Vardan Ovespian@Vibrato’s 01.20.10
By George W. Harris

You probably haven’t heard of this pianist, as he’s fairly new in town,
just having arrived from the Least Coast a couple of months ago. He
delivered a solo performance at Herb Alpert’s swank jazz dinner club,
and brought the conversant audience to a hush with his intriguing and
distinct piano style. Hailing from Armenia, his music combined the
modern jazz sensibilities of Jarrett and Mehldau on tunes like “Autumn
Leaves” and “There Is No Greater Love,” but an Eastern European agony
crept into these pieces which cast an intriguing and penetrating light
on the standards. Even more alluring was his original “Dreaming Paris”
and the Russian Composition “Barber Of Siberia” which included deep
hued romance and passionate brooding like a Dostoevsky novel, segueing
from the pensive melodies to the ruminating solos. His touch on the
piano during a piece like the Brazilian “Despedia” displayed his
Chopinesque clarity, while hints of Evans and Tatum crept in on his
explorative left hand. His music successfully melds classical chamber
music and modern jazz similarly to Billy Childs, but with more of a
Tolstoy bent. Look for this guy’s material, and find him next time he
clubs around.