Love the Captive presents Little Dragon and Armen Nalbandian on May 24th at Audie's Olympic. Little Dragon is currently on tour support for TV on the Radio, and Nalbandian is currently on tour supporting his trio recording, Manchester Born. Tickets can be purchased here.

TALENT SEARCH FINALISTS REVEALED
The first stage of the Worldwide Talent Search has ended and the finalists can now be announced. The 20 finalists have been selected based on fan ratings. The finalists will now have their music listened by our panel of judges led by Gilles Peterson himself and they will choose which act will open this year WWF in Sete.

The 20 finalists in no particular order:

ARMEN NALBANDIAN TRIO myspace.com/armennalbandianBAHAMA SOUL CLUB
POWELL
SPACE FUNK
NOT ONLY
NITA
NTOUMOS
EMILIE CHICK
JUPITER MUKE
MARC ASHMANN
BLOWE VIBRATIONS
DJ FRENZY
DAMSKI
C.J.
RAISONNEURS
YABAA FUNK
SON OF KICK
MANCINI AND THE CREEPERS
MENSA
JONNY TAYLOR

 

Come Celebrate the Life & Music of J Dilla (Jay Dee) on Feb. 10th

*****All Proceeds go to the Maureen Yancey Foundation, the mother of J Dilla, who also suffers from Lupus, the same disease that claimed Dilla's life.

Donations can also be made directly to Mrs. Yancey @ www.myspace.com/thegiantpeach

The show features:
The Armen Nalbandian Band w/ a very special guest
Fashawn
Johnny Q
Devoya Mayo & more!

On January 20th, 2008, Armen Nalbandian will be returning to performing at Day One: THE Fresno Inauguration Celebration of President Barack Obama

Nalbandian is the Music Director for the event, and will be premiering his new group, who will take the stage alongside a collection of very special guests.

The venue: The Starline in Fresno, California
Time: doors @ 8:30
Donation: $5

from Fresno Famous:

Armen Nalbandian: More than a Musician

Armen Nalbandian is one of Fresno's most recognized citizens. Nalbandian has singlehandedly created a music scene that nestles itself somewhere between the Fresno Philharmonic and the shows at the Starline. He has unapologetically been a driving force in Fresno music as the Musical Director/Resident Artist of the Fresno Art Museum and a highly successful bandleader and composer in his own right. I suppose you would be hard pressed to find a fan of music that lives in the Central Valley unaware of Nalbandian, but it seems that while he's regularly written about and covered by radio and TV, his musical abilities have been more highly regarded on a national level. How many people than live in Fresno have been recognized by Wikipedia or have hundreds of Google entries written about them. While his music will almost always be covered before anything else in the press he recieves, his humanitarian work has caught the eye (and pen) of quite a few writers.

I think most people caught wind of Nalbandian a few days after Hurricaine Katrina hit New Orleans. Nalbandian had been a strong fixture on the Fresno music scene for some time (as of this writing he's 29-years old), and was about to start his second season at the Fresno Art Museum when he pre-empted his season's first concert by 3 weeks to put on a benefit concert for the victims of Katrina. This concert happened on September 8th , days and weeks before the rest of the country assembled their benefits and TV charities. Nalbandian assembled a huge cast of musicians from Kevin Hill, Patrick Contreras, Carmenchristina Moreno, Mike Dana, David Aus and dozens more to pay tribute to the city and raise money from the Red Cross and United Way or New Orleans. This was the first time I saw him in concert. For those who haven's seen Armen Nalbandian, he stands over six feet tall, with very short hair, usually adorned in a suit, often pensive looking, exceptionally polite, and speaks with an unplaceable drawl, that seems equal parts "east coast" and "southeren."

Nalbandian raised thousands of dollars in aid that night, but that was not his first benefit concert. That previous May, Nalbandian hosted a Mother's Day Concert and dontaed all of the proceeds to Breast Cancer Research and The Relay for Life Foundation. Since the Katrina Concert, Nalbandian has raised money for organizations as diverse as The United Way, The Red Cross, the ONE Campaign, Habitat for Humanity, The American Cancer Society and more. In addition to donating these funds to various charities, he also visits schools and retirement communities.

Not the average musican I must say.

I suppose in reading the above one would assume that with all the time Nalbandian spends on charity work, his music may suffer. Based on my research, Nalbandian leads 14 (yes, 14) groups, writes original bodies of music for the Rhythms of Art program (all the music is inspired by the art), has written music as diverse as jazz trio music to a string quartet to his own version of Armenian, Japanese, and Mexican music and so much more. In a recent interview with Nalbandian on The Fresno Beehive Podcast, Nalbandian admitted to having finished 9 recordings of original material, all with different groups that he leads. On top of that, being a crazy man, he has his own label, Blacksmith Brother Music, and plans to release them all this fall.

So one would expect a man with his hand in so many pots to have a huge ego, or even a maniac. Well, quite the contrary. Granted it took me about 2 months to get an interview with him, I decided to press him harder when I found out that he was returning for a fourth and final season at the Fresno Art Museum. I needed to find out more.

I met Armen at a coffee house on a Sunday evening. The infamous suit was nowhere to be seen nor was the closely chopped hair. He arrived wearing baggy jeans, Addidas and a T-shirt, with a LA Dodgers baseball cap on, and a beard beginning to grow in.

This is an excerpt from our conversation:

Q. I decided to focus this article on your charity work instead of focusing on the music, is that ok?

A. Yeah, that's fine. I'm not really sure there is a big scoop there though.

Q. Well, when I starting writing out all that you had done, it seemed unbelievable that one man could do so much.

A.It's not that much really. There is just so much more we can do…that we can all do.

Q.Do you wish more musicians would be as charitable as you?

A.Oh, man. That seems like a loaded question. Honestly, I don't think most people know or care what charitable type stuff other people are doing. I'm sure that there are lots of musicians that are doing so much great work for their community. For instance, the organization Food Not Bombs, man that's such a great organization. Man, there's just a lot of things…everyone's trying to do something. And you know not everyone needs to spearhead a movement, the world just needs people to be forward thinking and decent to each other.

Q. You have repeatedly returned to New Orleans in your charity work. Why do you keep coming back to that?

A. Are you serious? Man, there's just not enough being done. That area has been so neglected, these beautiful people of the world treated so inuhamely, it just really f*cked up. Can you imagine a government treating their own citizens that poorly? Its unfathomable. You know, this big hoopla is always made about Fidel Castro and his negative Communist thing, but even a so called "enemy" of the American people offered more help than our government. It just depressing. It makes me sad.

Q. So you're returning for a fourth year?

A. Yes.

Q. And final year?

A. Yes. It's looking that way. It most likely will be.

Q. Done with Fresno?

A. No, not at all. I like Fresno. I like the people, I like all that this city has, other than summer weather I guess. But no, I'm not sure what happens after July 2008 just yet, I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete.

Q. You know you seem to get a lot of press for a Jazz musician from Fresno, does that ever seem surprising to you?

A. Yes, of course. I'm always flattered, and optimistic about the intent of what's being written, but man there are so many great musicians in Fresno.

Q. Such as?

A. You want me to make a list? (laughs)

I really don't want to because I will leave someone out but I can tell you that there is a drummer that I have the pleasure of working with often named Brian Hamada, who is absolutely brilliant. I really feel fortunate everytime I play or even speak with him. He is a master musican, not only for Central California but anywhere. Kevin Hill, of course, is wonderful. Eva Scow is a really special talent, I am so happy for all of her success. Tommy Delgado is brilliant. David Aus is a wonderful pianist. Jeanette Harris and her brother Mike are great musicians who seem to be enjoying a great deal of success which they no doubt deserve. Mike Dana is a great, great musician and great guy. John Laffenburger is a great musician who I don't really ever play with, but he's really pretty wonderful. You know who else? Joe Lewis! He's something really special and a good man. We used to work together a lot, but haven't in some time. He is a really great player and composer. I think I need to stop right there because I am forgetting names and that would be a disservice to so many great musicians. I mean I didn't even list the non-Jazz type players, like Julia Dawn or Kat Jones that used to live here. DJ 4AM is amazing, and the drummer that plays with 40 Watt Hype, Sean Aldrette, he is an incredible drummer, always has been.

Q. You make it seem like Fresno is a hot bed of musical talent!

A. It is in many ways, obviously overlooked because eveyrone seems to always bitch about how Fresno is so lame…not true. Fresno has lots of great talent, not only in music, but in the visual arts, theater, and so on. It would be really cool if there were more venues that featured all this great music and art, but there's always hope right?

Q. Every other interview I read about you talks about all the music stuff you have coming up, will there be more charity events?

A. Um…yes, sure. Every concert this season, there will be six this year, will serve to generate funds for various organizations. I'm still working out which ones, but yes, more community work than before.

Q.And is it true that you have been recognized by some of these charities for your community contribution?

A. Yes, but I don't want to talk about that. That's not the reason that I do it.

Q. Fair enough. Let's end with this question… What's coming up next musicially for you?

A. More work with the trio, a few new groups I'm working on, and a few special guests joining me on as I close out my time at the museum.

Q. Thanks for speaking with me Armen.

A. My pleasure. Thank you for your interest.

the following is a new CD review from Headphone Commute:

 

Armen Nalbandian Trio - Manchester Born (Blacksmith Brother Music)

Armen Nalbandian has recently turned 30. The career of this improvisational and experimental jazz musician spans over a decade of over 600 original compositions and performances. Born in Manchester, England, Armen has dedicated his life to music, recently rising to the position of Musical Director of California's Fresno Art Museum. A protégé of jazz legend John Hicks, Armen has experience playing with members of the Classic Coltrane Quartet, Ornette Coleman Quartet and Charles Mingus' ensemble. For Manchester Born, Armen comfortably settles behind Fender Rhodes, while Kevin Hill joins him on the upright bass and Brian Hamada on the drums (I love his brushed ride cymbals). The collection of ten tracks is upbeat and light, transforming musicians' inner moods into gliding fingers, plucked strings, and gentle taps. This child of contemporary jazz skillfully folds the familiar influences into an interpretation curated for a modern ear. The playful and organic sound instantly reminds me of the limitless possibilities that can be achieved with just three instruments, leaving me afterward humming my own improvisations to the rhythm buried in my mind.

Armen's solo album, Young Kings Get Their Heads Cut Off, is an abstract and experimental improvisation for prepared Fender Rhodes, full of distorted reverb, controlled delays, noisy feedback and altered hammers for a unique percussion, all recorded live with no post-production - John Cage would have been proud.

R.I.P. John Hicks (December 21st, 1942-May 10th, 2006)

John Hicks was my teacher, hero, and my friend. I loved him, and it has broken my heart to know that I will never see him again. John meant more to me personally than any other musician ever has, and fortunately for me, he also invested more time in my musical future than anyone else. I would love for John Hicks to be remembered for his warmth, humor, and his unique musicianship: there was no one quite like him and there never will be. All three of my albums were dedicated to him as was the last two years of Rhythms of Art, and a rare EP I released a few years ago contains a song I wrote dedicated to and inspired by him simply entitled, Mr. Hicks. I was fortunate enough to perform it for him at a concert at which I opened for him. I will always remember John's look after that performance…I Loved Him Madly.

John's last performance on Sunday was at the church his late father ministered at - St. Marks United Methodist Church 138th Street & St. Nicholas. This was also the Church that John first played when he moved to NY from his native St. Louis.

John, You Will Never Be Forgotten.

 

Armen Nalbandian:

Defying Genres and Confronting the Situation in New Orleans

by Jessi Hafer

Though my article last year on Fresno musician Armen Nalbandian referred to him as a jazz pianist, Fresno has since seen Armen as more genre-defying.

If you haven't already noticed this from attending one of Armen's performances at the Fresno Art Museum or Veni Vidi Vici's, you can take his several upcoming recordings (each with a different line-up of musicians) as evidence: one solo recording, one cd with the Armen Nalbandian trio, a duet with Derek Keller, one with Tommy Delgado (a project called "Choke the Jellyfish"), and one with Nino Moschella and the Little Big People.

Armen has hence been busy recording, rehearsing, writing, and composing. Though he has limited his performance time, Armen began touring with Nino Moschella again in late June, and he will be touring with Derek Keller in November. He has also been organizing the Festival Of Resurrected Music (FORM). Although FORM was originally slated for earlier this year in Fresno, the event has gotten bigger and bigger. Now, Armen expects the festival to occur in October, possibly in San Francisco or Sacramento to maximize exposure and audience capacity.

In addition to these tours and events, Armen is holding a benefit concert at the Fresno Art Museum on July 19 with Nino Moschella and his band. This will conclude his third season as music director for the Fresno Art Museum, and Armen expects to announce more on his future plans in late July. This July 19 concert is to benefit Habitat for Humanity New Orleans.

Armen noted that people across the country did a great job raising funds and awareness for New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina, but attention and donations have waned despite continued need and neglect. Some areas of New Orleans still don't have electricity, and a lot of working and middle class homeowners—people like the people in Fresno—have lost everything and still don't have adequate housing.

Armen said that the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks about the time he has spent in New Orleans before the hurricane is the great food, but then even these fond recollections are overshadowed by memories of the people. "There's an incredible brotherhood and sisterhood there," he continued. "Everyone says hello to you on the street." It's one big family there, and everyone is very communally oriented. "The area just got so neglected by the government and their own people. It's heartbreaking."

The July 19th benefit concert will feature Armen's new composition, "The Battle of New Orleans," an ambitious and experimental piece in the form of a "game piece." Armen's approach has resulted in a 30-page book explaining how to play the piece. There are a couple of pages of written music, then pages of guidelines, rules, and instances where rules might be broken.

Armen will dictate the performance of the piece during the concert, using symbols, cue cards, and hand symbols to shift the style, key, and instruments used as the piece is being played. The aptly named game piece will present about 1 to 2 hours of continuous music. It sounds like a challenge to play and a fascinating, unpredictable occurrence to listen to, not to mention quite a feat to compose.

Armen noted that the piece fits into the overall trend of the "Rhythms of Art" series, becoming more experimental. As the style shifted away from more familiar jazz sounds, the audience shifted as well. That said, Armen's approach has always involved a strong improvisational component, and moving away from some of the more narrow views of jazz into a more experimental approach allowed for more freedom.

Armen said that even the upcoming trio cd doesn't really have anything he would call jazz. However, he added that music, more than other art forms (i.e. visual art, live theatre, and poetry), is too often forced into big, broad categories. The MTV-effect uses visuals to tell people what they're listening to, and "in today's culture, unfortunately, we need to be told what to feel," Armen explained.

He also pointed out that when you listen to music, it's often in the background to make your immediate activity more pleasurable, which is unfortunate. You don't usually just sit and listen to music as you might sit and read a book, watch a play, hear poetry, or look at a painting. Instead, you listen to music while you drive, clean, go for a walk, work, or write an article for The Undercurrent (good grief, I'm using music as background now, even).

It becomes so clear why improv is so important to Armen and music as a whole. The music becomes a moment. You need to pay full attention during improv, because you may never again have the opportunity to have the same sound experience. Armen brings further weight to his musical moments by using his upcoming performance as an opportunity to raise money and awareness for New Orleans, which is certainly a city that has fostered a fair share of improv.
And yet now, I have to turn off my background music as I realize that maybe New Orleans is a similar victim of the tendency to force things into genres and into the background. Maybe society has subconsciously categorized the people of New Orleans into a genre, a genre that might not be marketable enough, a genre that might not suit more desirable activities…

Fortunately, a concert like Armen's July 19 benefit concert, featuring performances from some favorite local musicians in a challenging musical arrangement, helps to bring the New Orleans situation out of the background and into a powerful, communal, and unique.