Retrofitting the Tapestry of an Ancient Culture for the 21st Century
myspace.com/mosaic_concert
Retrofitting the Tapestry of an Ancient Culture for the 21st Century
- Pieces of a cultural and historic puzzle fall into place through music
by Paul Chaderjian
GLENDALE, Calif.—Had Armenian culture been inactive and unaccommodating to global influences, it would perhaps have been lost in the dying memory of its dwindling preservationists. However, the culture’s openness to world dynamics and ability to embrace change while holding on to its roots has allowed it to adapt and survive. This uncanny and evolutionary ability showed its prowess musically on stage Sunday night when the Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society presented its Mosaic Concert.
On stage at the 1450-seat historic Alex Theater, were voices echoing from the distant past through the postmodern future. Within the framework of one concert and four hours, the cheering audience heard in perfect pitch the historic lyrics of village women making squash stew, ancient shepherds’ songs of love, monotone contemporary lyrics of children calling post-earthquake containers home, testosterone-driven 80s-sounding angry-white-boy music, a few off-key choruses translated into poor English with malarranged Turkish-Armenian riffs, 90s cyber-age ballads searching for soul and identity, and 21st-century jambalayas created by world music, which incorporate the ancient duduk as easily as an electronic keyboard or multiple genres.
This borderless, one-world yet ethnic presence, created by young Armenians from various generations of immigrant families, came to life as history made itself heard in a celebration of Armenian sound. Organizers had managed to bring to life their forebears, allowing them to pass on the torch once held by Komitas and Sayat Nova to young Armenians calling the world stage their playground.
"We decided to do an event celebrating the sounds of our culture and its progression today," says Hamazkayin Western USA Regional Executive member Tamar Abkarian. "We began to talk to musicians to get their input and ideas, and we formed a committee." But it was no ordinary committee. The youngish group tapped into the ethos of the generation of musicians and audience members it wanted to bring together.
Abkarian says the creation of the Mosaic Committee is part of Hamazkayin’s goal to develop programs that will pique the interest of young Armenians and instill in them a cultural identity. “As well as continue to fulfill Hamazkayin’s worldwide endeavor to nourish those who enrich the Armenian culture within our diverse community,” says Abkarian.
To reach young people, the Mosaic Committee used the communication tool used most by prospective audiences—the web. Through the myspace.com/mosaic_concert page, organizers linked with musicians, bands and those who would eventually come to the show. Through a labyrinth of Internet connections, the more-than-2,000 friends of mosiac_concert, Hamazkayin reached out to those who may have lived a lifetime not knowing the 78-year-old worldwide organization existed.
E-mails promoting the concert went out months in advance, weeks before the holiday season kicked off with the Thanksgiving holiday. Once the event was on myspace billboards, including myspace.com/armeniancalendar, and iCal calendars, individual bands signed to perform also linked to their fans, networking and telling them about the big show.
“The concert provided great exposure for a band like ours that is just starting out,” says Mher Vahakn Ajamian (myspace.com/mhervahakn) of the Tallulah Sound Experiment. “It was also important for us to be associated with other great musicians and a major venue. Also building a good reputation with organizations like Hamazkayin is beneficial to our future success, because they are always willing to help.”
Tallulah Sound Experiment (myspace.com/tallulahsound) brings together Ajamiam’s percussions, Soseh Keshishyan’s voice, Zare Manoukian’s guitar, and Aram Dellalian’s bass. The band formed in 2002 and added Sona Aleksanyan’s cello last year. “Combining influences from world music, pop, and rock, Tallulah Sound Experiment offers a blend of intricate percussive elements and popular songwriting styles,” says their myspace page.
Even before the start of the show with Tallulah Sound, a commotion in the back of the audience started the entertainment for the night. Hosts Lory Tatoulian (myspace.com/137957329) and Voki Kalfayan (myspace.com/voki), in character as aging Middle-Eastern Armenian immigrants, slowly made their way to the stage, hugging, kissing, and climbing over surprised audiences members. The laughs continued throughout the night as Tatoulian’s and Kalfayan’s comedic genius reflected to the audience the quirky behaviors found in the modern-day Armenian family.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Jivan Gasparyan, Jr., receive much applause when the second act for the night, Visa (myspace.com/visa), presented to the audience its eclectic collection of sound and fresh approach to music. The eight-member band calls itself “a world music phenomenon.” Its myspace page described its music as “poignantly emotive, hard-charging, no-boundary folk music that will lift you out of your seat, whether you are a hard-to-please grandparent or a punk-rocking prep. The group features Knoup on vocals and guitar, Carlos Alvarado on guitar, Alex Khatcherian on bass, Suguru Onaka on keyboards, Jivan Gasparyan Jr. on duduk, Danny Shamoun on percussion, and Hiram Rosario on drums.”
Gor Mkhitarian, another well-known name in the up-and-coming Armenian music scene, sang a few of his popular songs. Gor’s myspace page says the Armenian singer-songwriter reflects the very best of the burgeoning music scene in Armenia. “Mkhitarian launched his solo career in 2001,” says his myspace profile. “He makes fresh and compelling music that successfully fuses traditional Armenian music with both rock and folk idioms, giving the listener meaningful lyrics, colorful arrangements and melodic hooks that create warm and inspiring songs.”
The second half of the Mosaic Concert featured Hooshere (myspace.com/hooshere). The first-generation Armenian-American bills herself as a unique newcomer to the world music scene. “Provenance, her debut album,” says her myspace page, “is a modern presentation of original works and songs from times past; while remaining true to the music's origins, Hooshere infused the traditional songs with completely new sounds and rhythms.”
The biggest response and loudest applause of the night came for Zulal (myspace.com/zulaltrio). The New York–based Armenian a cappella folk trio featuring Teni Apelian, Yeraz Markarian, and Anais Tekerian received a standing ovation. The singers took turns before each song to explain the roots of the song, the story behind the lyrics, and how they discovered differing dialects and melodies for the songs they presented. “Zulal’s original arrangements pay tribute to Armenia’s folk roots while forging imaginative harmonies that add a fresh energy to traditional repertoire, using the simplicity of voice to capture the heart of Armenia's rural music,” says the trio’s myspace page.
“The bands were chosen by genre and style of music,” says Hamazkayin’s Abkarian. “We wanted to put together a program that had cohesion and contrast at the same time. All the acts had some connection with the other acts. We wanted to have both English and Armenian music in the program. Local talents as well as talents from the East Coast.”
Abkarian says future multiact concerts are not farfetched. In following the strong tradition of Hamazkayin, “the Mosaic Concert was able to introduce to the community the musical talents of our youth and their interest in their roots, as well as their fusion of the old and the new—something the community might otherwise not have known was taking place.” Abkarian says Hamazkayin was able to promote and instill cultural appreciation through the integration of melodies, music, and lyrics from the past with revolutionized means of expression.
(Inspired by mosiac_concert, the Armenian Reporter’s Paul Chaderjian was last seen hanging 10 at his myspace: myspace.com/paulchad)
