Nuance Jazz Band is an Armenian ethnic jazz sextet active since 2009. Founded and led by Garik Saribekyan, Nuance is one of the most recognised and ethnically sounding bands on Yerevan jazz stage.

History

Nuance Jazz Band was founded in 2009 by Garik Saribekyan. Former band lead and founder of jazz/rock band “Why not” Garik Saribekyan was looking for a new sound, and his passion towards Armenian National music inspired the creation of “Nuance” - an

ethno jazz Ethno jazz, also known as world jazz, is a subgenre of jazz and world music, developed internationally in the 1950s and '60s and broadly characterized by a combination of traditional jazz and non-Western musical elements. Though occasionally equ ...

band, featuring

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

, qanun,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

. Garik’s love towards national instruments was inspired by his father - tar player and conductor, currently Honored Worker of Art of the Republic of Armenia.

Early years

Initial repetitions with bass guitar and the wish to experiment - bringing qanun on their stage set the essence and future musical development of the band. First time on stage in Alibi club the band was recognized as one of the most innovative and ethnically sounding tune on the Yerevan jazz stage. Soon after the initial success, Alibi shut down, and the band was invited to play in Mezzo Classic House Club, one of the best places to listen to local music. The partnership with Mezzo Club lasted until late 2015.

Events and awards

Nuance Jazz Band has been a regular guest (2012-2015) at annual International Jazz Festival in Yerevan, held on April 30, on the

International Jazz Day International Jazz Day is an International Day declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2011 "to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe." It is celebrated ...

. Nuance Jazz Band has been a frequent guest at events of governmental level, including * Multiple public events organized by Russian Embassy * The Celebration of the Birthday of Queen, in UK Embassy in 2012 * 2013-2016 Annual Italian Cuisine Festival in Yerevan, organized by Italian Embassy in Armenia, with guests including The Ambassador of Italy, France, Great Britain * Multiple private events Nuance has also performed concerts in Cafesjian Center for Arts in Yerevan. In 2015, Nuance won “The Best Jazz Composition of the Year” award by local radio station Radio Van, with their composition called “Zartonq”. In 2016 April, Nuance has performed a concert for the Aurora Prize nominees in Mezzo Classic House Club.

Repertoire

Nuance Jazz Band performs compositions of Komitas, Tsovak Hambardzumyan along with Armenian folk music, jazz standards and compositions by Garik Saribekyan.

Personnel

* Garik Saribekyan – piano and keyboard * Arik Babayan – bass-guitar * Albert Ordinyan – percussion * Ruzanna Kirakosyan – qanun * Artur Yeghiazaryan – saxophone * Gevorg Charchyan – drums

References

External links

*Nuance Jazz Band a
“Yerevan listened to jazz” –concert in Cascade complex
*Nuance Jazz Band a
Radio Van - Youtube
*Nuance Jazz Ban
in the news
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Golos Armenii ''Golos Armenii'' (russian: Голос Армении, "Voice of Armenia"), previously known as ''Kommunist'' («Коммунист», " heCommunist"), is a Russian language newspaper published in Yerevan, Armenia. Soviet period The newspaper wa ...

newspaper *Nuance Jazz Ban
composition in Apple ItunesNuance Jazz Band on Youtube
*{{facebook, nuancejazzband
Nuance Jazz Band's Yarimo in Campus Grenoble podcast
Armenian musical groups Jazz ensembles Musical groups established in 2009