LÉVON MINASSIAN the Armenian Duduk Star
Jazz
•
1h 18m
Lévon Minassian is a French-Armenian duduk player. He was born in Marseilles in the district of Saint-Jerome. He played for the soundtrack of Mayrig. He has collaborated with Charles Aznavour, Helene Segara, Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin, Armand Amar and Sting.
A return to the country of his ancestors where, as a teenager, he discovered the doudouk, decided the career of Lévon Minassian. Since then he has continued to practice the emblematic oboe of Armenia to master all its mysteries. Perspicacity and hard work today offer him recognition that his ancestors would not have denied. He does not hesitate now to bring new colors to the melancholy sounds inherent in the traditional repertoire and it is a colorful musical dialogue that he will offer with his four traveling companions.
Lévon Minassian is perhaps best known for his early-'90s work with Peter Gabriel. Hailing from Marseille, France, Minassian began his recording career with a variety of film soundtracks. His big break came during the early '90s when he collaborated with Peter Gabriel on the commercial blockbuster Us (1992) and toured internationally with the British progressive rock icon in support of the album. In addition, he appears on Secret World Live (1994), a live album recorded during the Us tour, and Big Blue Ball (2008), a collaborative album overseen by Gabriel that was recorded primarily during the same era but not finalized for release until many years later. In light of his high-profile work with Gabriel, Minassian found himself in steady demand as a doudouk player, appearing on a couple albums a year. Most notable among his album appearances are Tony Levin's World Diary (1995), Khalil Chahine's Opake (1995), Afro Celt Sound System's Volume 1: Sound Magic (1996), Patrick Fiori's Patrick Fiori (2002), I Muvrini's Jalalabad (2002), Sting's Sacred Love (2003), and Hélène Ségara's Humaine (2003). He also continued working on film soundtracks, most notably that of the Mel Gibson film The Passion of Christ (2004). As a solo artist, Minassian made his album debut with The Doudouk Beyond Borders (1999), a full-length effort billed to Lévon Minassian and Friends that was later reissued by the Long Distance label in 2003. He also released the album Songs from a World Apart (2006), a collaboration with French composer Armand Amar, on the same label.
Cast: Lévon Minassian (Duduk), Vigen Hacopian (Kamantcha), Roselyn Minassian (Voice), Armen Ghazarian (Duduk), Arthur Kasabian (Duduk), Tigran Zakarian (Duduk)
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