They say practice is more important than talent. It seems like this guy has both of it. Plus, he is a patriot. Armenian wunder kid, 28 year old jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan, released his first album in 2006. Today, his discography includes four beautiful studio albums but broader audience haven’t met him until this year’s masterpiece Mockroot on which he demonstrates dynamic progressive jazz. It is attractive both to jazz lovers and those who are laics in that genre.
Only eight months after Mockroot, Hamasyan offers us his vocal story together with national orchestra of Yerevan (the capital of Armenia where he spent six years of his life). Even though he had moved to California when he was a teenager, Tigran is loyal to his roots. His music proves that in a brilliant combination of Armenian melos and jazz fusion.
In his new project, he is taking it one step further by researching cultural heritage of his mother country and devoting his talent to rebirthing Armenian sacral music. Hamasyan does it with a full respect towards original versions of the songs that appear on Luys and Luso, only occasionally flirting with total jazz improvisations (for example, on Voghormea Indz Astvats).
Most of the other songs, excluding instrumental pieces, are done in a classic format with some irregular rhythm sections here and there. I was difficult for me, as a listener who doesn’t know anything about Armenian traditional music, to evaluate how much did he innovate. What I did evaluate is his modernization of the national anthem Ov Zarmanali, but to claim anything more than that would be pretentious from me.
Of course, basic beauty of mixing Armenian church choruses and piano is not up for a debate so anyone who likes gospel music will be excited for this collection.
