BIOFor over thirty years, pianist/composer andFulbright Scholar ARMEN DONELIAN has distinguished

himself in 23 countries as a performer, recording artist,

master class leader, and with his published writings.

Donelians music is a distinctive blend of influences including

his Armenian origin, his Classical technique, and his

association with some of the biggest names in Jazz. And,

according to Metronom, he achieves this fusion in such a

natural way that one can tell its a masters work.

As a child, Armen absorbed the sound ofArmenian, Turkish, Greek and MiddleEastern music at social gatherings andfrom records his father played at home.

During his youth, Armen trained for 12years as a concert pianist at theWestchester Conservatory of Music inWhite Plains, NY with the late MichaelPollon. His studies included regular solopiano recitals and several concertos withlocal symphonies, and culminated in a1968 graduation recital including worksby Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy andProkofiev.

At about 15, Donelian joined a Jazz groupled by guitarist Arthur Ryerson, Sr., andthings were never quite the same afterthat. Captivated by the Jazz feeling, hebegan listening to Jazz masters like LouisArmstrong, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington,Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, MilesDavis and John Coltrane.

After graduating from ColumbiaUniversity in 1972, Donelian apprenticedfor two years with Richie Beirach, one ofthe strongest pianists in New York. Helearned how to meld his Classical trainingwith his instinct for Jazz improvisation andcomposition.

Armen Donelian broke into the Jazz worldin 1975 with Mongo Santamarias vibrantAfro-Cuban Jazz octet. Tours andrecordings ensued, including Sofrito thatincludes three Donelian compositions andwas nominated for a 1976 Grammy Awardas the Best Latin Jazz Album. In thefollowing years, he mastered the Jazz artsthrough engagements and recordings

with Sonny Rollins (1977-8), Chet Baker (1977 and1983-5), Billy Harper (1979-83), Paquito DRivera(1984-5), Anne-Marie Moss (1979-84) and others.

During this period, Donelian also composed and ledhis own group, Essence, in New York area venues.Donelians album debut came in 1981 with therelease of Stargazer (Atlas) in Japan, a trio LP withbassist Eddie Gomez and Billy Hart on drums thatreceived critical praise from Swing Journal for itswonderful tension and Donelians uncommontalent as a composer. Sadly, it wasnt distributed orreviewed in the USA.

In 1984, Donelian embarked on serious compositionstudies with Harold Seletsky, a master composer inthe tradition of Arnold Schoenberg. Several fuguesand motets resulted, and these lessons also had amarked influence on Donelians Jazz writing.

Over the next six years, Donelian released fourcritically acclaimed CDs: A Reverie for solo piano,called A masterpiece by Swing Jazz Journal (1984);Trio 87, One of the great unsung piano recordingsof the 80s according to Cadence (1987), withNorwegians Carl Morten Iversen and Audun Kleive;and, Secrets, chosen #3 Jazz Album of 1988 (Jazz HotCritics Poll) for its Epic musicality, and TheWayfarer, praised as Downright haunting byDownbeat (1990), both featuring Dick Oatts onsaxophones, Barry Danielian on trumpet andflugelhorn, bassist Anthony Cox, drummer BillStewart and percussionist Arto Tunboyaciyan.A composer of over 90 works, Donelian received a2000 Fellowship in Music Composition from the NewJersey State Council on the Arts. The Grand Ideasrecordings (below) were thus made possible. Severalof Donelians works were published by AdvanceMusic and Sher Music, and recorded by MongoSantamaria and Rory Stuart.

In addition to performing and composing, Donelianhas taught since his teens. Donelian joined the

BIOfaculty of the New School Jazz Program in 1986 andWilliam Paterson University (NJ) in 1993, where hecontinues to teach.

With support from four Jazz Fellowships from theNational Endowment for the Arts from 1990 to 1996,Donelian presented the Rhythm Section Plus Onemaster class series in New York. Over 55 Jazzmasters, including Dewey Redman, Jim Hall andDavid Liebman joined Donelian in the program.

Donelians first book, Training the Ear, was publishedby Advance Music in 1992 (English) and ATN, Inc. in2001 (Japanese). It arose from his academic workand has been called the most clearly organized andcomprehensive package of its type by the RutgersAnnual Review of Jazz Studies (1994-5). Training theEar Volume Two (Advance), was published in 2003and focuses exclusively on jazz harmony. Doneliansarticles on ear training and chord voicings haveappeared in Downbeat and Keyboard.

Proud of his Armenian heritage, Donelian joined theMiddle Eastern Jazz group Night Ark during the1980s and 90s, performing in Switzerland, Italy,Israel, Greece, Turkey, Armenia and the USA and onrecordings for RCA/Novus, Polygram and UniversalRecords. As arranger and pianist, he collaboratedwith vocalist Datevik Hovanesian in performances inFrance, Armenia and the USA.

In 1992, Donelian recorded a live quartetperformance at the New York nightclub Visiones,with the late alto saxophonist Thomas Chapin andbassist Calvin Hill and drummer Jeff Williams.Donelian had been playing with Chapin since themid-1980s. In 2003, after a long label search,Playscape Recordings released Quartet Language, athrilling set taken from these recordings.

Donelian first traveled to Armenia in 1998 toperform in the first Yerevan International JazzFestival, and to present first-ever Jazz master classesat the Yerevan State Conservatory. With supportfrom a CEC/Artslink grant and the HovnanianArmenian School (NJ), Donelian launched the Jazz inArmenia Project, an artistic, educational andintercultural initiative. As Visiting Professor of Jazz,in 1999 and 2000 Donelian led master classes andimpromptu workshops, gave solo piano concerts andappeared with resident musicians at local venuesand in concerts honoring humanitarian efforts inrural areas.

Also in 1998, Donelian recorded a three-CD set ofsolo piano music called Grand Ideas, whichrepresents Donelian's lifetime devotion to the piano,composition and improvisation. In 2000, SunnysideRecords released Volume 1-Wave that features

selected standards and popular songs. Volume 2 -Mystic Heights (2002) focuses on Donelian'scompositions. Volume 3 - Full Moon Music (2005)features Donelian's spontaneous improvisations.

Donelian received a 2002 Fulbright Scholar Award insupport of his ongoing work in Armenia. For threemonths, he taught as Professor of Jazz at the YerevanConservatory, and performed during JazzAppreciation Month (a State Department program)in major venues including Yerevan PhilharmonicHall.

During the Fulbright journey, Donelian also traveledto Russia, Georgia, Romania and France to presentperformances and master classes at conservatories inSt. Petersburg, Tblisi, Iasi, Cluj and Paris. With grantsfrom the US State Department and the RomanianFulbright Commission, Donelian appeared as afeatured solo pianist in the Kannon Jazz and ModernDance Festival (Russia), the Richard Oshanitzsky JazzFestival (Romania) and in a command performancefor the American Ambassador to Georgia.

Donelian returned to Armenia, for six weeks under a2003 Fulbright Senior Specialist Award to developthe work begun during his first Fulbright visit, in2004 supported by a CEC/Artslink grant, and in2007 to perform with Nuyorican percussionist BobbySanabria under sponsorship by the Americanembassy in Yerevan. Donelian has also receivedFulbright Senior Specialist Awards for projects inFinland (2004), Switzerland (2005) and Sweden(2006).

While teaching at the Manhattan School of Music in2000, Donelian met talented Dutch saxophonistMarc Mommaas. Two years later, Donelian invitedMommaas to perform in a duo concert honoring thevictims of 9/11. Because of their musical chemistry,Donelian and Mommaas have continued to worktogether. Their acclaimed album, All Or Nothing At All(Sunnyside), was released in 2006 with liner notesby David Liebman. In 2007, Donelian andMommaas, who also enjoy teaching together,founded the Summer Jazz Duo Workshop in Hudson,NY, that has attracted an international following.

As a member of Night Ark, Donelian performed inBoston in a mid-1980's concert produced bydrummer George Schuller. Later, in 1994, Donelianmet bassist David Clark, a co-faculty member at thelate Attila Zollers Vermont Jazz Center Summer JazzWorkshop. Over decades, the three grew closer,playing regularly since 2004. The Armen DonelianTrios recent CD release Oasis (Sunnyside) eloquentlydocuments their chemistry.