At just 37 years old, pianist Tigran Hamasyan has already managed to earn the praise of world-famous colleagues such as Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau. He left Armenia to study jazz in America as a teenager, but later returned to his native country. His journeying between the two countries can also be heard in his music: Hamasyan creates a combination of American jazz fused with Armenian folk, in which he doesn’t shy away from rock influences. Apart from his dynamic piano playing, the musician is also an esteemed composer, and his talent in that element has led to many awards, including the Netherlands’ Paul Acket Award, the Prix de la Critique et du Publique of the Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Thelonious Monk Award. After an album featuring mainly American jazz standards, StandArts, he returned to his roots last year with The Bird Of A Thousand Voices, based on an Armenian folk tale.
