia in 1935 to Christian-Armenian parents, Mgrdichian
began his musical career as a clarinettist, playing in a band
at weddings and dances. His switch of instruments was unplanned.
When the band's oud player was called up for military service,
Mgrdichian was asked to fill in and within days was performing on
the instrument in public. He kept up his clarinet playing and in the
early 1960s studied the instrument at the Juilliard School of Music.
But he also took a degree in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University,
and the eight-string Arabic forerunner of the Western lute eventually
became his main instrument as he developed a virtuoso touch and his
playing became famous for its fluidity and innovation.
In New York he became part of the 1960s bohemian folk and jazz set,
playing with the likes of Dave Brubeck and the composer David Amram.
He also appeared as a guest oud player with a number of orchestras,
including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera and the
Philadelphia Orchestra.
During the 1970s he made a number of commercial albums, playing the
oud on releases such as Let's Belly Dance (1973) and Belly Dance Navel
Academy Vol 2 (1977). But he also pursued a more serious musical path
with his own George Mgrdichian Ensemble, exploring the traditional
musical repertoire of Armenia and Anatolia on albums such as The Oud
(1985).
An adventurous collaborator, the 1990 album One Man's Passion found
him fusing the oud and other traditional instruments, including the
kanoon and darbuka, with sax, electric bass and guitar.
The Times (London)
July 19, 2006, Wednesday
George Mgrdichian, oud player, was born on January 28, 1935. He died
on April 30, 2006, aged 71.
Alongside the Nubian master Hamza El Din (obituary, May 29), George
Mgrdichian did more than any other musician to popularise the oud in
the West. He was happy to play the instrument in Western classical,
jazz and popular contexts and cabaret or a concert hall recital. But he
also conducted serious research into the oud's traditional repertoire
in Armenian, Spanish and Middle Eastern folk music.
Born in Philadelphia in 1935 to Christian-Armenian parents, Mgrdichian
began his musical career as a clarinettist, playing in a band
at weddings and dances. His switch of instruments was unplanned.
When the band's oud player was called up for military service,
Mgrdichian was asked to fill in and within days was performing on
the instrument in public. He kept up his clarinet playing and in the
early 1960s studied the instrument at the Juilliard School of Music.
But he also took a degree in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University,
and the eight-string Arabic forerunner of the Western lute eventually
became his main instrument as he developed a virtuoso touch and his
playing became famous for its fluidity and innovation.
In New York he became part of the 1960s bohemian folk and jazz set,
playing with the likes of Dave Brubeck and the composer David Amram.
He also appeared as a guest oud player with a number of orchestras,
including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera and the
Philadelphia Orchestra.
During the 1970s he made a number of commercial albums, playing the
oud on releases such as Let's Belly Dance (1973) and Belly Dance Navel
Academy Vol 2 (1977). But he also pursued a more serious musical path
with his own George Mgrdichian Ensemble, exploring the traditional
musical repertoire of Armenia and Anatolia on albums such as The Oud
(1985).
An adventurous collaborator, the 1990 album One Man's Passion found
him fusing the oud and other traditional instruments, including the
kanoon and darbuka, with sax, electric bass and guitar.