Mockroot

It's hard to find words to describe something so unexpectedly fresh and beautiful as this new album by Tigran Hamasyan. It's sort of like when you look out the window at dusk and instead of a modest sunset, there is a strange and mesmerizing glow in the west-you are confronted with one of those rare confluences of light and shadow, cloud and sky where the colors become so intense it makes you realize what a gift it is to simply be alive. Listening to this album today gave me that kind of experience.For those who have been following Tigran's career, it has become clear that his is a unique voice. A trained jazz musician with an encyclopedic knowledge of rhythm (I suspect besides his native land's odd time signatures, he has seriously studied the Indian konecal system,) Tigran has returned more deeply than ever to his Armenian roots to mine the veins of gold hidden in his own cultural heritage. With his knowledge of western classical forms, jazz, progressive rock and electronica, Hamayasan continues to forge a unique musical identity that came to full fruition on his last album, Shadow Theater. Whereas Shadow Theater was a highly produced release with a lot of hype behind it, even a video, the somewhat less extravagantly produced MockRoot dropped without a splash, yet is no less complex and probing, and if anything, even more fearless and fierce than its predecessor. Armenian folk tunes in odd times play bait and switch with wildly explosive fusion episodes, sounding one minute almost like traditional world music and the next like something out of Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior. Women's voices soar over pastoral piano ostinatos, only to break into earthy stuttering grooves that startle the listener out of his reverie. It's Tigrans wonderful sense of compositional development and juxtaposition of disparate elements that take center stage here. There are hardly any extended piano solos, maybe just one or two.Listening to this astounding album for the 3rd time today, other contemporary innovators come to mind-I think of Nguyen Le's groundbreaking adventures, such as combining traditional Vietnamese folk music and modern jazz on "Tales of Vietnam" or his wonderful encounter with North Africa on "Maghreb and Friends". I think of Chick Corea's early Return To Forever recordings where one could hear the "Spanish tinge" mixing it up with the raw power of rock and fusion. I think of Egberto Gismonti's unique brand of classical music and jazz blending with the vibrant sounds of the tribal people of the Amazon Rainforest. I even hear a moment of early Jan Hammer (incidentally also of Eastern European extraction,) on the synths in the epic 12 minute track, "Out of the Grid." Tigran draws from everything, Hovhaness to Stravinsky, Zeppelin to Zappa.When I hear this music, I think of all those artists who early in their careers found their voice, and from that point on, were instantly identifiable from as little as just one phrase. At the tender age of 27, Tigran has already achieved that point of self actualization. For one so young this is quite an amazing accomplishment. It will be fascinating to see where he goes next.This album is a sort of miracle- it engages the mind, it touches the heart, and occasionally explodes viscerally to captivate all the senses. It is at once accessible and obtuse, familiar and exotic. Even if your mind can't grasp what time signature the music is in, your body will respond anyway; It already knows this is a kind of soul food it has always needed, but didn't know was missing, a special feast for the senses, one with a distinctly Eastern European flavor.

This CD is so good that I'm struggling with how to properly describe it. It is emotionally compelling and incredibly beautiful at times. It is incredibly innovative and fresh-it really sounds like nothing else (although there are elements of other forms of music, obviously). The melodies are memorable and glorious. The odd rhythms are fascinating and fun. The tight musicianship is unsurpassed. The recording quality is excellent. Most of all, I want to listen to this music over and over again; not because I'm intellectually stimulated by it (although I am) but because this is modern music at its very best, communicating at the deepest level. I will be buying everything that this man produces.

Best purchase of the year. Looking forward to finally seeing Tigran live in a few months...

If you enjoyed Tigran's previous album you will be absolutely delighted. It is like adding more contrast to an image and enhancing the vivid colors. I had pre-ordered a few to give away to friends and coworkers; now getting uniformly positive feedback. Every time it plays in the background in my office, almost every visitor wants to have the music.

Beautiful record

Best music I have ever heard, period.

Amazing music. High energy. If you like jazz and new work, this is a great CD.

Get this album!!! Comes with a poster <3

L’un des meilleurs disques de ce pianiste et l’un des plus grands disques de piano jazz qui soient

緩急取り混ぜた瑞々しい感覚のジャズ。　歌と声をシンセの響きに重ねてジャズの豊かな音場を楽しませてくれる。フュージョン等という言葉も色あせる今までに無い感覚を覚えます。今後が楽しみです。

All the things I love. Delicate Armenian melodies fused with HEAVY progressive rock and jazz.

I like it, the only shortcoming was that it took a bit long....but everything is fine at the end.Thanks.

I recommend this seller because the shipment was cheap and extremely quick. Thank You so very much for your professionality