Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Blues is....

The last two or three weeks I have been really overloaded. Besides the work a couple of minor tasks have been added, quite nervous and also requiring constant control over them. One of the major projects was the participation in the Hovik Gulishyan's "Back to the roots" project. In early April, Hendo called on me and told about the plans of the Armenian Blues Association to bring this project to life. Mesrop (who was also invited to participate in the project) and I agreed, and on April 13, two days before Hovik's arrival to Armenia, we gathered together for our first rehearsal.

Soon it became clear that our "rock-way-of-thinking" is dissonant with the rules adopted in the blues, which we did not know. The first joint rehearsal in Ulikhanyan Club on Monday has revealed the strengths and weaknesses of our line-up. On Tuesday, we tried to go through the whole program, trying not to linger long on mistakes, if possible, but spotting them out. Each of us have had weak places that by the end of the second joint rehearsal (which included Suren Arustamyan) were quite clearly delineated. Only one rehearsal left then....

After the last rehearsal on Wednesday, we felt a deep contact with each other, which granted us with some confidence and peace of mind, that was necessary in order to start this little tour with the concert at Mezzo Classic House-Club, one of the most considerable venues in our city. It was really a serious challenge for everyone: for us, the "rockers" in the blues, for Hovik, an experienced blues-man among the hot heads, for Vahan Danielian, who took full responsibility for everything.

To our mutual deep joy, the concert was a success. Many words of gratitude have been said and lot of good reviews were heard on that night, but we knew that the next day was to be even "hotter". Friday's concert took place at the club 26 Irish Pub, one of the most popular venue among our blues-men. Despite the pouring rain at the end of the day, the room was crammed with a very appreciative audience, and our performance was quite calm and vivid.

We liked the joke when we said we will have two more opportunities to rehearse before the last gig in Ulikhanyan Club-th - in Mezzo and in Irish Pub. Jokes aside, this Saturday night some unquenchable fervour really burned in us with which we were infecting full packed hall with of good mood and cheerfulness for more than two hours. Impact was enormous. After playing two planned sets, we began the third one, almost entirely improvised. Artak Nersissian, Suren Arustamyan, Khachatur Armenyan joined us and added even more spice to the main dish.

Towards the end, another amazing encounter took place. In between of our jam-session numbers a swarthy and not so tall man approached the stage; I recall I met him a couple of times in the city. He asked if he could join the jam. Vahan told him something, and he sat on the edge of the stage and began to uncover... his saxophone! Before the next number we asked in what key it would be convenient for him to play. When we started our "Rock 'n' Roll Madness in G", the man who had been modestly waiting for his turn, took the stage and added "the cherry on the cream for our cake". He played and retired, after dismantling the saxophone and putting it back. Later in the evening, I was able to approach him in the street when he came out of the club, to thank him for his participation and to wish him the best.

When we gathered together  at Beer Academy to say Hovik goodbye on the Sunday night, Artak told me about this musician. It was Zaid Nasser, son of the famous Jamil Nasser (these links are certainly worth a go). Modesty and sublimity!

Having said goodbye to Hovik and wished him a safe trip back home, we parted our ways. I promised to write this post, and make a photo album (may hands have not yet reached it). Back to work, back to other activities.... and back to the Road Movie, some five days after Ulikhanyan....

After playing the first set in Stop! Club we headed to the dressing room to get ready for the second set full of covers, we were approached by our regular audience and asked what happened during the last two months? "You now have twice the power and twice the fun!"....

We have felt it ourselves. I would say that we now play more accurate, stable; all that we did that night ended up quite well, from a painless installation of the equipment, setting up the sound and transient soundcheck. It was so easy and so pleasant to play that night.

To conclude, I would say that for me blues is "a discipline, teaching listening, demanding to leave all the fuss and pomp behind, forcing to work on yourself through the simple and clear, so that to open the complex and inaccessible later."