Jazz Variations - Komitas tribute concert performed by Tatevik Hovanesian and friends in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide

On March 28th at the John Wayne Performring Arts Center in Glendale, CA, jazz greats will commemorate the 100th year since the Armenian Genocide with Jazz Variations - a tribute concert to famed ethnomusicologist and composer Komitas.

The evening will be hosted by Arshalous Darbinyan and feature performances by Datevik Hovanesian, the Tigran Martikyan Quartet and Fractal Limit.

Tatevik Hovanesian is one of Armenia's most renowned musicians. Born in Yerevan, she comes from a family of musicians and has made a name for herself as a jazz singer, educator, recording artist and arranger. Few are more suited to pay tribute to Komitas and the Armenian school of music as Hovanesian.

“Although I am a jazz singer, I have not forgotten or become detached from my Armenian roots for one minute. The Armenian folk song has always been a major influence on me."

She will be providing her vocals to her band, a troupe of jazz luminaries in their own right, with Bob Albanese on piano, Joe Fitzgerald on bass, and David Meade on drums.

The Tigran Martikyan Quartet consists of Shai Golan on saxophone, Gabe Davis on bass, Lee Spath on drums, and the group's namesake, Tigran Martikyan on piano. In addition to being a pianist, Martikyan is a composer and educator who has created and performed in a wide range. His work has been hailed as being a unique combination of ethnic folk tradition and contemporary modern jazz.

Fractal Limit is the musical duo of Tatiana Parra on vocals and Vardan Ovsepian on piano. Parra is a Sao Paulo born musician who has been involved in the music world since she was just five years old, collaborating with a variety of famed artists. Ovsepian, the Armenian half of the pair, has both educated and performed throughout the world and is presently involved in VOCE and the Peter Erskine New Trio, in addition to Fractal Limit. Together, the two have made refreshing and innovative ventures in the art of jazz.