31 replies to this topic

[whitelotus]

Hey, next time you go, take me with you to Maui, and I'll do a full rendition of Aznavour in D minor and then even throw in some Pavarotti for your enjoyment 

Don't forget Maria Callas and Montserrat Caballe

[Azat]

Nope ... I actually have almost all his songs ... any time I am flying or taking a long trip, his stuff is what I listen to almost exclusively!  I usually try not to sing loudly on the plane but in my car, I am singing along all the way

Sipan jan, I just read that it is deer mating season and wanted to warn you to lower the volume on the car stereo when you listen to Harut. Else deer might think it is a moose in heat and jump in front of your car.

Edited by Azat, 02 April 2005 - 11:42 AM.

[MosJan]

Azat jan it's not only the deer mating season

amen kendaninern en r@zghnats MAn KyAlis

[Artsakh]

Harout Pamboukjian
From Armeniapedia.org
"The Armenian Wedding Singer"

Born in 1950 in Yerevan. His mother was a singer, and he took up the guitar ? he also plays the bouzouki and saz (stringed instruments), dhol (drums) and piano ? in his early teens, later forming a band called Erebouni. ?My mother had a beautiful voice,? he says, ?And I heard all those old folk songs in my house at an early age.? His band went from village to village playing, surprisingly, covers of everything from Charles Aznavour to Deep Purple and Elvis, at weddings and universities.

Due to restrictions under the Soviet Union, Harout and most of his family left Soviet Armenia in 1975. After a year in Lebanon, he came to L.A. and took up residence in Hollywood.

In the late ?70s and early ?80s, there were only a few thousand Armenians in L.A., most of whom were centered in East Hollywood. There were two local cable programs on the weekend that featured news and music, and nearly all the businesses ? Parseghian Records, Arka Photo, Panos Pastry, Carousel, King Arshag, etc. ? were on Hollywood or Santa Monica boulevards.

Only two months after his arrival here, Harout put together a studio band and recorded his first album, Our Eyir Astvats (Where Were You, God? - in reference to the Armenian Genocide) at the Quad Teck studio on Western and Sixth in Koreatown. He got on the nightclub circuit, doing his first gigs on Sundays at a Beverly Hills tennis club owned by an Armenian.

That first album, now considered a classic, barely resembles the trademark sound he?s become known for since then. Instead of the usual weepy duduk (a double-reed often called ?the saddest instrument in the world?) or synths, you get clarinet, organ and a lot of bass. Listen closer and you?ll hear some funky wah-wah guitar too, though only a few of the songs are dance-oriented, certainly different from the material that later made him so popular at weddings.

Most bands and singers pay their dues in smoky nightclubs, bars and coffee shops. Harout honed his skills at Armenian engagement parties, baptisms, fairs and dinner dances, where one expects five to six hours of music (a DJ and a couple of singers) and an obscene amount of food. Fathers-of-the-bride in places as far away as France have typically shelled out a couple of thousand bucks for just an hour of Harout?s time.

He?s played the Rose Bowl, the Shrine and the Palladium, too. But it?s at all those banquet halls, whatever the occasion, where fans get the best sense of what Harout?s music is about. An amalgamation of contemporary, folk and patriotic musics, at times it may sound like flashy pop, but with an inescapable earthiness that seems to emanate from the very soul of his people. Harout interprets songs by fellow artists including Rouben Hakhverdian, Robert Amirkhanian, Arthur Meschian and others who write for him. But it?s the centuries-old sacred and grandiose folk tunes about protecting the soil and fighting in the highlands ? "Antranik *****," "Sassouni Orore," "Msho Aghchig" ? that really get the blood stirring with nationalistic pride.

Among Harout?s favorites is Nuné, who?s doing the modern thing and still keeping the tradition alive. But he's most fond of Rouben Hakhverdian, a "real troubadour" who has a wonderfully biting way of spouting Dylanesque ramblings like they?re the Gospel. His collaboration with Harout on the 1996 almost all-acoustic Yerke Nayev Aghotk Eh (Songs Are Also Prayers) is somber, intimate and filled with the kind of dirt-under-the-fingernails grit one must listen to, not dance to. Just two men with their guitars.

Harout has no family left in Armenia. He lives comfortably in North Hollywood with his son, Isay, and his wife, Rose, who does all the backup vocals on his records.

A year after the 1988 earthquake in Armenia that killed 25,000 people and left more than 500,000 homeless, hundreds of thousands of fans looking for some kind of temporary diversion from the devastation packed the Hrazdan stadium and Hamalir Demirchian Arena to hear 28 concerts by their favorite singer. Then?Minister of Culture Yuri Melik-Ohanjanian remarked these were the highest-attended performances in the history of Armenia.

Today, there are over 20 Harout albums and counting.

HAROUT PAMBOUKJIAN

[Artsakh]

Pamboukjian, Harout

Gifted with an ultra-smooth vocal range, Harout Pamboukjian has taken the music of Armenia to the international stage. According to the L.A. Weekly, Pamboukjian's "husky tenor has a softness that coos and quivers when he does the syrupy love songs with sweeping keyboards that sound as if they're aching along with him."

The son of a vocalist, Pamboukjian studied guitar, bouzouki, saz, dhol, and piano as a teen. As the leader of a band, Erebouni, he traveled throughout his homeland performing pop tunes at weddings and universities. The struggles of living under communist rule, however, resulted in Pamboukjian leaving Armenia in 1975. After residing in Lebanon for a year, he continued to the United States and settled in Los Angeles. It took little time for him to resume his career. Within two months, he had recorded his debut album, Our Eyir Asivats (Where Were You, God?).

Pamboukjian has been embraced by Los Angeles' Armenian community, the largest Armenian diaspora in the world. After building an audience with his weekly performances at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club, he continued to hone his skills at Armenian engagement parties, baptism, weddings, and dinner dances.

While the traditional music of Armenia continues to be the foundation for his repertoire, Pamboukjian has taken a modern approach to his music. Instead of the somber tones of the double reed duduk, he's framed his music in a swirl of clarinets, organ, and bass. In a mid-'90s interview, he explained, "The real sound is lost. If you're going to do something Armenian, do it right. Our music and poetry are so rich; there are songs written hundreds of years ago that are still untouched. Go and find them, take them, and make them your own." ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide

[Artsakh]

[AlenAlen]

Harout is one of my favorite all time singers. But I mostly like his slow songs, and not the songs that he writes. Yerker, Yerker was embarrassing. He should go back to his old style songs like Esor Arazn Es Gnatsel...Anyway, too much to say about him, so ill just stop

[MosJan]

https://www.haroutpamboukjian.com

 

In the late ’70s and early ’80s, there were only a few thousand Armenians in L.A., most of whom were centered in East Hollywood. There were two local cable programs on the weekend that featured news and music, and nearly all the businesses — Parseghian Records, Arka Photo, Panos Pastry, Carousel, King Arshag, etc. — were on Hollywood or Santa Monica boulevards, but he truly got his start at a popular night club in Pasadena called Sayat Nova.

Only two months after his arrival in L.A., Harout put together a studio band and recorded his first album, "Our Eyir Astvats" (Where Were You, God?), in reference to the Armenian Genocide at the Quad Teck studio on Western and Sixth in Koreatown. He later got on the nightclub circuit, doing his first gigs on Sundays at a Beverly Hills tennis club owned by an Armenian.

That first album, now considered a classic, barely resembles the trademark sound he has become known for since then. Instead of the usual weepy duduk (a double-reed often called “the saddest instrument in the world”) or synths, you get clarinet, organ and a lot of bass. Only a few of the songs on the first album are dance-oriented, certainly different from the material that later made him popular at weddings.

While most bands and singers paid their dues in smoky nightclubs, bars and coffee shops, Harout honed his skills at Armenian engagement parties, baptisms, fairs and dinner dances, where one expects five to six hours of music (a DJ and a couple of singers) and an obscene amount of food. This made him popular and branded him the nickname The Armenian Wedding Singer. Fathers-of-the-bride in places as far away as France have typically shelled out a couple of thousand bucks for just an hour of Harout’s time.

He’s played at the Rose Bowl, the Shrine and the Palladium. But it’s at all those banquet halls, whatever the occasion, where fans get the best sense of what Harout’s music is about. An amalgamation of contemporary, folk and patriotic musics. Harout interprets songs by fellow artists including Rouben Hakhverdian, Robert Amirkhanian, Arthur Meschian and others. It is important to note that he never received permission to use any of Arthur Meschian’s work (including the song Where Were You, God? which was written by Meschian when he was sixteen years old). But it’s the centuries-old sacred and grandiose folk tunes about protecting the soil and fighting in the highlands — "Antranik *****," "Sassouni Orore," "Msho Aghchig" — that really get his fans blood stirring with nationalistic pride.

Among Harout’s favorites is Nuné, who’s doing been using modern music and still keeping the tradition alive. He's most fond of Rouben Hakhverdian, a "real troubadour" who has a wonderfully biting way of spouting Dylanesque ramblings like they’re the Gospel. His collaboration with Harout on the 1996 almost all-acoustic "Yerke Nayev Aghotk Eh" (Songs Are Also Prayers) is somber, intimate and filled with the kind of dirt-under-the-fingernails grit one must listen to, not dance to.

A year after the 1988 Spitak Earthquake that killed 25,000 people and left more than 500,000 homeless, hundreds of thousands of fans looking for some kind of temporary diversion from the devastation, packed the Hrazdan stadium and Hamalir Demirchian Arena to hear 28 concerts by Harout. Then–Minister of Culture Yuri Melik-Ohanjanian remarked these were the highest-attended performances in the history of Armenia.

[MosJan]

''POP հանրագիտարան'' հեռուստանախագիծը փորփրում է հայկական շոու-բիզնեսի փոշոտ արխիվներն ու ներկայացնում լսարանին հետաքրքրող, աստղերին մտահոգող փաստեր:
https://www.facebook...pop.hanragit...

 

[MosJan]

Հարություն Փամբուկչյանին շնորհվում է Մեծի Տանը Կիլիկյո Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց շքանշանը:

 

 

https://www.facebook...758576424206958

[MosJan]

Post by Robert Arordi Karapetyan.

[Yervant1]

Good for him, Harout along with Addis, Levon and Paul filled a big void in the Armenian diaspora particularly in the Middle East. Listening to Armenian worded music became popular and cool.