Jazz Virtuoso Tigran Hamasyan Performs at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA; March 23

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EVENSONG AND RUM & HUMBLE PRESENT
JAZZ PIANO VIRTUOSO
TIGRAN HAMASYAN

With Evan Marien and Arthur Hnatek
Performing The Call Within

Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 8PM
Alex Theatre, Glendale, CA

“Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You’ll hear nothing else like this…” — NPR Music

LOS ANGELES, CA - On March 23, 2024 at 8pm, award-winning Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan will perform compositions from his 2020 Nonesuch Records release, The Call Within, with bassist Evan Marien and drummer Arthur Hnatek at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA.

With The Call Within, Tigran took inspiration from ancient cartography and Armenian culture, "blurring lines between historic reality and the imaginary world” through a potent musical mixture of progressive metal, jazz fusion, and Armenian folk. In their 4-star review of the album, DownBeat called The Call Within a “comprehensive artistic statement” that “stands as an unfolding synthesis of the 33-year-old’s lifetime of eclectic listening and studying,” while All About Jazz wrote that The Call Within “illustrates Hamasyan's remarkable gifts as a composer, musicologist and visionary.” 

Born in Armenia, Tigran emigrated to California when he was 16 years old, studying music at the University of Southern California before releasing three albums on the French indie label, Red Loins Music. His music, which blends modern music with the ancient modes and melodies of Armenian folk music, reflects his multicultural upbringing and virtuosic talent. In a 2020 interview with Jazzwise, Tigran said “[e]ven if I arrange a jazz standard it’s going to have that kind of approach with the odd meters, polyrhythmic songs and dances that I’ve studied since I discovered Armenian music.”

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and start at $59.80. To purchase tickets and to find more information about the concert, visit alextheatre.org.

Composer and pianist Tigran Hamasyan fuses potent jazz improvisation with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. He’s one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz- meets-rock pianists of his generation. His unique profile displays dazzling piano dexterity with an undeniably profound sense of composition. He began playing piano at the age of 3. In 2003, Tigran moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. When he was 13 years old, he started playing at international music festivals winning numerous piano competitions, most notably, the 2006 Thelonious Monk jazz piano competition under the supervision of Herbie Hancock. His first album, A Fable, was recorded in Paris and released by Universal Music in 2011. It sold impressively for an instrumental solo album with 30,000 units. It received acclaim throughout, including winning a French Grammy Award in 2011.

Since then Tigran’s rising stature in music has garnered notice globally performing at e.g. Montreux, Montreal, North Sea, Juan Les Pins, Marciac, London Jazz Festival and Winter Festival in NY. Tigran was the winner of the 2013 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music. In 2015 he won the Paul Acket Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival, and in 2016 he took home the prestigious German ECHO Jazz Award.

Evan Marien is an award-winning bassist, composer, producer, and budding 3D artist born and raised in the corn fields of Decatur, Illinois. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2009 and has lived in the NYC area since 2010. Known for his collaborations with drummer Dana Hawkins, he has also performed in the bands of Tigran Hamasyan, Allan Holdsworth, Wayne Krantz, Tim Miller, Virgil Donati, Elliot Moss, and Justin Brown’s NYEUSI.

His latest release, Elysian, features Dana Hawkins, Tigran Hamasyan, Fredrik Thordendal, Plini, Intervals, J3PO, Tim Miller, Cory Wong, Zac Zinger, Button Masher, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. You can hear his bass playing on the Mitski song “Nobody,” from her acclaimed album Be The Cowboy, as well as on the songs “Should've Been Me” and “That's Our Lamp” from her most recent album, Laurel Hell. In partnership with MadeMusicStudio, Evan has created music for renowned brands such as AT&T, Lexus, and NPR. Most recently, he won a 2022 CLIO Award for composing the sonic logo and anthem for Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Arthur Hnatek (pronounced Na-tek) is a Swiss-born, award-winning drummer, composer and electronica artist. In 2022, he was awarded with the Swiss Music Prize. These days, he releases and performs electronic music, exploring acoustic improvisations, and experimental club tracks. His album Static, released as the Arthur Hnatek Trio, is a celebration of electronic culture in a jazz trio setting and has been received with high praises. He has also been seen drumming with Tigran Hamasyan and the Erik Truffaz Quartet.

As an electronic artist, Arthur released his first EP as SWIMS in October 2017 on Susan Records. Under his SWIMS persona, he has performed at La Cigale in Paris, Berghain Kantine in Berlin, Label Suisse Festival, and the Montreux Jazz Festival, to name just a few. Since June 2020, he released his first vinyl EP, published by Mouthwatering Records, followed by a series of singles throughout the year, and two full EPs featuring fellow electronic artist Taut. One of their latest tracks was named “Best Swiss Electronic Track of 2021” by SRF3 and is often featured on BBC Radio 6. Arthur is also an active sideman performing in a variety of styles. He has been seen on stage with many leading figures on the contemporary scene. As a composer, he has written for orchestra, string quartets, chamber ensembles, big bands, and small ensembles. Furthermore, Arthur is a faculty member at the ZHDK (Zürich University for the Arts).