I’ve always been fascinated by the music of Tigran, the young and talented Armenian musician, but I must admit that not every one of his latest works impressed me in the same way. Honestly, a few of his recent productions left me a bit puzzled, maybe they were too conceptual for my musical tastes and not particularly enjoyable, at least in my humble opinion. But as soon as I started listening to his latest work, an album called An Ancient Observer, I was literally speechless. The album sees Tigran focusing primarily on the piano, and I personally feel that finally all the most beautiful aspects of his music have been collected together in a single place, a magical place.

From his website:

With pianist/composer Tigran Hamasyan, potent jazz improvisation fuses with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Turning 30 in 2017, he’s one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists of his generation. A piano virtuoso with groove power, Tigran’s latest adventurous project is 2017’s An Ancient Observer, his second solo album, his eighth overall as a sole leader, and his sophomore recording for Nonesuch. (Overall, this is his eighth recording as a sole leader.)

A couple of songs from An Ancient Observer have also been included in our recent Piano Jazz selection, which collects the best piano songs of the first months of the year and that is accessible from this mini-widget:

A few gems from the previous albums: