spacelooper
Oud Lover
Posts: 24
Registered: 9-28-2004
Location: Nashville
Member Is Offline
Mood: inspired
|
|
Richard Hagopian and Kef Time
I just dug out Kef Time "Exciting Sounds of the Middle East" from the hidden catacombs of my CD shelf.... I forgot what a smoker it is...
just thought I would post and see what others thought of the Kef Time discs...
I also wasn't sure of the attachment size limits on these posts...was gonna post a track for those who may not have heard...but wasn't sure
how big I post...
|
|
|
Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1582
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I love the Kef Time records, and not just because of Richard Hagopian, bu, also check out the clarinet playing by Hachig Kazarian. Absolutely
incredible. I am so glad this stuff is on CD. Also, they have both put out great material outside of the Kef Time series that is worth getting ahold
of. Most recently, Hagopian put out a CD of Turkish music, Gypsy Fire, as well as a couple of CDs of Armenian music. The amazing thing is, as great
as the records are, they are both even better live.
I love listening to taksims and really reflecting on an artists technique. But really, sometimes you just gotta kick back and enjoy the music, and
that is what the Kef Time series is great for. Yup, the playing is superb, but the things are also just so much fun. I will always love these
records.
|
|
|
Andy
Oud Junkie
Posts: 314
Registered: 10-5-2004
Location: MA
Member Is Offline
Mood: excellent
|
|
Kef Time Hartford coming up in November with Richard Hagopian and another great oud talent Harry Minassian will be playing too.
|
|
|
Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1582
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Yeah, Harry is great. Kind of overlooked except by us diehards, but just great playing.
|
|
|
Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1582
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
If anybody happens to have any live tapes of Minassian or Hagopian to trade, please let me know. I have quite a few of really good quality from
various kefs that I would be happy to trade for other shows.
|
|
|
mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
Member Is Offline
Mood: big band envy
|
|
Hi,
Have any of you heard of Haig Manoukian and Robert Boghossian? They are two great oud players here in NYC that play all over the place. Manoukian is
also great with ouds, and fixed one of mine recently. If any of you are ever in NYC let me know and I'll fill you in on a few places where they play
regularly (some are right in my neighborhood in Queens).
On a sadder note, I wanted to share that George Mrgdichian is very ill and in the hospital. He is in his early 70's I believe, we should keep him in
our prayers. He is the first oud player I really listened to, so I'm especially sad he is suffering.
Take care,
mavrothis
|
|
|
Amos
Oud Junkie
Posts: 405
Registered: 3-26-2005
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
i think i may have some old hagopian stuff i can share...let me try and find it.
richard is absolutely my favorite oud player and musician, and the kef time band is always in my cd player...
peter kyvelos has some old live recordings of richard...he may pursuaded to share them. i am going to see him monday so i'll beg and plead...hopefully
it works!
take care,
amos
Our music is like an ocean...
|
|
|
Amos
Oud Junkie
Posts: 405
Registered: 3-26-2005
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
just another note on mr.mgrdichian...i send him my prayers and good thoughts. his album 'the oud' was the first oud album that made me really want to
play, and whenever i want to be reminded of what i really want my playing to sound like, i listen to it a few times.
lets all send him our prayers.
amos
Our music is like an ocean...
|
|
|
Jonathan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1582
Registered: 7-27-2004
Location: Los Angeles
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I sent you a u2u. Thanks.
Peter has a few of my ouds there for repair. He is one of those people whose love for the instrument just really inspires me. Whenever I have had
the priveledge to talk to him, I just walked away knocked out by his passion for the instrument. The process never became an assembly line for
him--he is an artist and he knows that. It is like stepping back in time--old-world craftsmanship. He is how I imagine somebody like Stradivari
would be.
I am sure that there are other luthiers that are like this, it is just that I have had the pleasure of experiencing it with Kyvelos. Let him know I
said hello.
I only saw Mr. Mgrdichian play once, and it was a performance that I will always cherish. His influence on an entire generation (generations,
actually) of players was huge.
|
|
|
Django
Oud Addict
Posts: 48
Registered: 1-12-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
George Mgrdichian's records were my first inspiration to want to play the oud, and I wish him well. Very much so indeed.
|
|
|
oudmaker
Oud Junkie
Posts: 220
Registered: 12-23-2004
Location: Philadelphia-USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I played with him couple months in NYC.
I wish him well.
Dincer
|
|
|
paulO
Oud Junkie
Posts: 531
Registered: 9-8-2004
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Utz
|
|
I'm bummed to hear about George Mgrdichian's failing health. The first "oud" albums I heard were John Berberian's Expressions East, and George's "The
Oud". My favorite album of George's is the duets album with Menachem Dworman on guitar -- just simple armenian folk tunes, but beautiful and sweet,
his clear and precise picking and round tone really blew my mind. I'll have to dig out the records and listen to them this weekend. I'll keep George
in my thoughts.
Haig I heard a few times when he traveled out here with Souren Baronian to teach at Middle East camp in Mendocino. Haig has a very interesting style,
and is a beautiful player. I haven't seen him in a few years, since I just keep missing the before camp concerts they usually do. Robert Boghsosian I
never heard of -- and I'd love to hear him sometime.
I have some tapes of Chick Ganiman and Richard Hagopian at a house party in L.A., with Jack Chalikian on Kanun...it's decent quality, I'll see if I
can post a clip or two when I get a chance.
Cheers..PaulO
|
|
|
maran
Oud Junkie
Posts: 103
Registered: 9-23-2003
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
does anyone know if there is going to be a kef time hartford this year. if there is it would probly be around the end of october.
thx.
|
|
|
DoggerelPundit
Oud Junkie
Posts: 141
Registered: 7-28-2010
Location: Pacific Northwest
Member Is Offline
Mood: Odar
|
|
Google only shows the last K.T.H. of 2009, with no 2010 dates listed.
Richard Hagopian, and Hachig Kazarian (when he is in town) can be heard at the Armenian Church grape picnics in Fresno. These happen late July to Mid
August every year. Richard's grandson now plays there as well and is also a formidable traditional player. Need added inducement? The Ka-bab alone is
worth the trip.
Most of the Kef Time series is available on CD. They can be ordered direct from Harold Hagopian's Traditional Crossroads website
[http://www.traditionalcrossroads.com/], along with lots of other good stuff.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbprobrown/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
