Biography
Who is Tigran Hamasyan?
Early years and education
Tigran Hamasyan was born in Gyumri, Armenia, to a mother who worked as a clothing designer and a father who was a jeweler. By the time he was three, he had begun picking out melodies on the family piano. He started formal music studies at age six and began focusing on jazz when he reached the age of nine. During his teenage years, he lived in Yerevan and started experimenting with combining local folk music with jazz improvisations.
His early inspirations included Armenian composers Avet Terterian and Arno Babajanian. While he was a young child, he also harbored an interest in becoming a thrash metal guitar player. He eventually moved to California at the age of 16 to continue his development as a musician. He later pursued higher education at the University of Southern California and attended Yerevan's Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School.
Musical style and influences
The music of Tigran Hamasyan often features his own original compositions. He draws deep inspiration from the Armenian folk tradition, frequently utilizing its specific scales and modalities within his arrangements. Beyond this cultural foundation, he incorporates elements from American jazz traditions. On certain projects, such as his album Red Hail, listeners can also hear influences from progressive rock.
His solo record A Fable demonstrates a strong connection to folk music. Even when he performs well-known jazz standards or original jazz compositions, his improvisations often include detailed embellishments derived from Middle Eastern and Southwest Asian musical scales.
Career and collaborations
Tigran Hamasyan recorded his debut album, World Passion, when he was 18. Throughout his career, he has led several groups, including the ensemble Aratta Rebirth, which performed the music found on his album Red Hail. In 2022, Nonesuch Records released StandArt, his first collection of American jazz standards.
This project was recorded in Los Angeles during the spring of 2021 and features nine songs originally written between the 1920s and the 1950s. The recording includes contributions from artists such as drummer Justin Brown, bassist Matt Brewer, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and saxophonists Mark Turner and Joshua Redman.
Awards and recognition
Throughout his career, Tigran Hamasyan has received numerous prizes for his technical skill and composition. In 2002, he won the third prize at the Concours International de Piano-Jazz Martial Solal in Paris. The following year, he earned first prize at both the Jazz à Juan Révélations and the Montreux Jazz Festival. His work was further recognized in 2006 when he took first place at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Competition.
He has also been honored with the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music in 2013, the Paul Acket Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2015, and an ECHO Jazz Award in 2016. Also, he has received the Khorenatsi medal.
Birthday and age
Tigran Hamasyan was born on July 17, 1987, which makes Tigran 39 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Tigran shares the date with 56 other famous people.
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