Armen Nalbandian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Armen Nalbandian
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| 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 on April 6, 1978, in Manchester, England, is a talented musician. He is a British-born Armenian American jazz pianist, composer, writer, and activist. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Contents
Exploring Armen Nalbandian's Music
Armen Nalbandian is greatly inspired by the famous jazz musician Thelonious Monk. He plays many styles of music, including jazz, free jazz, and experimental music. His main group is the Armen Nalbandian Trio.
His Many Musical Creations
Armen Nalbandian has led over 30 different music groups. He has also written more than 1200 musical pieces. These include music for string quartets, orchestral music, and electronic music. He has even created music for theater shows. He also performs solo piano concerts.
Important Teachers and Collaborations
Armen Nalbandian learned a lot from jazz pianist John Hicks. He also credits Bill Dixon and McCoy Tyner as important teachers. He has worked with many famous musicians. These include Billy Higgins, Han Bennink, Eric Revis, and Jeff Parker.
Music and Art Connections
Nalbandian is also known for combining his music with visual art. He was the music director and Artist-in-Residence at the Fresno Art Museum for four years. He has also worked with poets and composed music for the Fresno Philharmonic orchestra. In 2006, he started his own record label called Blacksmith Brother.
Special Performances
In 2011 and 2012, Armen Nalbandian performed with comedian Dave Chappelle. These were improvised performances at Yoshi's Jazz Club. In 2017, he started two new music groups. One was a quintet called Armen Nalbandian V. The other was the Armen Nalbandian 3.
Recent Music Releases
In May 2023, Nalbandian released an album called The Complex Relationship Between Two Simple Machines. This album was created spontaneously with David King and Chris Speed. In September 2023, he released A Spontaneous Breaking of Symmetry I.. This was the first in a series of duo recordings with drummer Chris Corsano.
Armen Nalbandian's Albums
Armen Nalbandian has released many albums throughout his career. Each album shows a different side of his musical journey.
Armen (2006)
This was Armen Nalbandian's first album as a leader. It featured his first Armen Nalbandian Trio. The album includes five of his own songs and five by other composers. One special song is "Oska T" by Thelonious Monk.
Manchester Born (2007)
This album also featured The Armen Nalbandian Trio. It was the first time Armen Nalbandian recorded using the Fender Rhodes instrument. The album has ten songs written by Nalbandian. He dedicated it to his mentor, John Hicks.
Young Kings Get Their Heads Cut Off (2007)
This was Armen Nalbandian's first solo recording. He played a "prepared" Fender Rhodes. This means he changed the instrument's sound by putting objects inside it. He used drum cymbals, wrenches, and other items. The album's sound has been compared to Miles Davis's album ... Brew.
Tirez Sur Le Pianiste (2009) & To Repel Ghosts (2010)
To Repel Ghosts is an electronic album with eleven songs by Nalbandian. It was his first album released only online. His album Tirez Sur Le Pianiste (which means Shoot the Piano Player) was released earlier. Both albums have music that sounds like the band Radiohead.
Coup de Grace (2011)
This album is a live recording. It features Nalbandian on piano and drummer Han Bennink. They played an improvised duet. 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. It features Eric Revis on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. Nalbandian played the Fender Rhodes. The album has only original songs by Nalbandian.
Surrounded by Snakes (2013)
This album has 13 songs. It features Nalbandian in an experimental electronic setting. He was the only musician and producer on this album.
Time Waits (2014)
This was Armen Nalbandian's first solo piano album. It has eight songs, including a new version of "Conflicted" from his Manchester Born album. It also includes songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Thelonious Monk.
Alis Grave Nil (2014)
This is Nalbandian's tenth album. It was recorded during the same solo piano sessions as Time Waits. The title means "nothing is heavy to those who have wings" in Latin. It includes songs by Nalbandian, Charlie Chaplin, and Eubie Blake.
Albums from 2018
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.
Armen Nalbandian's Activism
Armen Nalbandian often uses his music to support important causes. He helps raise awareness about social issues.
Helping Others
He has raised a lot of money to help people. For example, he helped victims of Hurricane Katrina through benefit concerts. He has also raised money for groups like The United Way, The Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity.
Speaking Out
Nalbandian has spoken out about important topics. He has talked about cuts to funding for the arts. He has also discussed climate change agreements. He shares his views from the stage during his performances.
Visual Art Collaborations
Armen Nalbandian has a strong connection to the art world.
Artist-in-Residence
From 2004 to 2008, he was the Artist-in-Residence at the Fresno Art Museum. He created concerts inspired by the art exhibitions there. These programs also included educational activities for kids and adults.
Art-Inspired Music
Nalbandian has often been inspired by the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Many of his early songs are named after Basquiat's paintings. He has also composed music inspired by the work of other artists. These include 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)
