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Artists 2001 The Armenian Navy Band - Armenia Armenia does not lie by the sea. But the Armenian Navy Band has a captain who is convinced that people who trust each other can navigate a ship together and go anywhere they want to in the world. Even without water. The captain’s name is Arto Tuncboyaciyan and he has travelled far. He comes from an Armenian family and he grew up just outside of Istanbul in Turkey. As a child he played in his older brother’s band that played traditional music. He started on the cowbell and quickly became a driven percussionist. As a teenager he played in the rhythm section for many popular artists and thousands of studio recordings. He hadn’t really thought about being Armenian before his military service. During two tough years he was humiliated because of his ethnic background – he, who thought of himself as a citizen of the world, through his music. He went to The US where he drummed his way to the big league. He has played with Chet Baker, Don Cherry and Joe Zawinul. Two years ago he formed this eleven-piece-band and made his way towards the Armenian coast which doesn’t really exist. The members of the group all have their roots in Armenia and they play everything from the ancient wind instrument, zurna, to soprano saxophone, from zither to keyboards. Arto writes most of the music and he calls it "avant-garde folk music". He steers the ship standing in the captain’s navigation bridge, which is filled with frame drums, bongos, bells, wood blocks and his patented copper drums, bakdav. What does it sound like? Big! – Just like the ocean itself! | Thursday main Stage 19.00 |
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