Category: Artists

 

Eduard Harutyunyan is a percussionist from Armenia and currently with the Cirque Du Soleil band for the Macau China show at the Sands Venetian. I’ve been getting to know him a bit in rehearsals. He is very serious about his craft and has a tight natural feel which he keeps in top shape daily. I’ll have more info on him down the road.

Road to Svara
Performance from Saturday, September 18, 2004 – 11:43 PM

Armadam & Vahagn Hayrapetyan

Flute: Valeri Tolstov
Sax: Suren Kyarunts
Duduk, Zurna: Araik Mkoyan
Ud: Tarek Mustafa
Violancello: Artem Manukyan
Piano: Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Ruben Satyan
Guitar: Vardan Gasparyan
Bass: Artur Molitvin
Percussion: Eduard Harutyunyan
Drums: Alexander Grigoryan

“Time Report”

“Time Report” is one of the most popular jazz bands in Armenia, playing ethnic jazz. The original founders of the group are Khachatur Sahakian and Armen Hyusnunts, who produced their first album (Songs Without Words) in 1996. On the following year drummer Alexander Grigorian (Sash) and bass player Vardan Arakelian joined the duo.

The united band made its debut as “Time Report” in 1998. It conquered highest acclaims in the First International Jazz Festival in Armenia (Yerevan-98).

In 2000 percussionist Eduard Harutyunyan joined the group and drummer Arman Jalalian replaced Alexander Grigorian. In 2005, duduk and zurna player Vardan Grigorian joined the band.

The style of music of “Time Report” is defined as “ethnic-jazz”. Their arrangements of Armenian traditional songs and the colorful original compositions of each musician had placed the band at an advanced position on the modern Armenian jazz scene.

They have toured and performed in many countries of the world and participated in various jazz festivals.

 

“Jay Elfenbein made his instrument roar, howl, slide and buzz… and he did so with virtuosity and flair.” – The New York Times 

I’ve been working with Jay Elfenbein in the Macau Cirque band and he’s pretty damn incredible. I guess what first caught my ear is how he can switch from early music to jazz at the drop of a hat. A swingin’ bass man and very knowledgable music historian with a passion for early music. And he’s got that loveable New York charm to boot so he’s a real catch for Cirque. I’ve been learning a lot from him about approaches to music and interpretation which has been awesome.

“Jay Elfenbein, who many regard as the finest medieval and renaissance musician in New York City, is as well an astoundingly unique jazz player, and a composer of undeniable brilliance.”

THE IVORY CONSORT – founded by Jay Elfenbein

The Ivory Consort, founded and directed by Jay Elfenbein, is an ensemble that specializes in medieval music performed in an exciting and historically informed manner. For over ten years, they have brought ancient music to life on stage and over the radio with stunning clarity and brilliant improvisation. The Consort presents a fascinating mosaic of songs from the Golden Age of Spain, when Jews, Muslims and Christians forged a common musical language. With 10th through 13th century songs in Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic and Galician-Portuguese, the program provides a historical context for the intermingling of cultures before the 1492 Expulsion.

The Ivory Consort Jay Elfenbein (vihuela d’arco/vielle/rebab/psaltery/back-up vocals) “Jay Elfenbein made his instrument roar, howl, slide and buzz… and he did so with virtuosity and flair.” – The New York Times

 

English/Français/Español

Olivier Milchberg born in Paris, November 7th, 1963. He studied piano and guitar, both classical and jazz for 10 years. At 19, he joined the group Los Incas, founded by his father Jorge Milchberg. He began as guitarist, then continued as flute solo.

The international tours and multiple recordings with Los Incas gave him a much experience as a poly-instrumentalist. He founded Muance Productions in 1988, both as a recording studio and for production of traditional music.

He shares his time between concerts, composition, artistic direction and as producer.
From 1998 on, he developed a passion for oriental music. In 1999 he joins the group Pêcheurs de Perles founded by the Irakien singer Mohamed Alnuma. Olivier Milchberg approaches music with a global conception.

This approach brought him to play numerous instruments traditional or ethnic, like bouzouki (Greek and Irish) and cumbus (Turkish banjo). He’s had a passion since a very young age for reed and bamboo flutes like the “Kena”, “bansouri flute” from India, the ney.

Finally, his ear and mastery of rythm enable him to play the different percussion instruments with ease. His musical research is more than all based on music with soul and roots, in which his inspiration comes for the development of his personal expression.

—————————-

Né à Paris le 7 novembre 1963, il y étudie le piano et la guitare, classique et jazz, pendant dix ans. Il rejoint à 19 ans le groupe Los Incas fondé par son père Jorge Milchberg, en tant que guitariste, puis devient flûtiste soliste.
Les tournées internationales et les enregistrements avec Los Incas lui donnent une grande expérience poly-instrumentale.
Il fonde en 1988 Muance Productions, structure de production de musiques traditionnelles et studio d’enregistrement. Il partage son temps entre les concerts, la composition, la direction artistique et la production discographique.
Il collabore avec de nombreux musiciens de traditions musicales diverses, tels que Sergei Starostin (Russie), Christian Zagaria (médiéval-Oriental), accompagne Delphine Aguilera et Hombeline (chants Occitans), intègre les groupe Bandzydeco (Cajun), Kapela (musiques de l’est), Passe Montagne (bals folks), Balkanic Trio (de l’Europe à l’Orient).
Il rencontre et rejoint en 1999 l’ensemble Pêcheurs de Perles fondé par le chanteur iraquien Mohamed Alnuma, collabore avec le chanteur palestinien Moneim Adwan.
Olivier Milchberg aborde la musique avec une conception globale d’arrangeur. Cette approche l’a amené à pratiquer de nombreux instruments, traditionnels ou ethniques, comme le bouzouki (grec et irlandais), le cumbus (banjo turc). Il s’est passionné depuis très jeune pour les flûtes de roseau et de bambou comme les kenas, les flûtes bansouri d’Inde, le ney. Enfin, son oreille et sa maîtrise du rythme lui permettent de jouer des percussions avec aisance. Sa recherche porte avant tout sur les musiques qui ont une âme et des racines, dont il s’inspire pour développer son expression propre.

———————————————-

Olivier Milchberg nació en París el 7 de Noviembre de 1963,
Estudió piano y guitarra, clásica y jazz, durante diez años.
A los 19 años se unió como guitarrista al grupo Los Incas fundado por su padre Jorge Milchberg, para convertirse luego en flautista.
Las giras internacionales y las grabaciones con Los Incas le han han permitido acumular una gran experiencia poli-instrumental.
En 1998 funda “Muance Productions”, estructura de producción de músicas tradicionales y estudio de grabación.
Reparte su tiempo entre los conciertos, la dirección artística y la producción discográfica.
A partir de 1998 se apasiona particularmente por las músicas orientales.
En 1999 integra el conjunto Pêcheurs de Perles fundado por el cantante iraquí Mohamed Alnuma.
Olivier Milchberg aborda la música con una concepción global.
Este enfoque le permite practicar numerosos instrumentos, tradicionales o étnicos, como el bouzouki ( griego e irlandés) o el cumbus (banjo turco); desde muy jóven siente pasión por las flautas de caña y de bambú como las kenas, las flautas bansouri de India o el ney. Su oído y su conocimiento del ritmo le permiten tocar percusiones con facilidad.
Su investigación se ocupa sobre todo de las músicas que poseen un alma y unas raíces, en las cuales se inspira para desarrollar su propia expresión.

 

Racheal Cogan’s recorder sounds as pure as a new-born babe’s conscience. But all it takes is for her to bend a note and that purity is suddenly rent by a flash of the ancient lusts that afflict us all. (John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald Sun, February 17-18, 2007)

Tony Lewis [is] one of Sydney’s most versatile and accomplished exponents of non-Western percussion (Sydney Morning Herald, Metro, April 23, 1999)

Racheal Cogan (recorders) & Tony Lewis (percussion) perform captivating melodies and rhythms informed and inspired by the music of many cultures. Their unique repertoire includes traditional pieces from Greece, Turkey and Iran, as well as compositions by Racheal Cogan and Ross Daly. Racheal and Tony’s work is drawn from an impressive amount of first hand experience in the study and performance of musical forms across the world, spanning Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and the indigenous musics of Australia. Their new CD Transience: Contemporary Modal Music, released by Orpheus Music in January 2007 (OM 602). “is spiritual, the musicians have artistry, creativity, vision and sheer mastery of their instruments. These two cultural beatniks have come up with something very special, the synergy between them has created music that will long graze on your CD player and consciousness.” (Jaslyn Hall, Limelight: March 2007)

Racheal and Tony first performed together in Armidale NSW, in January 2005, and have since been performing Australia wide at the Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre, Townsville Community Music Centre in Qld, the Boite in Melbourne, Eastside Arts in NSW, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. They have also conducted workshops together for the Music Education Unit of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (NSW) and for the Music Centre North Queensland.

Racheal Cogan has worked extensively in modal music forms around the world. In Melbourne in 1993 she co-founded the Greek music group the haBiBis, whose CD Intoxication won an ARIA award in 1999. In 2000 she travelled to Athens to study, perform and record with Ross Daly and his ensemble Labyrinth throughout Greece, Turkey, and Macedonia. Since then she has studied Persian classical music with Hossein Omoumi in France, Karnatic Music with Karaikudi R. Mani in India, and performed with Kurdish musician Fardin Karamkhani in the USA. Racheal recorded her CD Sojourn in Greece, with Ross Daly, Kelly Thomas and Angeliki Xekalaki. Sojourn was released in Australia in 2006 by Orpheus Music. In 2008 and 2009, Racheal is based in Macau, China, working with Cirque du Soleil.

Tony Lewis has performed, studied, and conducted cultural exchange project in various parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and in indigenous communities around Australia. He has worked with many of Australia’s leading music groups, including Waratah (with Sandy Evans & Satsuki Odamura), The Renaissance Players, Riley Lee, and many others. Tony appeared as a soloist at the Commonwealth Drum Festival (Auckland 1990), and was a segment Musical Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. He has composed major works for the Perth Festival, the Festival of the Dreaming, the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre, and Sadari Theatre Company (Seoul). In duo with Racheal, Tony performs on hand drums such as tabla, zarb and udu.

Rachel Cogan & Tony Lewis have many more concerts and projects planned. More information about Racheal Cogan & Tony Lewis can be found at:www.rachealcogan.com

 

Maria Andersson was born in a small town in Sweden called Västervik. She lives in Stockholm where she writes music, plays some guitar and sings. She works with acoustic bands and is also a vocalist with Cirque Du Soleil.

In Sweden, Maria Andersson works with musicians including Linnea Ohlsson РCello, Cecilia Persson РPiano, Lisa Eriksson -Accordeon, Mattias Fjellstr̦m Рguitars, Clas Lassbo Рbass and Povel Ohlsson РPercussion.