| Armen Nalbandian | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 6, 1978 |
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres | jazz free jazz electronic music classical music experimental music |
| Occupations | performer composer bandleader conductor artist-in-residence artistic director |
| Instruments | piano, fender rhodes piano |
| Years active | 1996 - present |
| Labels | Blacksmith Brother Music, Noise Boutique, |
| Associated acts | The Armen Nalbandian Trio, Han Bennink, Nasheet Waits, Eric Revis |
| Website | www.armennalbandian.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| piano, fender rhodes, "prepared" fender rhodes | |
Armen Nalbandian (b.1978 in Manchester, England) is a jazz pianist, composer & humanitarian.
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In addition to the piano, he has been known to perform on the prepared Fender Rhodes mechanical piano, and contributes to produce jazz, improvised and experimental music in California. Nalbandian is the composer of over 600 works in addition to having led more than 20 different ensembles in the past few years. Nalbandian's compositions have included music for his trio, string quartets, orchestral music, music for theater, Armenian folk music, and "game pieces." His primary ensemble is the Armen Nalbandian Trio. From 2004-2008, Nalbandian served as the Music Director\Artist-in-Residence of the Fresno Art Museum, Artistic Director of Jazz @ the F.A.M. and curator of the Rhythms of Art. Nalbandian is also the Artistic Director of the F.O.R.M. (Festival of Resurrected Music). Nalbandian is a protegee of pianist John Hicks and has performed with Billy Higgins and Han Bennink. Nalbandian is the founder of Blacksmith Brother Music. In 2008, Nalbandian was named as a finalist in the 2008 Gilles Peterson Worldwide Talent Search.[1] Armen Nalbandian returned to performance on January 20, 2009, as Music Director for the Day One Event, celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama [2] and a few weeks later in a tribute to Hip Hop producer J Dilla in a benefit for Jay Dee's mother, Ma Dukes.[2]
Released in March 2006, "Armen" is Armen Nalbandian's debut album as a leader and the first recording featuring the Armen Nalbandian Trio. The recording features Nalbandian on piano, and contains 5 original compositions by Nalbandian, and 5 compositions by other composers including the rarely performed Thelonious Monk composition "Oska T", the George Gershwin ballad "He Loves & She Loves" and the traditional spiritual "This Train." [3]
Manchester Born was released in November 2007 and features The Armen Nalbandian Trio. This is Armen Nalbandian's debut recording on the Fender Rhodes Mechanical Piano. The recording consists of 10 original compositions by Nalbandian. The recording is dedicated to John Hicks.[4]
Armen Nalbandian's first solo recording was named after a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat and features Nalbandian on the "prepared" fender rhodes. The recording was made by Nalbandian performing primarily on the inside on the fender rhodes treating the rhodes like a percussion instrument, manipulating the hammers with drum cymbals, snare drum heads, wrenches, mallets, and keys. Nalbandian also employs an analog delay pedal as well as a wah-wah pedal. The recording is completely improsived with the exception of the composition "Blues for Steve Lacy," which was composed by trumpeter Dave Douglas.[5]
To Repel Ghosts is an experimental electronic production and live instrumentation album comprising eleven compositions by Nalbandian. The album is Armen Nalbandian’s second recording inspired by the works of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, the first being "Young Kings Get Their Heads Cut Off." [6]
On August 23, 2011, Nalbandian released two distinctly different albums. The first recording, “Coup de Grace;” is a live recording featuring Nalbandian on piano and drummer Han Bennink in an improvised duet setting. The companion album, “Quiet, as it’s Kept” is a studio recording featuring Nalbandian in a trio setting playing the Fender Rhodes with Eric Revis on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. The trio recording contains solely original compositions by Nalbandian.
Nalbandian has frequently used his position as a musician to perform many humanitarian services. Nalbandian has raised thousands of dollars in aid for the victims of Hurricane Katrina by way of many benefit concerts. Nalbandian has also raised money for organizations as diverse as The United Way, The Red Cross, the ONE Campaign, Habitat for Humanity, The American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Research and The Relay for Life Foundation, among others.[7]
Nalbandian frequently references the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat in his work and song titles. Numerous compositions throughout his discography reference specific Basquiat paintings and graffiti. Two of Nalbandian's albums, "Young King Get Their Heads Cut Off," and "To Repel Ghosts," reference Basquiat in their titles; both albums featuring cover art that evokes his art. Nalbandian also presented a concert inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat's work in March 2008 during his tenure as Artist-in-Residence at the Fresno Art Museum.[8]