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Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
May 16, 2013 Thursday
STATEWIDE EDITION
ARMEN'S ARMENIAN MUSE
Pianist/composer Armen Donelian, a veteran of the international jazz
scene who incorporates his Armenian heritage into his compositions,
leads his trio Friday at 8:30 and 10 p.m. at New Haven's Firehouse 12,
45 Crown St.
As a musically gifted child of Armenian parents, Donelian was immersed
in his home in Armonk, N.Y., with the sounds of Armenian, Turkish,
Greek and Middle Eastern music both at festive family gatherings and
through his father's record collection. His father, who was born in
the old Ottoman Empire and later lost dozens of family members during
the Armenian genocide, was a physicist who worked on the Manhattan
Project, the massive research and development program that created the
first atomic bomb during World War II.
Donelian has traveled to Armenia numerous times to perform. As a
Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2002, he taught at Yerevan State
Conservatoryin downtown Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. He has had
Fulbright residencies in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Greece,
taught extensively at the college level and written authoritative
instructional texts.
Since playing in 1975 with Mongo Santamaria's Afro-Cuban Jazz Octet,
he has led his own bands and performed with Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker,
Billy Harper, Paquito D'Rivera and the late Thomas Chapin, the
celebrated creative music saxophonist/composer who grew up in
Manchester.
Performing songs by 18th century troubadour Sayat-Nova, original
compositions and jazz standards, he'll be accompanied by bassist David
Clark and drummer George Schuller.
Information: www.firehouse12.com and 203-785-0468.
May 16, 2013 Thursday
STATEWIDE EDITION
ARMEN'S ARMENIAN MUSE
Pianist/composer Armen Donelian, a veteran of the international jazz
scene who incorporates his Armenian heritage into his compositions,
leads his trio Friday at 8:30 and 10 p.m. at New Haven's Firehouse 12,
45 Crown St.
As a musically gifted child of Armenian parents, Donelian was immersed
in his home in Armonk, N.Y., with the sounds of Armenian, Turkish,
Greek and Middle Eastern music both at festive family gatherings and
through his father's record collection. His father, who was born in
the old Ottoman Empire and later lost dozens of family members during
the Armenian genocide, was a physicist who worked on the Manhattan
Project, the massive research and development program that created the
first atomic bomb during World War II.
Donelian has traveled to Armenia numerous times to perform. As a
Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2002, he taught at Yerevan State
Conservatoryin downtown Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. He has had
Fulbright residencies in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Greece,
taught extensively at the college level and written authoritative
instructional texts.
Since playing in 1975 with Mongo Santamaria's Afro-Cuban Jazz Octet,
he has led his own bands and performed with Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker,
Billy Harper, Paquito D'Rivera and the late Thomas Chapin, the
celebrated creative music saxophonist/composer who grew up in
Manchester.
Performing songs by 18th century troubadour Sayat-Nova, original
compositions and jazz standards, he'll be accompanied by bassist David
Clark and drummer George Schuller.
Information: www.firehouse12.com and 203-785-0468.