Tigran Hamasyan Trio

The Pharos Arts Foundation continues its Jazz Series with a concert by pianist Tigran Hamasyan, who is regarded as one of the most vital and original young jazz artists in Paris today. Hamasyan, heralded as a jazz revelation by critics and audiences alike, will join forces with drummer Nate Wood and bassist Sam Minaie for an unforgettable evening of his own compositions as well as a mystical rendition of the jazz standard repertoire.

Tigran Hamasyan/piano
Nate Wood/drums
Sam Minaie/bass

Tigran Hamasyan / jazz pianist
Hamasyan is certain to elevate his art to a top tier of jazz and world music expressionism. ~ Michael G. Nastos

Born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987, Tigran grew up in a household that was full of music. When he was just a toddler, he gravitated to tape players and the piano instead of regular childhood toys, and by the time he was 3, he was working his way through figuring out songs on piano by the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Queen. His jazz predilection was influenced by Miles Davis’s fusion period, and then around the age of 10, when his family moved to Yerevan, he discovered the classic jazz songbook under the aegis of his teacher Vahag Hayrapetyan, who had studied with Barry Harris.

While studying classical music at an Armenian high school, Tigran continued to grow on his own as a jazz pianist. He performed at the First International Jazz Festival in Yerevan in 1998, which opened up other performance opportunities, and he returned to the Festival for its second edition in 2000. Along the way he met promoter Stephane Kochoyan, who booked him to play several European festivals.

When he was 16, his parents moved to Los Angeles to give their two children (Tigran’s sister is a painter and sculptor) better artistic opportunities. Tigran stayed in high school for two months before gaining entrance to USC, which he attended for two years. Soon, he began to win a series of piano competitions, including the top prize at the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and second place in the 2006 Martial Solal International Jazz Competition in Paris. At the same time, Tigran began to make contact with such L.A. jazz musicians as Alphonso Johnson and Alan Pasqua, and started gigging with saxophonist Ben Wendel and drummer Wood, who continue to play with him as of today.

With his prowess established from the Monk honour as well as his small, but impressive catalogue, Tigran’s career has been on an upswing. With his new CD, A Fable, he continues to make another giant stride in the jazz world. For his new album, Tigran Hamasyan delivers a dynamic solo piano collection, with lyrical songs that range from gracefully refined pieces to energetic experiments with rhythmic and harmonic diversity. Tigran finds inspiration from traditional Armenian folk music as well as poetry. With all of the songs featuring Tigran’s inventive arrangements, A Fable features the pianist’s own compositions as well as a wealth of covers, including Armenian melodies and a mystical rendition of the jazz standard, “Someday My Prince Will Come,” as well as music inspired by the poetry of Hovhannes Tumanyan and Gegham Saryan.

“The title of the album came to me because all of the compositions are telling a story,” says the New York-based Tigran. “I think people relate to fables because they are simple, yet deep.”
As for recording a solo album after three recordings that featured a full band, he says, “A lot of people heard me perform solo concerts and wanted to hear me in this setting.”

Previous to his signing by Universal Music Classics & Jazz France, Tigran recorded three albums on European labels as a leader: World Passion (2006), New Era (2008) and Red Hail (2009).

Limited Seating, Pre-booking essential