Jazz Gigs, Telethons, and This Blog

Last week, I decided to step out of my recent cocoon of work and preparing for my Armenia trip by taking a cab to Rutman's Violins here in Boston for a jazz concert. The $13 cab fare covered the trek down Massachusetts Ave right next to Symphony Hall. Living in the unpolished section of Boston known as Dorchester sometimes has its advantages. The purpose this day was twofold- to relax and enjoy some live music and to talent scout an artist that has been on my radar for a few years.

Vardan Ovsepian is a Yerevan born pianist and composer who has recently drawn praise from the likes of Brad Mehdlau and Downbeat magazine as being an artist to watch in the coming years. After studying in Yerevan, Estonia, Helsinki, and Berklee College of Music (Masters Degree), Vardan recorded three critically acclaimed albums for Barcelona, Spain label Fresh Sound New Talent. A forth is being recorded right now with his chamber orchestra called VOCE (Vardan Ovsepian Chamber Orchestra) featuring percussion, drums, Celtic harp, two violins, cello, double bass, flute, duduk, and probably a few others I have forgotten about. Vardan and I have kept in touch over the years ever since I first started by own record label in 2001 and when my wife and I saw him in concert at Boston Conservatory. My interest in signing him to Pomegranate was ignited by his performance last month at Rutman's after hearing and seeing how far his music had progressed. It is no secret that my favorite album of 2005 was his "Akunc" on Fresh Sound.

After the April concert, I was able to get together with Vardan and discuss possibilities for his 5th album to be recorded for Pomegranate. We both seemed very enthusiastic about it and we are currently in negotiations. Last weeks concerts was similarly impressive. The venue, which is a violin makers shop was perfectly suited for the standing room only crowd which included mostly Berklee Music students, alumni of the school, dedicated Vardan fans, and a nice handful of local Armenians. Vardan's concerts usually bring out the most sophisticated Armenian Diaspora music enthusiasts and this concert was no exception. Mingling amongst such eclectic personalities is one of the joys of the after concert glow. After the show, the creator of Armenians and the Left as well as the co-creator of Armenstock Sevag Arzoumanian and his wife Alik (who did the cover of our Iakovos Kolanian "Shoror") were invited back to my house back in Dorchester where we talked about the concert and caught up with things. All in all, a great low key, yet, culturally rich evening in the Hub.

Over on the other side of the Cilicia blog, Arsineh has posted an interest thought that brought in some comments that made me think. With ANCA's recent telethon to raise money ($2.7) for their new DC building they recently purchased, it seems some readers have argued that this money would make more sense going directly to Armenia or "why bother" at all when Turkey has so much more at their disposal. Having seen the building myself the first day the ANCA moved in and knowing most of the ANCA staff such as Aram, Yeghso, Arsineh, etc, the amount of positive work they do with so little funds is astounding to me. Anyone who knows how politics works knows that in order to change policy (Genocide Recognition, Direct US aid to Armenia, etc), you have to play the political game with the big boys. Unlike some other self proclaimed Armenian Diasporan activists who work the bake sale tables and kebab stands at their local churches all while shunning getting involved directly in Armenia or in politics here in the US, the folks at the ANCA are the real deal and they form a nice tandem with other organizations such as the Armenian Assembly in raising awareness of Armenian issues in DC.

I think the popular notion floated around in blogs or in general comments is reality is that our Diasporan and non-Diasporan community can't walk and chew gum at once- that is support the US recognition of the Genocide and support organizations such as ANCA in their political goals AND directly get involved in immedate Armenian issues such as poverty and corruption. It is naive to think that Armenian Diasporans are so one dimensional. Of course, some are, but other certainly aren't. It's not an either/or proposition to either support issues that Diasporans champion or to help Armenia directly. You can do both, and it is done more often than critics realize. It's just not advertised.

Armenia Places 8th at Eurovision, Finland's Lordi Rules

According to the Eurovision website standings and some of the news wires, Armenia's Andre placed 8th at the 51 Annual Eurovision Contest. If I am not mistaken, there were a total of 24 participants at the finals. Considering this was Armenia's debut in the competition, hats off to Andre and his team. Of course, yours truly is not a huge fan of bubble-gum pop, but, I think it was a good first step that Armenia competed and showed strong. With over 100 million viewers watching, Armenia's entry is great marketing for the country. As I wrote in an earlier review, I thought Andre's music was just fine, and the lyrics very lame. The video was extremly good.

The absolutely hilarious shocker at the Eurovision Awards was the metal/goth rockers Lordi from Finland won the competition in an apparent protest vote throughout Europe. Perennial last place cellar dwellers, Finland, sent Lordi to Athens, Greece as Finnish Parlaiment members were aghast at how their public could allow Lordi to be their official entrant. In past years, the Finns didn't even take the contest seriously and sent the worst bands they could find. However, this year, Lordi won with the highest number of points ever recorded for a single country/act at Eurovision. That made Russia pissed and they claimed the show was rigged.

If you Google Lordi or Eurovision, you'll get the full story.

Naregatsi Art Institute and Sayat Nova Dance Company

I received an email today from Nareg Haroutounian, the founder of Naregatsi Art Institute, asking me to attend their function at ALMA this Sunday at 4pm in Watertown, MA entited "A Celebration of Peace, Education, and the Arts In Shushi, Nagorno Karabagh". Naregatsi Art Institute is a non-proft organization "dedicated to serving Armenia's existing cultural heritage through supporting Armenian contemporary artists and creating a forum in which the spirit of art and the common voice can resonate freely." I met Narek once in New York City in 2004 while speaking at an engagement at the Tufenkian Gallery on the release of our Karabagh CD on Pomegranate. I was immediately struck by his dedication and vision in creating a comfortable space for artists and musicians to share their art with audiences. Since the, he has gone on to open quite a hot spot in Yerevan where nightly events take place such as art gallery exhibitions and musical concerts. I will blog about it when my wife and I are in Armenia next month. Nareg has also been working toward a similar concept in Nagorno Karabagh. Interestingly enough, his family has acquired a swath of land in Karabagh and they are paying locals to move to this colony/village to repopulate the lands. It's remarkable work from a Diasporan who has gotten his hands dirty and decided to do something about issues he cares deeply about. Direct involvement with Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, with no complaints.

The other big news in this area is that Boston's very own Sayat Nova Dance Company is going to Armenia to perform at the Opera House in Yerevan sometime in early July 2006. They are a fixture here in Boston with leader Apo Ashjian a positive force in our community at the helm. Also, one of my close friends Josh Tevekelian will be accompanying them on the trip. Josh will also we with me and my wife for the wedding of our bash brothers, Aram Hajian. While some would question the expense of going to Armenia to perform, I believe it is a natural and positive step for the group. They did it in the 1990's, and now the group (I believe about 50 people) will return. Again, connecting the Diasporan group to Armenia directly is a win-win situation for everyone around. For many, this will be their first trip to the Homeland. Overcoming financial and artistic obstacles, the group has decided to step out of their Diasporan "comfort zone" by saving their money and working hard toward their rewarding upcoming journey. Many of them could have vacationed elsewhere this summer, but, instead they collectively decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

In both cases, Diasporan organizations and individuals have turned innovative thinking into a force for positive change in their own lives and perhaps in some small way, for the lives of others in Armenia. In both cases, they have solved the puzzle of the "Ultimate Diasporan Hypocracy". Instead of staying in Boston and doing the same old, same old, Sayat Nova Dance Company opted for a direct linkage to Armenia. For Narekatsi Arts Institute, it started with an idea how to help local artists and musicians in Armenia. And now, the idea has become a reality.

Countdown...May 28...and A Loss...

I'm going to make this one a short one...

Well, another month has passed... just one more until I head out to Armenia for the summer. Not very many projects going on this year, so I'm hoping to take the job-hunting more seriously this time (however, we will see).

The AYF has been planning one of the biggest May 28 celebrations since wayyyyyyyyyy back in the day! Next Sunday, they will be shutting down a few blocks of Little Armenia to put on a huge day-long festival! Cinco-de-Mayo WATCHOUT.... Mayis 28 is here! :) If you're going to be in town, make sure to go down and check it out.

Finally, I'd like to write a few sentences about a loss our community (or rather our "azk") had over the past weekend. Last summer, I casually met a young man who was part of the Hamazkayin Forum. I came to know him as the hayrenaser kid from the valley who had brought waaaaaay too many shoes to Armenia. Later, I found out that while I had been a teacher's aid at Ferrahian Elementary, I had met his mother who was a kindergarten teacher. Naturally, I said to myself, "Well no wonder he had turned out to be such a hayrenaser guy...his mom does this for a living. :)". Well, this past weekend Edwin Isaghoulian left our world after a tragic car accident. I know there are no words that will comfort loved ones who face such a loss... We have lost a fellow young Armenian who inspired so many others with his love of Hayrenik.... Asdvadz Hokin Lusavoreh.

Make each day count...
TSUH!

Artists, a Business Plan, and a Response

Yesterday was loaded with the past, present, and future. All of which is exciting. A quick conversation with Pomegranate Music's first recording artist, Gor Mkhitarian was a nice exchange as I caught up on his current music plans and we reflected that it was almost 5 years ago to the day that we met in Yerevan and decided to make an album. It launched his career and my record label. A mutual benefit for both of us. This trip to Armenia five years ago was also the first time I met Raffi Kojian and began a series of blog postings as a guest artist on this very blog. I was asked to become a regular shortly thereafter and share my thoughts.

A quick check of our Lilit Pipoyan recording in Yerevan via a phone call confirmed that the recording is finished, except for the mixing and mastering. We are now trying to figure out the best time to release the album as it now looks like a Fall 2006 release with some concerts here and there. The big news is that I have booked her at a major Armenian event that happens in January every year where her exposure will be maximized. Can't say what it is yet officially. But, people will be pleasantly surprised.

YerazArt continues to be interesting and quite rewarding. Now that our concerts are done here in the East Coast and the kids went back to Armenia, my job is to formuate a long range plan in helping similar talented children in Armenia achieve mutual goals of continueing their musical education in Armenia and giving them exposure here in the US and in Europe through these concerts we help develop. As such, I am ready to present a business plan to my bosses and the co- founder of YerazArt either this week or next. In it, there is a multi-tiered plan to emphasize the direct link between our Diaspora and the kids in Armenia. When I am in Yerevan next month for the business part of my trip, I will be solidifying our presense there with our Armenian counterparts and look to film promotional material for a DVD we are looking into producing to market our young and talented kids.

Finally, I would like to respond to some recent comments regarding my blog. As a general unspoken rule of blogging etiquette here on cilicia.com, it is customary not to personally attack other fellow bloggers out of respect for their freedom to express opinons. We all have different opinions based on our life experiences and the spectrum is interesting to read. If non-bloggers want to comment and go for the jugular, be my guest. I have done it myself on other blogs, so, it isn't a big deal to me. Each one of us bloggers has the option to turn off the comments section and allow for our posts to go unchallenged. However, I do not believe in that path most of the time since if a writer is going to say something controversial, he or she should stand behind it and let the dialogue flow freely. I have decided for the latter since it is better to have a discussion of issue rather than mute them.

An Open Letter to Our Very Dear Raffi M.

I just finished reading a very interesting post by Raffi Meneshian entitled “The Trip Ahead”. In it, Raffi has taken the liberty to question, maybe even challenge the Armenian Diaspora, and their “hypocrisy”…


Dear Raffi,

I come to you today as an Armenian, living in the Diaspora (Toronto, Canada to be exact). I am a “kebab-eating” young fellow, who is “very passionate about [his] Armenian identity…”. Yes, I do “go to church”, “attend political party meetings” and ultimately "do the right thing because it is [my] sense of duty for Armenia"…Yet I get blamed because of all this?...I mean, coming from a community (a very young community, by the way) which has developed itself in Toronto by founding many churches, schools and community centers, I have always had one mindset, and one mindset only…All of this (the schools, the churches, the community centers) is just a way to preserve our culture, on these “odar”, non-native lands. Ever since I was about 6, I have had one thing in mind, and that has been to one day return to my homeland for good...Come on...It's not like we chose to live outside of our homelands. We were forced out of our historic lands, and if it wasnt for that, I definitely wouldn't be calling Canada home today. I mean, I don’t exactly know how your community functions, but here in Toronto, we do all of this as a means to keep our “Armenian-ness” alive in our youth, to always protect the rights of Armenians, and stay true to the “Armenian Cause”. And to get blamed for all of this just seems to be a bit obscure…We, in Toronto, have done everything possible to ensure that the future of Armenians is in good hands. I mean, without keeping the Armenian youth intact with their cultural heritage in the Diaspora, how do you ever expect them to return to their historic lands? We go through hell trying to promote our cultural values, and yet you call this a “comfort zone”? Let me tell you one thing Raffi, this is DEFINITELY is not a comfort zone. It is not exactly an easy job to do all of this… Sorry, I might be “Genocide recognition minded” and maybe even a bit “gullible”, but by attending Armenian school and taking part in various Armenian organizations, I am still doing my small part to keep the Armenian culture alive here in Canada…And by the way, I have “stepped-foot” in Yerevan, on a few occasions…And I agree with you, that merely visiting, having a good time, and showing friends and family photographs of the trip, isn’t exactly helping the cause in Armenia; however, this doesn’t give you, or anyone else the right to bash Armenians of the Diaspora. We are all doing our part today, so we can one day express our culture freely on our own lands…

Wait a minute, why am I even wasting my time…I mean, I’m here trying to convince a guy who has already taken the first step in losing his Armenian heritage by marrying a non-Armenian…Think of it this way…Your children will only be “half-Armenian”…right?!? And if they end up marrying a “non-Armenian” like their father did, their kids will only be considered “quarter-Armenians”, and so on…Wow, I really love your approach in preserving the Armenian culture…Quite interesting!


Sincerely Yours,

Rupen Janbazian

The Trip Ahead

While things continue with YerazArt here in Boston, I have one eye on our trip to Armenia coming up soon. My wife just applied for her Visa and we are getting mentally ready to hit Yerevan in about three weeks. We are going for a wedding of a close friend of ours and have decided to take the time to celebrate our wedding anniversary as well. I've decided to set aside any music related business for later and just sightsee with her and enjoy the company of friends during our stay in Armenia together. After our week or so together there, I will most likely end up staying in Yerevan for another two to three weeks to take care of YerazArt work. It will be interesting to hear my wife's perspective on her first trip to Armenia. Given she is a black Haitian American woman, I will be interested in how local Armenians react to her. Should be fascinating to say the least.

While Pomegranate remains an "after hours" music hobby (a serious one, though) and YerazArt becomes my full time profession, I am comfortable in my arrangement of spending an extended time in Armenia to pursuit my work. It's a nice balance. While I still become annoyed at all of the Diasporan bashing that goes on in the blogs, especially from people who just can't relate to the uniqueness that binds us Armenians, I am starting to see a strange pattern to the Diaspora experience. And, it does bother me.

In the last couple of months, I have decided to look at my fellow Diasporans from the "Diasporan Bashing" point of view. Basically, I have put myself in the mindset of those who feel that the majority of Diasporans are well intentioned, Genocide recognition minded, gullable, and freespending citizens who like to come to Armenia as their Mecca and then go back home and call it an experience. Never to return, and only to show pictures to their friends and family that they went to this and that church and eat kebab with this persons uncle and so on. I see their point, to a certain extent.

There are others still who are very passionate about their Armenian identity, go to church, attend political party meetings, "do the right thing because it is their sense of duty for Armenia" and have never even step foot inside Yerevan or the surrounding areas. When I confront these people as to why they haven't been to Armenia to see first hand if the fruits of their labor have actually gone anywhere- some of whom are close friends and even family- the answer is stunning. Quite simply, the answer is "no". This to me is the ultimate Armenian Diasporan hypocracy. It's time for Diasporans to move out of their "comfort zone". With so many resources, connections, goodwill, and intelligence, I can't see why we can't put more focus on Armenia itself. And when I say Diasporans, I also mean Hayastansi's who have recently settled here in the Diaspora as well.

So, a blanket statement of this nature is very easy to write. Complaining is easy, bitching is easy. The hard part comes in formulating a plan or following through on an idea in our community. Take a look around the room or park next time you have a dance or kebab festival and ask yourself, "is this the best we can do improve the situation in Armenia directly?"

Long Time...No Post!

Okay…I know I’ve been pretty silent for the past while…Sorry. A lot has been going on Toronto, but things have just been a little too hectic, so I haven’t had much time to post anything up. As I had mentioned before, I went to New York for the “Armenians and the Left” conference organized by the ARF, however, I got really ill in NY so I ended up staying in my hotel room the entire weekend, and missed the entire conference (except for Robert Fisk’s lecture on Friday night…which was awesome!)…So after getting back from New York, most of the time, we were working on the various Genocide events which were happening around here. OF course, as you all know, Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, formally recognized the Armenian Genocide…(This was the first time a Canadian Prime Minister had used to word Genocide…) As for the events: On April 21st, the annual Candlelight Vigil took place, which is organized by all the different Armenian youth organizations in Toronto. On April 23rd, the annual Genocide commemoration took place at the Armenian Community Center of Toronto, where many Members of Parliament and other political figures showed up to pay their respects. And of course, on the 24th, busses from Toronto, Montreal, Laval, and Cambridge, headed to Canada’s capital, Ottawa, for the yearly demonstration (about 800-1000 people were present). All the events went very, very well (Park Asdoudzoh)…Well, April is over, but now we have to worry about other upcoming events, such as the A.R.F. Y.O.C. Annual Barahantess, which is taking place on May 27, 2006 (May 28-ee aritov)…



As of Tuesday, there will be exactly a month left until school is finally over…wow…The four years of high school really flew by….Anyways, I can’t wait until school is done! Guh desnveenk!

We're Expecting (More CD's)

The schedule has been busy and dizzy. Aside from normal YerazArt duties, the Pomegranate side of things has been active. The materials for our new Iakovos Kolanian classical guitar CD, "Bohemio: Guitar Masterworks of Agustin Barrios" was just approved by the CD manufacturing company and we are ready to have CD's in hand in about three weeks. Furthermore, we have another CD due out soon as well in the name of "Notes from Vanadzor: Urban Armenian Rock" by the band Lav Eli. (Gor Mkhitarian's old Vanadzor band). This will be Pomegranate's 8th and 9th CD release with a 10th of Lilit Pipoyan's due out this Fall. 10 albums in 5 years. I can't believe time flies like this.

Those interested in my trip to Greece will finally see some of the photos in the "Bohemio" CD our photographer Kevork Imirzian took that made it into the booklet. The Kolanian tour will occur in October/Nov 2006. Our confirmed dates include:

Washington, DC- October 27, 7:30pm- Epiphany Church DC
New York, NY- October 29, 2pm- Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Boston, MA- November 4, 7:30pm- Longy School of Music, Cambridge

We have a show in Vancouver, BC Canada being worked on for the October weekend of the 20th. Toronto and Montreal are still available if any person/organization is interested up there. Also, we have a Hollywood, CA show close to being confirmed for the October weekend of the 13th.

This Iakovos Kolanian Concert Tour will include works of three major composers: Greek legend Mikis Theodorakis (commissioned by Theodorakis), Paraguayan guitar hero Agustin Barrios, and the Armenian icon Komitas Vartabed. It is already being considered one of the most intriguing classical guitar programs for 2006 by most classical music afficionados. The shows will be produced by Pomegranate Music in support of our "Bohemio" album. Most theaters will be intimate with under 400 seats available. I will pass on ticketing info as we progress.

Aside from the obvious commercial reasons I am posting this log is due to the fact that once again the works of Komitas will be featured on classical guitar into the general mainstream classical music listening public. This rare appearance by Greek Armenian classical guitar master Iakovos Kolanian is important in that it will introduce Armenian music via classical guitar to the general music mainstrean listening public. These are Kolanian's own transciptions that have been hailed as a milestone by people such as Mikis Theodorakis, Atom Egoyan, and musicians in the field.

BOHEMIO: Guitar Masterworks of Agustin Barrios will be available on CD August 1, 2006 and on Apple iTunes on October 3, 2006.

Final Diaspora Post

Okay, I'm sorry it took so long to share my "surprise" with you all, since at this point most people already know about it. Well, I'll start with the build up. For a long time now, System of a Down has been requesting a meeting with Speaker of the House Rep Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to pressure him into putting the Genocide Resolution to a vote. The status now is that the Resolution exists and has enough support in Congress to pass. The reason it is being stalled is that the Speaker will not call for a vote. As I posted before, this is the same man who was responsible for pulling Sectionn 907 in 2000 after getting paid off by the Turks up to $500,000 according to Sibel Edmonds' story in Vanity Fair (September 2005). When the Schiff amendment was passed last September, Hastert lashed out at him for raising the issue in an inappropriate manner. It was the number 1 item on his website the next day.

When System was performing in Chicago, they decided to participate in a protest infront of Hastert's district office in Batavia, IL to request a meeting with the Speaker to discuss the matter. This was last Fall. Since, the ANCA and System have worked together to communicate with Hastert's office and has received little to no response. Essentially, they were brushed off.

Fastforward to last week, as Serj and John were in DC for their 3-day campaign, they hoped to meet with Hastert then, but were denied a meeting yet again. During a morning radio interview at a local rock radio station, the DJ raised the issue and Serj basically shared how the Speaker has not allowed for a meeting.

Instead, Serj and John continued to meet with various Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. After a good visit with Senator Allard, the chief of staff was kind enough to escort us to the next meeting through the private underrail and also give a brief tour of the Capitol along the way. We entered the Captiol dome where tourist swarmed and began to recognize Serj and John. We continued into the next room as the guys looked around and they drew more attention. We continued, only to realize we went the wrong way. We went back into the room we came from where tourists still gawked at the duo. Who do we see, none other than Speaker Hastert posing for a photo with a group of high school students. John instinctively went in for the kill and introduced himself to the Speaker as Serj followed cornering him in the middle of the room. They introduced themselves as members of System of a Down and asked if he had received the letter requesting a meeting they had sent. He "didn't recall at the time" so Serj continued to raise the issue of the resolution and urged the Speaker to pass the resolution to a vote. The Speaker listened to their concerns for a bit, but then eventually grunted and cordially brushed off the two. This all took place in the midst of fan frenzie. I couldn't have made this story up if I tried.

So there it is, the highlight of my week. The moral of the story, Hastert, you can't get away from us. We are lurking in the halls, we are watching your every step. We are listening to your wiretaps, we are here to call you out. When I say "we", I don't mean Serj and John, I don't mean ANCA, I don't mean Armenian Americans alone. When I say "we", I mean people of conscience. It's time to bring justice to this issue and for America to represent true humanity. PASS THE RESOLUTION TO A VOTE!