Doc139 - 4-4-2014 at 09:18 AM
RIP Haig Manoukian
After a long lasting illness the great armenian-american oud player has closed his eyes forever two days ago at his home in N.Y.C. - good trails,
Haig! You will be remembered by many friends in the U.S. and Europe as one of the most talented and finest oud players ever and as a most humorous,
lovable and inspiring person!
Here one of his last recordings: Haig Manoukian taksim on 1963 Onnik Karibyan oud:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MueTErD4mbg
Alexander
mavrothis - 4-4-2014 at 03:42 PM
Losing Haig has been a terrible blow to me and so many who knew and loved him.
He and his wife are such beautiful people, and he was so talented as a player, luthier and an incredibly detailed listener. A very analytical mind
paired with a heart full of feeling and sincerity.
One of my consolations is that he has worked on each of my ouds, and lives on in them for me. My playing and even my approach to oud stringing and
care have been deeply influenced by Haig's observations and advice. I'm sure others feel the same.
I will miss calling him up, looking for a reason to visit to hear his thoughts on life and music, and of course listening to his playing. I already
miss dialing his number, which I have had memorized for years while I often forget my own number.
John Erlich - 4-4-2014 at 04:31 PM
Haig was a "geek" in the best sense of the word: All about the music. We will miss him terribly. His music will live on in us, his students. May
God illuminate his soul...as Haig illuminated our hearts and minds in life, with his playing and teaching.
Hummingbird - 4-4-2014 at 08:05 PM
I'm sorry for your loss, and sorry I never got to meet him, I live here in NYC, and never knew about him. I love Armenian music, and it was some of
the first oud music I was exposed to.
JT83 - 4-7-2014 at 12:32 PM
My deepest condolences...He was a great man whom I had the pleasure of meeting and visiting on my trips to NY.
May He Rest in Peace...
keetcho - 9-9-2014 at 02:05 AM
It was about 1970. There was no internet, no video lessons and virtually no sheet music even in New York where there was a significant
middle-eastern community. We played Bouzouki and relied on records and changing turntable speeds to learn - and we went to clubs. That was a
remarkable time because the emphasis in Greek music was shifting from players who wrote songs to singers who sang song and many Greek musicians were
better remembered and appreciated in the New World than they were in the old. One could walk from one club to another on eighth avenue and see
Papaiouannou, Perpiniadis, Lefteris Zervas, PANAYIOTIS HALIGIANNIS and many others. Hiotis played at the Zappion pavillion and I bought my first
tetrachordo from John Palaiologou in the back room at the Britannia Cafe. , We went upstairs to the Egyptian Gardens one night and there was this very
young kid playing oud - he was incredible When the band took a break we went to talk to him and compliment him on his playing. We found a soft-spoken
friendly young man with a surprising southern drawl. He was polite and interested and we spoke at some length about music, UVA, New York and how he
got here and , of course we went back many nights.
Fast forward about 45 years. I'd been living in Hawaii for about 12 years and was on my way home late one night and a red light stopped me in front
of a cafe in a court that opened out onto the street. I looked inside and there was a live band including a Dumbek and oud. I parked and ran in and
there was Haig Manukian and Souren Baronian who I used to listen to at the Feenjon in the Village. What a great red light. Haig was older, obviously
ill, but had not changed with respect to the things that count. He was still friendly, polite, soft-spoken and interested in everything and he
sounded great. I went to a few dates they did in Honolulu and I said goodbye until next year when they would return. That was not to be and we were
all deprived of a great musician and a wonderful human being. Haig and Souren rekindled my love of the music and I started playing again after they
left. Although my wife an neighbors may not agree, Haig did a good thing in Hawaii and I will always be grateful to him for it. He ignited me with
his enthusiasm and his mastery and his love of the music and I am sure he had that effect on many others.
SamirCanada - 9-9-2014 at 04:33 AM
What a great story. May he rest in peace and his memory live on.