Release Info
Nonesuch Records releases its second album from pianist Tigran Hamasyan , An Ancient Observer , on March 31, 2017. An Ancient Observer is the follow-up to Hamasyan's label debut, Mockroot , of which the Guardian said, "A phenomenal piano player, an irrepressible entertainer, a promising experimenter with hi-tech gizmology and a creative world-music composer. Mockroot plays vivaciously to all those strengths." The musician says of his new solo recording, which features ten new compositions: "These songs are musical observations about the world we live in now, and the weight of history we carry with us." Hamasyan will tour the US in February and March, then Europe in the spring; see below for the currently announced dates. An Ancient Observer 's songs—two of which are based on Armenian melodies—were written over the last four years. Some of the pieces are through-composed and completely written out, while others are composed with ample space for Hamasyan to improvise. Many include vocals layered into the mix. As with most of his compositions, Hamasyan cites a wide range of influences, from Baroque dance to hip-hop, with pedals connected to a synthesizer on a few tracks—while the sounds of his native country also are present, as always. Hamasyan has returned to Armenia, where his daily life inspired these new pieces: "I gaze out of my window and see the biblical mountain Ararat with perpetual snow on its peak, with electrical towers with wires in the foreground cutting the picture, and satellite dishes melted onto old and modern houses—ancestral smoke coming out of their chimneys—and birds hovering above the trees along with occasional airplane trails in the vast sky. It is a dialogue, this interaction of God-given ancient nature with our modern human achievements," he says. "For me it is an awakening, and a beautiful feeling, to be able to observe the magnificence of this sleeping volcanic giant, which has existed for millions of years and was observed by the Ararat Valley Koura-Arax culture through to the present day citizens of the Armenian republic. I can see and observe the same birds, animals, rivers, and mountains that the craftsman of 4,000 years ago painted on a clay vessel. He was observing the same thing I observe now, and what remains is his or her beautiful work of art." TOUR DATES Feb 25-27 Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA Mar 1 Royal Room, Seattle, WA Mar 3 Michelle's Pianos, Portland, OR Mar 5 Yoshi's, Oakland, CA Mar 8 Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA Mar 10 SubCulture, New York, NY
Releases from Tigran Hamasyan
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De-Dah
Year: 2022
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StandArt
Year: 2022
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Revisiting The Film
Year: 2021
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Levitation 21
Year: 2020
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New Maps
Year: 2020
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The Call Within
Year: 2020
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For Gyumri
Year: 2018
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Feeding the Bright
Year: 2017
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Atmospheres
Year: 2016
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Mockroot
Year: 2015
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Luys I Luso
Year: 2015
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Shadow Theater
Year: 2013
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Solitude
Year: 2012
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A Fable
Year: 2011
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EP N°1
Year: 2011
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Abu Nawas Rhapsody
Year: 2010
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Red Hail
Year: 2009
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World Passion
Year: 2009
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The Best Of Armenian Jazz
Year: 2009
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New Era
Year: 2008
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Emergence
by The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
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Velvet Melodies: Relax and Unwind with Electric Piano Jazz
by Maxim John
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Soulful Herbivore: Electric Piano Jazz to Unwind and Relax
by Maxim John
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Velvet Jazz Pillow: Relax and Drift Away
by Lovely Heart Zone & Sound Sleep Zone
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Off the Scale
by Jazz Relax
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Jazz Reflections
by Relax Jazz Bar
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Ser Matnots
by Arpi
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curita
by Young Miko
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Goddess
by Laufey
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1000COSAS
by Lola Indigo & Manuel Turizo
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Visions
by Norah Jones
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ME GUSTA
by FloyyMenor & Lucky Brown