"SOME LIKE IT HOT"
Support A1+!Yesterday the representatives of 3 generations stood side by side and listened to the music which was mostly listened to while the oldest of them was young. In the frames of the program “Jazz days in Armenia” in the Aram Khachatryan music hall the Armenian Jazz band, the Armenian public radio and TV Big Band and the Jazz veterans played.
“I don’t like the word ‘veterans’. 35 years is not the age of a veteran. It’s better to say ‘people who have had their investment in the development of jazz in Armenia’ ”, said composer and conductor Martin Vardazaryan who had taken up the business of introducing the jazz veterans. The concert was devoted to the 35th anniversary of the activity of the Jazz veterans.
The jazz quarter created by Levon Malkhasyan became a laureate in the 1970 Kuybishev festival, and Levon Malkhasyan himself won the prizes of “The best piano player” and “The best national composition”. Martin Vardazaryan introduced him as a piano player who never learnt the notes.
As in Kuybishev 35 years ago pianist Levon Malkhasyan, saxophonist Alexander Zaqaryan, contrabass player Yervand Yerznkyan and drummer Armen Tutunjyan played together. After several performances Yervand Yerznkyan was replaced by Aksel Bakunts who a year before the historic festival – in 1969 – in the third competition of the Transcaucasian musicians had become a laureate.
At the end of the concert the jazz veterans promised that 35 years later they will play in the same hall with the same group. The audience did not really believe it by greeted them with applause.
Let us also add that the 4th festival «Jazz days in Armenia» was organized by the American Embassy in Armenia.
