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Nassau News Live
March 8 2015
A Jazz Pianist Taps Armenian Folk, Metal Riffs And A Sense Of History
"Sometimes the music that I write doesn't need to have lyrics, it just
needs vowels," says jazz artist Tigran Hamaysan. Maeve Stam/Courtesy
of the artist
itoggle caption Maeve Stam/Courtesy of the artist
Musicians arrive at their signature sounds through all sorts of
influences. For jazz pianist Tigran Hamaysan, that collection of
sounds comes from far afield -- he's a fan of progressive metal bands
like Tool and Meshuggah -- as well as from his backyard.
Hamasyan was born in Armenia, moved to Los Angeles and New York, then
returned to his homeland as an adult to get more in touch with his
roots. His new album Mockroot is inspired partly by the work of Bedros
Tourian, a 19th-century Armenian poet who died at 21. Hamaysan says he
didn't need to use Tourian's words -- indeed, the songs based on the
poet's work are sung in invented syllables from no certain language --
to capture his essence.
[embedded content]
"Everybody considered him super-melancholy, super-dark, but I don't
agree with that. He has poems that are on the darker side, but all of
his poems have light in them; you end up being enlightened and full of
life after reading him," Hamaysan says. "I like finding inspiration
through poems, but not necessarily using them as lyrics to songs.
Sometimes the music that I write doesn't need to have lyrics, it just
needs vowels."
http://www.nassaunewslive.com/a-jazz-pianist-taps-armenian-folk-metal-riffs-and-a-sense-of-history/557491
Tigran Hamaysan spoke with NPR's Arun Rath about exploring the diverse
dark history of his small country, and why he thinks traditional
approaches to piano ignore much of what the instrument is capable of.
Hear their conversation at the audio link.
From: A. Papazian
March 8 2015
A Jazz Pianist Taps Armenian Folk, Metal Riffs And A Sense Of History
"Sometimes the music that I write doesn't need to have lyrics, it just
needs vowels," says jazz artist Tigran Hamaysan. Maeve Stam/Courtesy
of the artist
itoggle caption Maeve Stam/Courtesy of the artist
Musicians arrive at their signature sounds through all sorts of
influences. For jazz pianist Tigran Hamaysan, that collection of
sounds comes from far afield -- he's a fan of progressive metal bands
like Tool and Meshuggah -- as well as from his backyard.
Hamasyan was born in Armenia, moved to Los Angeles and New York, then
returned to his homeland as an adult to get more in touch with his
roots. His new album Mockroot is inspired partly by the work of Bedros
Tourian, a 19th-century Armenian poet who died at 21. Hamaysan says he
didn't need to use Tourian's words -- indeed, the songs based on the
poet's work are sung in invented syllables from no certain language --
to capture his essence.
[embedded content]
"Everybody considered him super-melancholy, super-dark, but I don't
agree with that. He has poems that are on the darker side, but all of
his poems have light in them; you end up being enlightened and full of
life after reading him," Hamaysan says. "I like finding inspiration
through poems, but not necessarily using them as lyrics to songs.
Sometimes the music that I write doesn't need to have lyrics, it just
needs vowels."
http://www.nassaunewslive.com/a-jazz-pianist-taps-armenian-folk-metal-riffs-and-a-sense-of-history/557491
Tigran Hamaysan spoke with NPR's Arun Rath about exploring the diverse
dark history of his small country, and why he thinks traditional
approaches to piano ignore much of what the instrument is capable of.
Hear their conversation at the audio link.
From: A. Papazian