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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Honorary Artist of the Republic of Armenia, founder of "Cats" ethno-jazz band Vahagn Hayrapetyan is one of the most brilliant representatives of the Armenian jazz music, who does not cease realization of new "jazz"ideas. His each appearance on the stage is a new feast for the audience. Joint simpho-jazz concert program of "New-York – Yerevan" jazz quartet and State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, which was held in Aram Khachaturyan Concert Hall on November 3, is to prove this thesis. Hayrapetyan is a man, who sees his life directly connected with jazz, and life in turn is connected with love. "Armenpress" had a conversation with the jazzman about his creative activity and future programs.
- You have just returned from Georgia. What concert program did You introduce to the Georgian audience?
- My appearance in Georgia was quite accidental, although according to a famous saying nothing is accidental in this life. "New-York – Yerevan" jazz quartet, which I hosted recently, gives concerts in various countries. In frames of the "Future of Jazz" and "Ambassadors of Jazz" programs of the US Government some of those musicians give concerts in various countries of the world. They just called me and I left for Georgia with them. We organized master classes for kinds in the musical schools. We gave a number of concerts there, besides the concerts with beginners.
- Prominent Armenian jazzman Levon Malkhasyan characterized jazz as momentary and unrepeatable state of mind. What's Your characterization?
- For me jazz is a mean of expressing myself. It's a unique way of expressing my essence, my nature, my inner world, my emotions… This is a kind of art, which one can never repeat exactly the way, it was played first. To my opinion it is a collective art, when you introduce a story with several other persons as one wholeness.
The interview by Tatevik Grigoryan
Photos by Felix Arustamyan