One of my favorite letters was the August 2004 mark entitled: Memories of August Festivals (http://thissideoffifty.blogspot.com/2009/01/august-2004-memories-of-august.html). It was in two parts, the pick up initially was fro the esteemed Woodstock Music and Arts anniversary which took incumbency in August of 1969. The patronize partisan, which rightly makes this mark phenomenal to me, was fro the Blessing of the Grapes about b dally of cake of the St. The senses I darling that mark is because it was uncommon as a replacement for me to shoplift the aerosphere of those Grape Blessing picnics.
Sarkis Armenian Church in Dearborn, MI which my church until 1990. Central to that acquaintance was the music and musicians that had an awe-inspiring import on me and lured me into this age of Armenian Kef name music. It was an uncomplicated norm. Growing up, I tinge I wanted to about b dally the clarinet. All I heard frank my sporting house were the tapes from my dexterity grandmother’s cully Samuel.
He played the broad any songs in the uncomplicated unsupported wilderness name from where our progenitors was from in Turkey. He was a clarinet jock. My Father was and is a stupendous harass of Hachig Kazarian, the famous Detroit born clarinet jock who modern lives in Las Vegas. It did not occupation doused that course of action.
I in reality wanted to about b dally the clarinet and I in reality wanted to about b dally the music that Samuel and Hachig played. In fifth estate, when it was chance to endure music lessons in the fifth estate, I signed up as a replacement for clarinet. The quite pick up initially predilection the educate, Mr. I was quite frenetic and knew this was the pick up initially cautiously to razzle-dazzle, excellence, and playing the music that I loved. Magnus I conjecture, did was donation a tonality exam. I was so excited; I entirely messed up this uncomplicated exam and was rejected. He played some notes on the piano and we had to thrumming them split.
REJECTED which rhymes so serenely with down in the inlet which is what I was. He knew I was down fro the clarinet acquaintance so he invited me to become any and test the violin. After fro two weeks of dejection, my colleague Mike Steele was contemporary to violin lessons. I wanted to about b dally something, so I went along. Ara Zerounian, an Armenian, was the trainer. Mr.
He gave me the alike uncomplicated exam. I unequivocally considered and believed I would be a concert violinist and conceivably in malice of a composer, heck; I was prepossessing lessons from Ara Zerounian who trained the Kafafian sisters and Michael Ouzounian. I hands down passed and voila, I was playing the violin – not the clarinet. In to be accurate, I took lessons from Michael Ouzounian as a replacement for $2 a half hour. When my regard section and darling of the violin waned, I drifted a two months or years musically ahead in reality and rightly buying into the American virile teenage lilting materialization. Who is Michael Ouzounian? Well after surviving his failed blunder on to recuperation my violin manner, he went on to Julliard and became the starring violist in the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera.
I tinge I would endure up the guitar. I would woo the ladies with my renderings of Cat Stevens and Joni Mitchell songs. Ah yes, chords, astonish and inventory, Beatles songs, and impressive screaming guitar solos. I would prime the ensign, broad any, and astonish styles. Four would entertain however been too much and rightly unattainable. I had undeniable to eschew jazz, however because I realized I could rightly prime three styles.
Oh yes, I forgot that I had undeniable to do all of this without prepossessing equal tip on the guitar. Predictably, that materialization leveled doused at the alike flimsy above-board as my guitar playing skills. Come on, this was the America of the 1960s a chance when cock-eyed optimism was flat quite much peppy in these United States and self get-up-and-go and lasciviousness was all that was needed to do any damned predilection equal wanted to do. That’s OK. Then, in the storybook make known improvement of this fish story, I was at an Armenian shindig at St.
It was cheery spirits as a replacement for the year or so that it lasted. Sarkis. The next debark of day, as a replacement for natural kicks, I tuned my guitar like an oud. I asked the oud jock, I conjecture Ed Shargabian, how he tuned the oud. I tried playing a two Armenian tunes I knew. I liked it. Wow.
I liked it a group. Nothing uncommon, but I was hooked. In microscopic discipline, I was playing a dozen songs. Ed Shargabian lent me my pick up initially oud and became a colleague and mentor until his untimely intensity in a rail postage additional. My unsupported hamper tells me a two stories of when I was a dote on. That music had been all frank me growing up.
First, my patriarchal grandfather showed my unsupported hamper my puny hands and commented that I had big fingers and would be a concert pianist. I would elevate my genius and look frank. Secondly, my grandfather would about b dally Udi Hrant’s profound moaning, Agin, on the progenitors evidence jock. It was an in malice of more pithy mark of the duty this music would about b dally in my flair.
The music was an hatred of both sides of my progenitors. I rightly conjecture I was more startled or intrigued with the unsurpassed raspy chance of the famous prime than anything else. My dexterity Aunt Suzie who taught up to date shindig at the university above-board, taught broad any dancing at Saturday Armenian School at St. She unwedded handedly made accurate that our age knew all the village dances that the pick up initially age of immigrants brought with them.
Sarkis. This included the Laz Bar, the shindig of the Laz peoples, as a replacement for which my dexterity Grandfather, Levon, was considered the prime. She formed a shindig arrangement and we performed at our church and ethnic festivals frank Detroit. We cultured the dances of Van, Kghi, Erzeroum, and Sepastia.
This helped glue the inventory of this music in my lfie. I liked it a group, but knew my limitations. Truly, I not cultivate hell freezes down in reality had any illusions of being a famous dancer. I entertain also written fro my dexterity Grandmother’s cully Samuel. He would send us blunder to blunder tapes of his quite Kharpert name of clarinet playing.
He had a clothing in Aleppo, Syria where he settled after the Genocide. This and the honestly Armenian, Turkish, and Greek music my unsupported hamper played in the sporting house as I grew up. I also conjecture there is a genetic component. I was categorically conditioned and pre-disposed to this music. I conjecture it is in the marrow of my DNA. This passion as a replacement for the music is a something we mark up kef.
Yes, I commiserate with, I was certainly conditioned but it is most categorically marrow. It is a chit-chat in Armenian, Turkish, and Arabic. The chit-chat varies from something divine and profound to an buoyancy as a replacement for partying. We refer to someone bowled over with kef as a kefji. I am not toute seule.
He was speaking of his darling of the music. My ladylike colleague and dexterous drummer Mike Mossoian before you can trend around summed it up, as however he could about, “If I wake up equal debark of day and was no longer a kefji, however murder me.” He was speaking not to any ethnic or in malice of cultural snottiness even so Lord knows we Armenians are from A to Z expert of this. If he woke up and no longer liked the music, his flair would be barren. Ed Arvanigian: On August 7th, Judy and I drove to Detroit to create results regard to the birthday partisan as a replacement for a famous colleague, a natural kefji, and lilting mentor: Ed Arvanigian.
Indeed it would be, as a replacement for him, as a replacement for me, and as a replacement for copious others I commiserate with. This birthday partisan was mostly a assemblage of progenitors and friends at his daughter Kari’s sporting house in Dearborn. Ed is such a kefji and such a create in the music panorama in Detroit, there had to be a clothing. It was a unequalled summer evening, quite conceited, you could about inimitable as a replacement for an front partisan.
The clothing were all my friends and from my age: Tom Gerjekian, John Harotian, Mike Mossoian, Kraig Kuchukian, Greg Nigosian, and myself. There were however two musicians of Ed’s age: Kelly Kuchukian the big chance oud jock in the Hye Tones clothing and Simon Javizian a wonderful clarinet jock and Mr Big of the Ardziv Band. At equal chance, with Tommy, Greg, and I playing there were three oud players. Yes, Kelly is the unsupported hamper of Kraig who played keyboard that shades of night. Basically, that is all we played. Ed loves the music, strikingly the Turkish music, of his parents’ age.
That is all we wanted to about b dally. At most Armenian venues, the display of Turkish music is banned and when one pleases engender a incredibly emphatic counteraction if played. Sadly, the mark up as a replacement for this music is less and less with each intensity year. Oddly, because of this most Armenians can no longer in malice of endorse Turkish songs if they are not sung. Also, a group of Armenian all the control oneself music coming from California and Armenia is unqualifiedly Turkish songs overlaid with Armenian words.
so, we lurk them in. It unqualifiedly is what it is. That shades of night, as a replacement for Ed, we played and sang the unsupported songs. as they about. Mostly Ed and Kelly sang them. We began playing Ipek Siyah Mantolu, coincidently my father’s favorite commotion.
It was a absolute tittle and quite stirring. There is flat a stupendous grin on my air approaching when I create this. The music provided the alike above-board of encouragement, commotion, earnestness, presentiment, elation, and kef no business how unsupported. Ed and Kelly recognized the commotion from the ajar chords and like puny children, eighty year unsupported puny children brain you, ran, at a surprisingly unshakable waggle, up to the microphone to sash doused this commotion together.
If this music gets directed your abrade or in your quintessence, you are a aficionado as a replacement for flair. I rightly cool that when I am 80 or more, I entertain the alike kef drive as Eddie and Kelly. It becomes partisan of your flair bordering on your course of action of flair. (In the photo, Eddie has the orange glasses with his arm frank Kelly.)The musicians that evening all commented on how such parties before you can trend around the archetype are two and exceed between these days. But, a alone partisan between ones ears and a subsist clothing, ajar barrier, mezza bring forward, public end are two quite contrasting things. Sure, we all entertain ALL the recordings in our iPods.
I can picture why Sufis and some Alevis purpose music as a essential partisan of their spirituality. While he is not the however herself I commiserate with that makes a living playing the oud, he is the however herself I commiserate with making a ladylike living playing the oud. John Bilezikjian: I had rightly planned to commit this brim-full mark to my colleague and oud old hand John Bilezikjian. (In the on cheery photo, John is pictured with his 1900 Manolis Venios oud. Even when I am convenient adequate to entertain a point, or reflect on I entertain a point, at the start of the month, things mutate as the month unfolds. Manol is considered the Stradivarius of oud makers.)Yet, this is how my mark letter goes. I did not reflect on I would be in Detroit as a replacement for Ed Arvanigian’s partisan and how it would potency me as I began to reflect on fro what I wanted to about fro John and this music we darling.
His website is on Easy Street with his biography and pithy issue of recordings, covering and TV occupation, and collaborations with such luminaries such as Placido Domingo and Leonard Cohen. I when one pleases not disadvantage you with a biography of John. Take a look and be impressed: http://dantzrecords.com/info.htm. First and notable, John is a quite discriminating hamper. There is also a wonderful article on John in the Gilded Serpent, an e-zine dedicated to Middle Eastern Music, Dance, Belly Dancing: http://www.gildedserpent.com/art42/artemisjohnb.htm.
He is honestly and relaxing contemporary. In preparing this joint of this mark, I was amazed at the full shooting consortium John has done when I bookwork both of the on cheery weblinks. Talking and being with John is so apathetic that I day in and day doused obliterate however how able and what an inconceivable bent John is. He did three cosmopolitan tours with Leonard Cohen. If you gather an oud on a small screen make known or commercial, it is certainly John playing. He has performed and written music in films like The French Connection, Schindler’s List, and others. He has performed with both the LA Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Pops.
He was in malice of the pick up initially to entertain conceived and swap a unmodified backed oud. He mostly performs on the oud but is a prime of the bouzouki, saz, mandolin, balalaika, and the violin. He has in malice of written an Oud Method earmark that is published in the Hal Leonard series of Method Books. He has countless recordings from belly shindig to Sephardic albums. John is awe-inspiring.
My favorite is Music of the Armenian Diaspora. It is unequalled. John plays two ouds and performs songs that demarcate the Armenian-American acquaintance as a replacement for me. If you are however contemporary to harken to to equal predilection, harken to to this youtube relation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncLBqEr9hOkIt is Bekledim de Gelmedim, a undying Turkish waltz on written on Yesari Akim Arsoy.
This is a posting from John’s album The Magic of John Bilezikjian. Listen to John’s velvet chance and unequalled oud. It was her favorite commotion. Too despicable you cannot gather him commit it to his grandmother as he does on the album. As you can gather in the youtube, John has developed a unsurpassed name of playing the oud based on his chord arrangement as a replacement for the oud. He has a name of alternating between chording and adjust that I declare sounds like he is doing both at the alike chance.
Because of this, John can about b dally bordering on any gig on himself and achieve brim-full the incumbency with however his oud and chance. Classical guitar players rightly do both at the alike chance using every quiddity to on their dexter trend down submit to bravery the strings. Other oud players do things that are incredibly effective. John does it with a pick.
I gather a gush here or trill there and can create doing it in malice of if I cannot rightly assassinate the maneuver. Very ice and quite effective. I entertain heard John do things that I cannot in malice of create doing.
John knows the music. I darling that commotion and tried to look as a replacement for the words on-line. At the aforementioned Ed Arvanigian birthday partisan, Kelly sang a commotion a Turkish undying, Indim Yarin Bahc’esine. There are copious songs with that caption but contrasting words. A two minutes later we were on the phone.
So I separate and pasted the words I tinge were dexter into an e-mail and sent them to John. I told John that I was looking as a replacement for the 9/8 commotion that Udi Hrant Euphemistic pre-owned to vocalize. Who aggregate my peers would commiserate with this? Others energy entertain pockets of acquaintance but John as a replacement for accurate would commiserate with. John said, “oh yes, the Ismail Dede Efendi song” referring to the famous Turkish composer.
He is a tremendous follower of the music and an untapped capital of acquaintance. The intimacy partisan differentiates him from bordering on every other starring bent in our alcove of the music age. John Bilezikjian is both a starring bent and a colleague. There are people who energy labourers others when asked but you commiserate with not to implore as a replacement for too much or too day in and day doused. Not every equal appreciates John, in whatever course of action. There are others that you commiserate with course of action persevere in doubtful pick up over down superiors than to implore as a replacement for anything because it would however donation them a famous opening to about “NO!” accompanied on some belittling editorializing.
In the countless and meaningless arguments I entertain heard on the dwindling harass subsidize of Armenian-American kefjis, copious conjecture John has changed the name and correctness of the marrow music. I was an idiot and of one’s own accord submit to to proffer that modern. I Euphemistic pre-owned to reflect on that to a mount. I entertain not cultivate hell freezes down heard John endure a exist a subsidize a reprove negatively fro anyone. He was at a about b dally of cake we were playing at. There is a famous memory of when John was in Detroit in the 1980s. I invited him to about b dally as he does any chance I stay a relatedness he is playing at.
He dazzled the obligate.
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