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Oxford Student, UK
May 10 2014
Review: Tigran Hamasyan at the North Wall
By Karine Vann on 10/05/2014
Karine Vann enjoys an evening of sonic exploration with the
acoustic-electronic experimentalist
On 1st May, Armenian-American musician Tigran Hamasyan and his trio
revisited the United Kingdom for the first time since his performance
at the 2013 London Jazz Festival last November. This time around it
wasn't London, but Oxford, that enjoyed the pleasure of his company.
In 2013, Tigran cemented his transition out of the bebop jazz genre
with his latest, genre-combining album, Shadow Theater. But it appears
releasing a new album has not slowed down the creativity of the
ambitious young pianist: in his concert at Oxford's North Wall Arts
Centre, most of his set consisted of music that is yet to be recorded.
Unlike the five-piece band he toured with at the London Jazz Festival,
the show's music was arranged for piano, bass, and drums, accompanied
occasionally by synths and other beat-making equipment. The opening
song, 'Drip', was an acoustic rendition of the version on Shadow
Theater, which makes use of sampling and mixing techniques. It was an
inspiring take on the original, and Tigran's improvisational moments
were a highlight in particular.
There are some sounds we take for granted in recordings, because it's
often impossible (for the untrained ear, at least) to tell if their
origins are acoustic or digital. Tigran's experimentations in acoustic
soloing are breathing new life into live performance of electronic
music. For example, his ability to acoustically recreate piano sounds
that so convincingly evoke digital techniques - sharp, crisp,
head-bumpingly repetitive - is, in my opinion, not only a testament to
his well-trained ear, but also a remarkable musical achievement. It's
a unique solution to the issues posed by performing music originally
conceived in the recording studio. We can be hopeful that Tigran will
continue digging deeper into this improvisational style in future
compositions.
The rest of the evening highlighted more recent compositions emerging
out of the band's rigorous rehearsal sessions. Following the show,
Tigran's skillful drummer and beat-maker, Arthur Hnatek, informed me
that, in addition to a heavy touring schedule, the band rehearses at
least two to three hours daily.
In constant search of his new sound, Tigran is totally fearless. When
asked about his tendency to feature unfamiliar music in live
performance, he answered that it was in the interest of developing his
style, which, he admits, is difficult to describe. I would argue that
the biggest shift in his compositional focus is rhythmic. Songs on his
older albums, while still rhythmically unconventional, are often
guided by well-crafted melodic ideas and follow more traditional,
bebop-style emphasis on forms and solos.
His new compositional style is not so dependent on traditional forms,
adopting a much freer jam session-inspired structure, which shifts
aggressively and quickly between contrasting textures and rhythms.
Tigran's experimentations on Thursday evening give us an idea of what
to expect in the near future. The band will begin recording a new
project in the next few days. But while his latest musical ideas may
not be the easiest stuff to tap your foot to, they are genuine
contributions to new music and definitely worth exploring, whatever
genre you're into.
http://oxfordstudent.com/2014/05/10/review-tigran-hamasyan-at-the-north-wall/
From: A. Papazian
May 10 2014
Review: Tigran Hamasyan at the North Wall
By Karine Vann on 10/05/2014
Karine Vann enjoys an evening of sonic exploration with the
acoustic-electronic experimentalist
On 1st May, Armenian-American musician Tigran Hamasyan and his trio
revisited the United Kingdom for the first time since his performance
at the 2013 London Jazz Festival last November. This time around it
wasn't London, but Oxford, that enjoyed the pleasure of his company.
In 2013, Tigran cemented his transition out of the bebop jazz genre
with his latest, genre-combining album, Shadow Theater. But it appears
releasing a new album has not slowed down the creativity of the
ambitious young pianist: in his concert at Oxford's North Wall Arts
Centre, most of his set consisted of music that is yet to be recorded.
Unlike the five-piece band he toured with at the London Jazz Festival,
the show's music was arranged for piano, bass, and drums, accompanied
occasionally by synths and other beat-making equipment. The opening
song, 'Drip', was an acoustic rendition of the version on Shadow
Theater, which makes use of sampling and mixing techniques. It was an
inspiring take on the original, and Tigran's improvisational moments
were a highlight in particular.
There are some sounds we take for granted in recordings, because it's
often impossible (for the untrained ear, at least) to tell if their
origins are acoustic or digital. Tigran's experimentations in acoustic
soloing are breathing new life into live performance of electronic
music. For example, his ability to acoustically recreate piano sounds
that so convincingly evoke digital techniques - sharp, crisp,
head-bumpingly repetitive - is, in my opinion, not only a testament to
his well-trained ear, but also a remarkable musical achievement. It's
a unique solution to the issues posed by performing music originally
conceived in the recording studio. We can be hopeful that Tigran will
continue digging deeper into this improvisational style in future
compositions.
The rest of the evening highlighted more recent compositions emerging
out of the band's rigorous rehearsal sessions. Following the show,
Tigran's skillful drummer and beat-maker, Arthur Hnatek, informed me
that, in addition to a heavy touring schedule, the band rehearses at
least two to three hours daily.
In constant search of his new sound, Tigran is totally fearless. When
asked about his tendency to feature unfamiliar music in live
performance, he answered that it was in the interest of developing his
style, which, he admits, is difficult to describe. I would argue that
the biggest shift in his compositional focus is rhythmic. Songs on his
older albums, while still rhythmically unconventional, are often
guided by well-crafted melodic ideas and follow more traditional,
bebop-style emphasis on forms and solos.
His new compositional style is not so dependent on traditional forms,
adopting a much freer jam session-inspired structure, which shifts
aggressively and quickly between contrasting textures and rhythms.
Tigran's experimentations on Thursday evening give us an idea of what
to expect in the near future. The band will begin recording a new
project in the next few days. But while his latest musical ideas may
not be the easiest stuff to tap your foot to, they are genuine
contributions to new music and definitely worth exploring, whatever
genre you're into.
http://oxfordstudent.com/2014/05/10/review-tigran-hamasyan-at-the-north-wall/
From: A. Papazian