"Yeraz" showcases musician's influences

[MosJan]

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Mixed Music Message :

By Laurence Ritter

ArmeniaWeek reporter

There may not be a category for Gor Mkhitarian's music, except to say that is a new sound for Armenia.

 

The combination of jazz, folk, rock is featured on his solo debut cd, Yeraz, recorded in Armenia and released November 27. (Mkhitarian is better known in the company of his Vanadzor band, Lav Eli.)

 

The CD is the result of a chance meeting between Mkhitarian and producer Raffi Meneshian.

 

"When I first sung and played the guitar in front of Raffi, his first reaction was 'let's make a CD'," Mkhitarian says.

 

"Then, the problem was to find a label. We recorded some samples of the songs, and, back in America, Raffi did his best to find a label."

 

But the few labels Raffi visited to introduce Mkhitarian's music doubted whether there was room in the Armenian-American market for a record from the 28-year-old Vanadzor-born musician.

 

The labels refused and Raffi started his own label, Pomegranate, to produce Mkhitarian's CD.

 

"I did not want my songs, both those I have written and the arrangements of traditional Armenian songs, to be especially for an Armenian audience," Mkhitarian says.

 

"However, here in Armenia, and in the Diaspora, I guess that there are not a lot of people ready for this music."

 

Mkhitarian's music may remind some of Simon and Garfunkel, one of his influences, but it also has heavy references of the Dave Matthews Band in the United States, and, Mkhitarian's favorite, Led Zeppelin.

 

And of course there is the Armenian influence of Rouben Hakverdian and Harout Bezjian.

 

Mkhitarian sings in Armenian about universal feelings and thoughts on a variety of topics that include one song about homophobia.

 

Mkhitarian has plans already for another CD with Lav Eli, and hopes to organize an international music festival for next summer in Yerevan.

 

"The idea is to gather here some bands, musicians and singers from any kind of music, from classical to rock," he says.

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"We already have the Jazz festival in Yerevan, which showed the world that there are possibilities for music development in this country - all kinds of music."

 

A launch party for Mkhitarian's new disc is scheduled for December 10 in Yerevan. The CD can be purchased online at wwww.cdbaby.com.

Photos by Arsineh Khachikian

 

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