Lara Sarkissian – Remnants

From Lara Sarkissian’s Bandcamp site: “Born and raised in San Francisco and currently based in Los Angeles, Sarkissian has developed her unique approach to composition over years of relentless experimentation across various disciplines. Her interest in music production initially stemmed from her filmmaking and video editing work, when she began Continue Reading

Rare Soviet Oriental Jazz & Groove Mix Compiled and Mixed by Sasha Svistunov

Once upon a time, I had a decent working knowledge (at least for an American expat) of Soviet Jazz.  It keeps popping back into my life, and I still find it a joy to listen to even 30 years down the road.  Thanks to Shasha Svistunov for compiling some real Continue Reading

Lucy Khanyan Quartet – Komitas Through the Eyes of Lucy Khanyan Quartet

Soghomon Soghomonian, the priest, ethnomusicologist and arranger who would be later known to millions of Armenian music aficionados as Komitas (Vardapet), is a figure who looms large in the history of the country’s music scene.  Avant-garde pianist Lucy Khanyan does great justice to some of the works of Komitas, interpreting Continue Reading

Mikael Tariverdiev – Visions in Black & White

Mikael Tariverdiev was a Russian cinema and TV composer of Armenian extraction but raised Tbilisi, Georgia, a true man of the Soviet world.  Though he was quoted as not particularly liking jazz, he was as good an improviser that Russia ever produced. From the release’s Bandcamp page: “Visions in Black Continue Reading