Crescendo & Jazz Music Volume 38, Issue 5. England
Budding Talent by Chip Deffaa

You may not have heard of them yet. From diverse locations, these 20 - somethings have found their way to New York because it's the jazz capital of the world. They're striving to make their mark as members of jazz's rising generation. But if the general public doesn't yet know their names, they have been earning the respect of contemporaries in the business, with whispers of potential greatness. Here are some artists to watch: hot prospects on the current scene.

Tigran Martikyan knew nothing of jazz when , as a boy of 15, he turned on the TV in his native Armenia and watched the live coverage of American jazz piano master Dave Brubeck's historic trip to Moscow. Brubeck was helping open up the Soviet Union to the West, and young Martikyan watched, transfixed. " I remember it very well. When Dave Brubeck played ' Take Five,' that really moved me," Martikyan recalls. HE began trying to play the kind of , music he'd heard. "There were no schools for jazz in Armenia, no information of any kind," notes the self-taught musician.

Eventually his family was able to realize a long-held dream and move to America, where they could live in far greater freedom. In New York, Martikyan - who periodically performs today at the Cornelia Street Caf in Greenwich Village - was able to study with noted jazz pianist Dick Katz, who's worked with countless greats from Benny Goodman to Buck Clayton. Katz likes the way Martikyan brings " ethnic features from his culture" into the usual jazz mix. Katz adds: " In this day and age of cookie-cutter students, I've found him to be refreshingly individual." He has just released his first CD, " Tigran Martikyan at Recital - Live," intermixing standards like Moonlight in Vermont and Giant Steps with originals like Uncomfort and Moody.


New York Post Sunday, July 8, 2001
The Young Guns Of Jazz

Trumpeting the best of a new generation by Chip Deffaa You may not have heard much about them yet, but a new generation of musicians and singers has burst upon the jazz scene, all hoping to build on the legacy of past greats like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and John Coltrane. Showing early flashes of promise, these young guns - some of whom have yet to record am album - are considered hot prospects in the biz, earning respect from their contemporaries and whispers about potential greatness. Tigran Martikyan , 29, knew nothing of jazz when, at the age of 15, he turned on the TV in his native Armenia and watched the live coverage of American jazz piano master Dave Brubeck's historic trip to Moscow. "I remember it very well. When Dave Brubeck played 'Take five,' that really moved me," Martikyan recalls. Eventually, his family moved to America. In New York, Martikyan - who periodically performs at the Cornelia Street Caf - was able to study with Dick Katz, who's worked with many greats, from Benny Goodman to Buck Clayton.

The Armenian Reporter International, February 20, 1999

Rising Star, Jazz Pianist Tigran Martikyan New York, NY - Currently pursuing his Master's in Jazz Piano with Prof. Garry Dial, Tigran Martikyan is promising enough to have been granted a three-quarters scholarship to the prestigious Manhattan School of Music here. Out of hundreds of applicants, he was also one of five finalists chosen to compete at the 19th Annual Jacksonville Jazz Festival's Piano Competition Nov. 12th. The five judges including pianist Horace Silver ranked him forth, but he received enthusiastic applause from close 2,000 Floridians for his unique interpretations of "Nardis," "My One and Only Love," and "Joy Spring." Not bad for an Armenian-born graduate of Yerevan School of Music.

At 16, after a stint at Hollywood High School, he enrolled at Los Angeles City College, studying Jazz Combo and performing on and off campus in clubs and restaurants. He took eight honors in music performance and placed second in a song-writing competition at LA inner City Cultural Center in 1988. From 1994 he was awarded merit scholarships from Vartan Scholarships from USC Friends of Armenian Music. He received his BA in 1988. He has been awarded the Hilton Head Jazz Society 10th Annual Scholarship for 1998-99 and will be performing in concert at Hilton Head Island this spring. The engaging and versatile performer, who has played with six Armenian dance bands on and off since 1991, is a full professional who has participated as far away as Hawaii with USC jazz Big Band.

He recalls the first realization that jazz would be the road to his dreams and aspirations. He had seen a televised concert when Dave Brubeck played in Moscow at the time Martikyan was moving away from his cello and piano studies and experimenting jazz. Once in California, he became intrigued by Bill Evans and Chick Corea, among others. " Jazz," he says, "has allowed me to break barriers and touch the limits of traditional music...all the melodies of my childhood and culture began to integrate themselves in the music, fearlessly approaching other music forms like New Age, film and theater music. - J.S.