Photo of Armen Chakmakian

Armen Chakmakian

Music

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Album: Caravans
Released: Nov 15, 2005
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General Info

  • Genre: Experimental / Indie / Nu-Jazz

    Location Los Angeles, California, Un

    Profile Views: 44457

    Last Login: 2/20/2013

    Member Since 7/2/2005

    Website www.armen.tv

    Record Label TruArt Records <-(my label)

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    TO CORRESPOND WITH ME, PLEASE EMAIL ME VIA MY WEBSITE AS I DON'T SIGN INTO MYSPACE OFTEN YOU WILL FIND MY WEBSITE LINK UP AND TO THE LEFT BIOGRAPHY "For as long as I can remember there was always music in our house while I was growing up. One of my brothers introduced me to the Big Band sound at an early age and the other introduced me to rock & roll. My sister plays classical piano and my parents always had Armenian and Arabic music playing on the stereo," remembers composer/keyboardist/producer, Armen Chakmakian... A prodigy with a gift for playing by ear, Armen's musical education was extensive. A native of Glendale, California, he attended Berklee College of Music, UCLA and USC where he studied the "History of Armenian Music". Also, he studied jazz with John Novello, a world acclaimed music educator, and learned improvisation from keyboardist, Chuck Wild of Missing Persons fame and composer of the Liquid Mind stress-relief music series. Soon he found himself embarking on a successful career in Hollywood performing, composing and arranging for singer/songwriters with former Rick James' Stone City Band members, Richard and Lorenzo Shaw... Next up, Chakmakian formed his own jazz-fusion ensemble whose members graduated to stellar careers playing for hit makers, Shadowfax, Strunz & Farah, Kitaro, Jon Anderson (from Yes), The Rippingtons and some of the biggest pop artists of our time including Sting, Bonnie Raitt, The Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Patti Labelle... In 1991, the break of a lifetime occurred when Armen joined the ..GRAMMY� Award-winning band, Shadowfax.. as the keyboardist. The following year, the album, ..Esperanto.. co-written by Chakmakian was nominated for a GRAMMY as Best New Age Album of 1992. Following Esperanto was ..Magic Theater.., ..Shadowfax Live.., and a 90-minute concert video of the Live album. The next five years were spent co-writing, recording and touring with Shadowfax and were instrumental in shaping Armen's signature keyboard stylings... A new era began in 1998 when he founded TruArt Records. Armen's debut solo album, ....Ceremonies.... was released that year to rave reviews and ..debuted 1.. on the New Age/World radio charts (NAV Top 50). Airplay was received on over 600 stations worldwide. Two tracks from Ceremonies were featured on the European compilation CD series, ..Buddha-Bar I & IV.., and have to date sold over 700,000 units... In 2004, Armen's second solo album, ....Caravans.... was released and showcases the artist's growth as a composer/producer with its spontaneous performances. While he continues to man his independent label, he also enjoys playing with other groups including a South American tour with ....Saltimbanco...., ..Cirque du Soleil's.. flagship show and contributing songs to film and television projects... As an artist, Armen Chakmakian continues to break new ground and explore new territory with his inventive and dramatic compositions.
  • Members

    ..Armen Chakmakian.... Piano, Keyboards, Percussion.. ..(Shadowfax, Buddha-Bar).. .. ......My music also features these world-class musicians:.......... ..John Bilezikjian.... Oud, Violin.. ..(Leonard Cohen, Ofra Haza, Placido Domingo).... ..Alex de Grassi.... Acoustic Guitars.. ..Djivan Gasparyan.... Duduk, Zurna, Vocals.. ..Doug Lunn.... Electric Bass.. ..(Mark Isham, Peter Buffet, Andy Summers).... ..Andy Abad.... Acoustic & Electric Guitars.. ..(Shadowfax, Marc Anthony, Bonnie Raitt).... ..Martin Flores.... Drum Set, Percussion.. ..(Paulina Rubio, Joan Sebastian).... ..Andre Harutyunyan.... Percussion.. ..(Vas, Axiom of Choice).... ..Gilbert Levy.... Percussion.. ..Susan Chakmakian.... Vocals.. ..Greg Ellis.... Percussion.. ..(Vas).... ..Stu Nevitt.... Drums Set, Percussion.. ..(Shadowfax)......
  • Influences

    I've fused the music from different cultures, primarily Western styles, Armenian, Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, North and West African, with a hint of jazz and progressive rock thrown in for good measure. As far as my influences, I've always loved to listen to Chick Corea, Peter Gabriel, Mozart, Erik Satie, U.K., Eddie Jobson, The Beatles and Elton John to name a few...
  • Sounds Like

    Hmmm...good question. I don't know who else I sound like. I work hard to have my own sound and not sound like anyone else. If you know any bands or artists that sound like my music, let me know. I'd love to hear!

Stream

  1. Armen Chakmakian

    I love Dropbox because easiest storage app I've used so far. http://t.co/A6sWkCmcr9

  2. Armen Chakmakian

    98 YEARS AGO TODAY, APRIL 24, 1915: 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals in Constantinople... http://t.co/jlkfQoy8bR

  3. Armen Chakmakian

    I accidentally took this photo with my phone. Then started to wonder how my life would've turned out without... http://t.co/auPjciJP8S

  4. Armen Chakmakian

    I accidentally took this photo with my phone. Then started to wonder how my life would've turned out… http://t.co/IE5xeUIVAj

  5. Armen Chakmakian

    On site shooting a music video for the Shawn Jones Band. http://t.co/AsFuEtIyZH

Comments

Post a comment...
  • Lilith Lilith

    love that ceremonies!

    2 years ago
  • Lilith Lilith

    thanks a lot for adding,
    hi,

    2 years ago
  • NOEGO

    Ciao! Ecco il programma dettagliato del Jazz:Re:Found, con artisti, orari e stage: clicca qui Se non doveste riuscire ad aprire il link, copiate e incollate sul vostro browser il seguente URL: www.jazzrefound.com/LINEUP_2010.pdf Hi! This is the Jazz:Re:Found definitive program: click here If you're not able to open the link, you can copy & paste in your browser the following URL: www.jazzrefound.com/LINEUP_2010.pdf

    3 years ago
  • Lone corneliussen




    I would like to invite you to be my friend at Yournight. .
    This site is just 3 months old and has 50,000members worldwide,
    already. It is growing FASTER than Facebook did
    in the beginning as well, and has features
    ofTwitter,Linkedin,Facebook Myspace, Match.com and a blogging site ...dating- all in one!
    ....To j...oin go to:
    http://www.yournight.com/lone-corneliussen

    Before you go making any decisions, though, you should check this site:

    http://exploreyournight.com/I would be honored if you would join my YourNight network,
    and I assure you, you will NOT be disappointed!

    See you at YourNight.Lone corneliussen
    facebook lone corneliussen denmark

    3 years ago
  • Keith Holyoak

    I'm happy to announce 'My Minotaur' a new publication of my original poems with engaging ink illustrations by Jim Holyoak

    keithholyoak.com

    3 years ago
  • Sweet The Sound

    Hey, thanks man! You guys and Shawn rocked the house! It was a blessing for us to watch you play. Let us know if youre ever in Phoenix and need a place to stay or anything!

    3 years ago
  • ShamanStrings

    Hi Armen Chakmakian ... connect to our page for 3 new creations: 'Time and Space' with a live guitar and hand drums; next new keyboard strings and Video Art "key2reality" and 8 min. "Book of Roots" with the Sitar (song from New Year's Eve)

    (youtube shamanstrings 4 HD)
    also hear “Ground the Countdown” w sitar from New Year’s Eve let us know what you think...
    ;= )

    3 years ago
  • HOOKAH MAMA

    ՄԵՐՑԻ

    3 years ago
  • iDolphin

    How music comes to life in film... or how one of our instrumentals found a new life in a film about San Francisco For the whole story, check out our latest blog or visit www.vimeo.com/10148100

    3 years ago
  • ShamanStrings

    Hi Armen Chakmakian ... go to our page for our "Circles and Squares" New Years Eve Video
    C imagery from da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, the Mayan Dresden Codex
    (see youtube shamanstrings 4 HD)
    Tell us what you think...
    ;= )

    3 years ago
10 of 522More

Bio:

TO CORRESPOND WITH ME, PLEASE EMAIL ME VIA MY WEBSITE www.armen.tv
(I do not frequent myspace.com)

BIOGRAPHY "For as long as I can remember there was always music in our house while I was growing up. One of my brothers introduced me to the Big Band sound at an early age and the other introduced me to rock & roll. My sister plays classical piano and my parents always had Armenian and Arabic music playing on the stereo," remembers composer/keyboardist/producer, Armen Chakmakian.

A prodigy with a gift for playing by ear, Armen's musical education was extensive. A native of Glendale, California, he attended Berklee College of Music, UCLA and USC where he studied the "History of Armenian Music". Also, he studied jazz with John Novello, a world acclaimed music educator, and learned improvisation from keyboardist, Chuck Wild of Missing Persons fame and composer of the Liquid Mind stress-relief music series. Soon he found himself embarking on a successful career in Hollywood performing, composing and arranging for singer/songwriters with former Rick James' Stone City Band members, Richard and Lorenzo Shaw.

Next up, Chakmakian formed his own jazz-fusion ensemble whose members graduated to stellar careers playing for hit makers, Shadowfax, Strunz & Farah, Kitaro, Jon Anderson (from Yes), The Rippingtons and some of the biggest pop artists of our time including Sting, Bonnie Raitt, The Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Patti Labelle.

In 1991, the break of a lifetime occurred when Armen joined the GRAMMY® Award-winning band, Shadowfax as the keyboardist. The following year, the album, Esperanto co-written by Chakmakian was nominated for a GRAMMY as Best New Age Album of 1992. Following Esperanto was Magic Theater, Shadowfax Live, and a 90-minute concert video of the Live album. The next five years were spent co-writing, recording and touring with Shadowfax and were instrumental in shaping Armen's signature keyboard stylings.

A new era began in 1998 when he founded TruArt Records. Armen's debut solo album, Ceremonies was released that year to rave reviews and debuted 1 on the New Age/World radio charts (NAV Top 50). Airplay was received on over 600 stations worldwide. Two tracks from Ceremonies were featured on the European compilation CD series, Buddha-Bar I & IV, and have to date sold over 700,000 units.

In 2004, Armen’s second solo album, Caravans was released and showcases the artist’s growth as a composer/producer with its spontaneous performances. While he continues to man his independent label, he also enjoys playing with other groups including a South American tour with Saltimbanco, Cirque du Soleil's flagship show and contributing songs to film and television projects.

As an artist, Armen Chakmakian continues to break new ground and explore new territory with his inventive and dramatic compositions.

..

Member Since:

July 02, 2005

Members:

Armen Chakmakian
Piano, Keyboards, Percussion
(Shadowfax, Buddha-Bar)

My music also features these world-class musicians:

John Bilezikjian
Oud, Violin
(Leonard Cohen, Ofra Haza, Placido Domingo)

Alex de Grassi
Acoustic Guitars

Djivan Gasparyan
Duduk, Zurna, Vocals

Doug Lunn
Electric Bass
(Mark Isham, Peter Buffet, Andy Summers)

Andy Abad
Acoustic & Electric Guitars
(Shadowfax, Marc Anthony, Bonnie Raitt)

Martin Flores
Drum Set, Percussion
(Paulina Rubio, Joan Sebastian)

Andre Harutyunyan
Percussion
(Vas, Axiom of Choice)

Gilbert Levy
Percussion

Susan Chakmakian
Vocals

Greg Ellis
Percussion
(Vas)

Stu Nevitt
Drums Set, Percussion
(Shadowfax)

Influences:

I've fused the music from different cultures, primarily Western styles, Armenian, Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, North and West African, with a hint of jazz and progressive rock thrown in for good measure. As far as my influences, I've always loved to listen to Chick Corea, Peter Gabriel, Mozart, Erik Satie, U.K., Eddie Jobson, The Beatles and Elton John to name a few.

Sounds Like:

Hmmm...good question. I don't know who else I sound like. I work hard to have my own sound and not sound like anyone else. If you know any bands or artists that sound like my music, let me know. I'd love to hear!

Record Label:

TruArt Records <-(my label!)

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