‘Tigran Hamasyan’

The pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan lives and breathes music, drawing oxygen from jazz improvisations, progressive rock and music traditions from his home country of Armenia. The meditative albums for ECM or their kaleidoscopic successors at Nonesuch Records bear witness to his versatility. His latest LP, The Bird of a Thousand Voices (2024), was supplemented with a video game and multimedia performance. The winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition returns this fall with brand new music from his forthcoming as of yet unnamed early 2026 Naïve/Believe release. The new record will be compiled with just as much thought, and inspired by a range of influences. “Where so much contemporary jazz can be a dreary display of muscle memory, Tigran has found a way to keep improvisation fresh and lyrical,” The Guardian assures us.