Mike's Oud Forums

New info on Udi Xrant

Nondas - 7-8-2013 at 03:30 PM

Hello all, well, bouzouki virtuoso Jack Halikias and his friend, business partner, and amateur, but talented oud player Tom Kokotas "Laxanara" had a record machine in the 40's and early 50's, and among the records were 2 home recordings of Hrant. Another fact, is that Halikias Jr. remembers his mother saying that Laxanara was the wealthy Greek American who brought Hrant to the U.S. Now that raises a question, I don't believe either Laxanara or Halikias spoke Turkish or Armenian, did Hrant speak Greek?

Bodhi - 7-9-2013 at 02:22 AM

I wonder if Bob Marley spoke Greek? would that make any difeerence to anyone or his music? strange topic... sorry if i don't get it but this seems really an unnecesary piece of information in more ways than i can shake a <b>shoot</b>ty stick at! I read a few musicians biographys in my time and they are all like this... full of junk about which jeans they wear and other pointless life stories... are we interested in music or celebrities?

David Parfitt - 7-9-2013 at 04:15 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Nondas  
Hello all, well, bouzouki virtuoso Jack Halikias and his friend, business partner, and amateur, but talented oud player Tom Kokotas "Laxanara" had a record machine in the 40's and early 50's, and among the records were 2 home recordings of Hrant. Another fact, is that Halikias Jr. remembers his mother saying that Laxanara was the wealthy Greek American who brought Hrant to the U.S. Now that raises a question, I don't believe either Laxanara or Halikias spoke Turkish or Armenian, did Hrant speak Greek?


Maybe Hrant spoke English? Presumably the other guys did if they were living in the U.S.

David

Jody Stecher - 7-9-2013 at 07:58 AM

Thanks for this, Nondas. Do you know what was recorded? Another recording of Hrant singing in Armenian would be an amazing discovery.

Have you heard the recordings? Are they available for listening anywhere? Jack Halkias! I never would have guessed the connection, but sure, why not?



Nondas - 7-9-2013 at 10:40 AM

You're welcome, I don't yet know, I only heard them over the phone from Jr. from a record player with rather poor speakers. They aren't yet available, but sometime hopefully.

hartun - 7-12-2013 at 06:29 PM

I would guess hrant knew some Greek phrases but I seriously doubt he spoke greek. Lets compare him to marko melkon who did speak greek. Both were born in Armenian families but melkon was born in SMYRNA in 1895 and grew up there long before the population exchange moreover he lived in Athens from 1912 to 1921 while hrant was born in 1901 in adapazar (were there Greeks there?) and lived in Konya from 1915 to 1918 and only then went to Istanbul so I question where he would have picked up greek. I'm guessing that he knew some English since he came to the us so many times and I know that he spoke French so I'm guessing they had a translator who spoke some combination of these languages including turkish.....and I don't think it's irrelevant

hartun - 8-20-2016 at 06:34 AM

Guys I have recently come across Hrants autobiography written in Armenian. It seems Laxanara (who is not mentioned by name) had a Turkish friend named Alaeddin Bey. This mysterious person acted as translator for Hrant. Hrant spoke to him in Turkish and he translated presumably in English as Hrant says "my Greek was very weak and the gentleman (Laxanara) did not know Turkish at all" Hrant did know some Greek songs that he could sing but primarily his languages were Armenian, Turkish, and French.

Once Hrant came to America he had numerous Armenian-American friends who may have acted as translator, again the common language must have been English. Notably Hrant Nishanian in New York who was a childhood friend that had emigrated to the U.S., and Jimmy Nazaretian in Massachusetts a fellow musician who would travel with Hrant on his performing tours. He seems to have been surrounded by an entourage of Armenians wherever he went, so finding an interpreter was not an issue.

Can you give some further information about Laxanara, who he was etc.? This is the person who brought Hrant to the US in 1950 correct?