Art Voices

Popular in Armenia since 2005, the jazz band Art Voices has spent several years honing its sound, which some have described as a fusion of jazz and both traditional and folk Armenian music. Founders Artur Grigoryan (saxophone) and Manuk Ghazaryan (piano) have fought to find local and international exposure for the band, which also features Avag Margaryan (blul [the traditional Armenian woodwind instrument]), Edgar Avetisyan (bass), Hamlet Shaghoyan (guitar), Levon Puchinayan (trumpet), Pertch Nahapetyan (drums), and Vahram Davtyan (trombone). In 2006 Art Voices was in the “Soldiers of the Future” educational program, featured alongside stars such as Gary Crosby and Abraham Wilson.
While “Soldiers of the Future” was established and funded by the British Council of Armenia, this state-sponsored program has not been the only place where Art Voices has found an audience. In addition to several appearances in Armenian jazz clubs and on Armenian television, Art Voices has also appeared in such programs as the esteemed “Avant-garde folk club,” and in “Jazz Appreciation Month,” as well as at the Armenian International Jazz Festival in Yerevan. Art Voices has also performed for hundreds of fans in concerts in Moscow, and was awarded the Grand Prize at the Bucharest International Jazz Competition in 2009. Art Voices released its first ‘ethno-folk jazz’ album, in Armenia in 2009 and is currently working on a new album scheduled for an April 2010 release.