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Bringing flow dynamics to sound with GregJam 72 at The Mar Vista Art Walk in Los Angeles with Michael Vest on Guitar, John X on keyboards and Gregory Beylerian on drums. Each sonic experience only happens once as it is a completely improvisational creative experience.
We lived together, musicians and artists for a summer, in a stone house built 300 years ago that is surrounded by vineyards. Every morning, we would go to an outdoor market and play music. The money collected would be used to buy food. During the day we made art and during the night a beautiful meal was made from the money made that day. Then more music was played deep into the night, sipping wine that was made from the vineyards in the back yard. This is what we did in the summer of 2006 in a small village called Cadenet in the South of France. On the last night before we all departed, I set up my recording equipment on the roof top of a bow makers village home. These 10 songs are the songs played every morning and each night that summer, capturing the spirit of the people, the land and the friendship.
1. Emilie
2. Valse à Joseph
3. Bandura
4. L’Accordéon
5. Valse à Emma
6. Valse à Florent
7. Valse à Anais
8. Mon amant de Saint Jean
9. Branle de la Torche
10. Tombalaika
Musicians: Mieke Bodart – Accordéon, Marieke Bodart –
2nd Accordéon and Dominique Miton – Violin.
Recorded by: Gregory Beylerian on a roof top in Cucuron,
a small village next to Cadenet, located in the south of France July 2006.
The Dark Eagle is the protector, who comes to you when darkness abounds. Breaks thru the sheath of emptiness to pull you out.
Dark Eagle by Gregory Beylerian
Dancer: Crystal D’Angora
Soundtrack: David Chegwidden, Matt DeMerritt and Gregory Beylerian
Video design & Editing: Ari Macht
Album Art by Gregory Beylerian
Recorded on a rainy day, this song was created as a welcome for our newborn baby, Lunabelle, Into our heart and home.
Listen to “Welcome Home”:
We were invited to spend some time with a group of 120 kids that were part of a summer camp in the beautiful Sequoias. The Grand Wagoneer was loaded with camping gear, art gear and some drum circle drums that were graciously provided by Stephen Nigohosian of Latin Percussion.
The grand finale of a beautiful time together was introducing the experience of a drum circle to 120 people, many of which had not played an instrument before. Naturally, the experience was beautiful!
Listen to track 13 – As I am Alive:
When I was 20 years old, a relative gave me a duduk CD of Givan Gasparian. I had never heard this instrument before and being of Armenian ancestry first generation born in New York City, I could not believe that I was part of a people who created such a moving sound of the soul.
Within a few years, I had ridden my motorcycle to California and sought out this instrument among the flourishing Armenian community in Los Angeles that I knew little about. I called the owner of a world music record store in Glendale, Stepan Partamian to see if he knew where I could buy a Duduk, as authentic ones were hard to come by. He said to come in the evening as he had master Duduk musicians from Armenia practicing for a performance, maybe one of them might have a Duduk to sell me.
Little did I know that on this evening I would meet my Duduk teacher, who said thru translation via Stepan, “Would he like a teacher to go with the Duduk”.
Norik was not returning to Armenia, he was choosing to start a new life here in L.A. and I was ready to begin my journey into the spirit of Duduk and awakening the ancestral Armenian spirit within me.
For the next many years, I would visit Norik every week to learn and practice. He taught me the ancient spiritual musical language of the Armenian people and I taught him English. I did not speak Armenian so we bonded first thru the universal language of music.
After many years of dedication to practice, I was bestowed the honor to record on 2 records with Norik and Yeghish Manukian, who are among the few great living Duduk master musicians in the world today. This is the second album I recorded with them at the ARP recording studios. We also traveled to do many concerts in the U.S. and Canada. I was their dam player who is responsible for the continual tone, utilizing a circular breathing technique that allows the musician to play a note (or notes) for the duration of an entire song without pausing even once.
The Wizardry is a unique (only one exists) book of poetry by Gregory Beylerian. The book cover is made by Aida Goganian, one of my artist inspirations and my aunt.
Poetry read by: Barry Kramer
Duduk Music by: Yeghish & Norik Manoukian with Dam Duduk played by Gregory Beylerian.
Listen to The Wizardry of Love Part 1:
Listen to The Wizardry of Love Part 2:
Listen to The Wizardry of Love Part 3:
Listen to The Wizardry of Love Part 5:
Listen to Track #2 Veradardzir:
When I was 20 years old, a relative gave me a duduk CD of Givan Gasparian. I had never heard this instrument before and being of Armenian ancestry first generation born in New York City, I could not believe that I was part of a people who created such a moving sound of the soul.
Within a few years, I had ridden my motorcycle to California and sought out this instrument among the flourishing Armenian community in Los Angeles that I knew little about. I called the owner of a world music record store in Glendale, Stepan Partamian to see if he knew where I could buy a Duduk, as authentic ones were hard to come by. He said to come in the evening as he had master Duduk musicians from Armenia practicing for a performance, maybe one of them might have a Duduk to sell me.
Little did I know that on this evening I would meet my Duduk teacher, who said thru translation via Stepan, “Would he like a teacher to go with the Duduk”.
Norik was not returning to Armenia, he was choosing to start a new life here in L.A. and I was ready to begin my journey into the spirit of Duduk and awakening the ancestral Armenian spirit within me.
For the next many years, I would visit Norik every week to learn and practice. He taught me the ancient spiritual musical language of the Armenian people and I taught him English. I did not speak Armenian so we bonded first thru the universal language of music.
After many years of dedication to practice, I was bestowed the honor to record on 2 records with Norik and Yeghish Manukian, who are among the few great living Duduk master musicians in the world today. This is the first album I recorded with them at the ARP recording studios. We also traveled to do many concerts in the U.S. and Canada. I was their dam player who is responsible for the continual tone, utilizing a circular breathing technique that allows the musician to play a note (or notes) for the duration of an entire song without pausing even once.
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