Armen Nalbandian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Armen Nalbandian
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | April 6, 1978 Manchester, England |
| Genres | Jazz, free jazz, avant-garde jazz, electronic, classical, experimental |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, pianist, composer, record producer, conductor |
| Instruments | Piano, Fender Rhodes |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Blacksmith Brother, Noise Boutique, Wax Poetics |
| Associated acts | Han Bennink, Nasheet Waits, Eric Revis, Steve Lehman, Guillermo E. Brown, Alex Cline, Jeff Parker, Chris Speed |
Armen Nalbandian (born April 6, 1978) is a talented jazz pianist, composer, writer, and activist. He was born in Manchester, England, and now lives in Los Angeles, California.
Contents
Armen Nalbandian's Music Journey
Armen Nalbandian is a British-born Armenian American musician. He is known for his unique style of jazz music. He plays the piano and also composes many different kinds of music.
Musical Influences and Style
Nalbandian is greatly inspired by the famous jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. He plays many types of jazz, including free jazz and experimental music. Free jazz is a style where musicians improvise a lot, often without strict rules.
Armen has led over 30 different music groups. He has also written more than 1200 musical pieces! These include music for string quartets, electronic music, and even scores for plays. He has also created new folk music inspired by Japan and Armenia.
A big moment in his life was seeing a performance by jazz legend Cecil Taylor when he was 19. This experience changed his career path. He also learned a lot from other great musicians like John Hicks, Bill Dixon, and McCoy Tyner.
Working with Other Artists
Armen Nalbandian has played with many famous musicians. Some of them include Billy Higgins, Han Bennink, and Jeff Parker. He often works with his main group, the Armen Nalbandian Trio. This trio includes Eric Revis on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums.
He also explores art beyond music. He spent four years as the music director at the Fresno Art Museum. There, he created music inspired by the art on display. He has also worked with poets and composed music for theater shows. In 2006, he started his own record label called Blacksmith Brother.
In 2011 and 2012, Armen had some fun, unplanned performances with comedian Dave Chappelle. They played together at a jazz club in California.
Armen Nalbandian's Albums
Armen Nalbandian has released many albums throughout his career. Here are some of his notable works:
Armen (2006)
This was Armen Nalbandian's very first album as a leader. It featured his first trio. The album included five of his own songs and five by other composers. One special song was "Oska T" by Thelonious Monk, which is rarely played.
Manchester Born (2007)
This album was released in 2007 and also featured The Armen Nalbandian Trio. On this album, Armen played the Fender Rhodes, an electric piano. All ten songs on the album were written by Nalbandian himself.
Young Kings Get Their Heads Cut Off (2007)
This was Armen Nalbandian's first solo album. He played the "prepared" Fender Rhodes. This means he changed the instrument by adding things like drum cymbals and wrenches inside it. This made the Fender Rhodes sound like a percussion instrument.
Coup de Grace (2011)
This album is a live recording of Armen Nalbandian playing piano with drummer Han Bennink. They played an improvised duet, meaning they made up the music on the spot. They ended their performance with a song called "Lonely Woman" by Ornette Coleman.
Quiet As It's Kept (2011)
This was the first studio album by the Armen Nalbandian Trio with Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits. Armen played the Fender Rhodes on this album. All the songs were original compositions by Nalbandian.
Surrounded by Snakes (2013)
Released in 2013, this album has 13 songs. Armen Nalbandian created all the music and played all the instruments himself. The album has an experimental electronic sound with improvised solos.
Time Waits (2014)
This was Armen Nalbandian's first solo piano album. It was inspired by Keith Jarrett's album The Melody at Night, with You. It includes eight songs, some of his own and some by other artists like Thelonious Monk and Radiohead.
Alis Grave Nil (2014)
This album is a follow-up to Time Waits. It was recorded during the same solo piano sessions. The title means "nothing is heavy to those who have wings" in Latin. It includes songs by Nalbandian, Charlie Chaplin, and even a part of a song by Kendrick Lamar.
Recent Albums (2018-2024)
In 2018, Armen Nalbandian released eight albums! These albums showed his studio and live performances from 2017. They included his solo piano work and music with his trio. More recently, in 2023 and 2024, he released new albums like The Complex Relationship Between Two Simple Machines and a series called A Spontaneous Breaking of Symmetry.
Armen Nalbandian's Activism
Armen Nalbandian uses his music and his public platform to help others. He often speaks out about social issues and works to support important causes.
He has raised a lot of money for people in need. For example, he helped victims of Hurricane Katrina by holding many benefit concerts. He has also raised money for groups like The United Way, The Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity. He supports organizations that fight cancer and promote research.
Nalbandian has also used his performances to share his thoughts on important topics. He has spoken about the need to support the arts and protect the environment.
Visual Art Collaborations
From 2004 to 2008, Armen Nalbandian was the Artist-in-Residence at the Fresno Art Museum. This meant he was a special artist who worked closely with the museum. He was also the music director for their jazz programs.
He created concerts of original music inspired by the art exhibitions. These programs also included educational activities for both children and adults. He wanted to show how music and art can work together.
Nalbandian often gets ideas for his music from the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. He has even named some of his songs after Basquiat's paintings. He also created music inspired by the work of other artists like Kerry James Marshall and Arshille Gorky.
Discography
- Armen (2006)
- Manchester Born (2007)
- Young Kings Get Their Heads Cut Off (2007)
- Tirez Sur Le Pianiste (2009) (EP)
- To Repel Ghosts (2010)
- Quiet As It's Kept (2011)
- Coup de Grace (2011)
- Surrounded by Snakes (2013)
- Time Waits (2014)
- Alis Grave Nil (2014)
- The Holy Ghost (2018)
- Fire Sign (2018)
- V (2018)
- Live in Little Tokyo Vol. I (2018)
- AMEN (2018)
- Prayer (2018)
- Orbits (2018)
- Live in Little Tokyo Vol. II (2018)
- Ghosts (2019)
- Live on Sunset (2019)
- The Complex Relationship Between Two Simple Machines (2023)
- A Spontaneous Breaking of Symmetry I. (2023)
- Death, Infinity and Zero (2023)
- A Spontaneous Breaking of Symmetry II. (2024)
- A Spontaneous Breaking of Symmetry III. (2024)
