Over the last several years, Tigran Hamasyan has emerged as a visionary artists working at the intersection of jazz, progressive rock, electronic music, and Armenian traditional music. The crossover pianist and composer’s Manifeste (Naïve, 2026) is an adventurous fourteen-track sonic statement that infuses the spiritual traditions of his Armenian homeland into contemporary jazz. Recorded between 2023 and 2025 across studios in Yerevan, Athens, Moscow, and Los Angeles, the project emphasizes themes of seeking, transformation, and creative renewal.
Manifeste unfolds in ritual sequence. From the meditative “Prelude for All Seekers,” a statement on finding out who you are, to the powerful closer, “National Repentance Anthem,” Hamasyan engages in deep spiritual self-reflection. The album’s layered production and intricate compositions for a large ensemble – featuring bassist Marc Karapetian, cellist Artyom Manukyan, trumpeter Daniel Melkonyan, guitarist Nick Llerandi, the Yerevan State Chamber Choir under the conduction of Kristina Yoskanyan, and drummers Arthur Hnatk, Arman Mnatsakkayna, Matt Garstka, and Nate Woodall – feature bring out rhythmic complexities. The leader’s keys are prominent throughout.
The opening “Prelude for All Seekers” begins with Hamasyan in the piano’s higher registers, striking the keys percussively. The piece often sounds like a vibraphonist was among the ensemble, despite there being none. The churning rhythms build an explosive piece. “Yerevan Sunrise” has a choppy, see-saw-like melody and rhythm, balancing the reflective with the vibrant. The thunderous electric bass in the last section adds unexpected drama. The title track unfolds similarly. For the first time, we hear wordless vocals as the piece moves with propulsive energy. Here, as throughout, the instrumental palette uses effects, synths, and sound design effectively, resulting in a cinematic scope of varying moods and textures.
The slower-moving, morphing to peppy, “One Body, One Blood” thrives on haunting choral layers. “Seven Sorrows” is ethereal, mournful, and spacey as Hamasyan harnesses his arsenal of production techniques in the first half, opting for a vigorous piano improvisation in the middle section. “Years Passing (For Akram)” and the later piece “A Window from One Heart to Another (For Rumi)” are intimate dedications, with the former infused by Melkonyan’s trumpet. The latter featured the daf playing of Hamin Honari and the blul of Yessai Karapetian, creating a sonic bridge between cultures and traditions.
There are heavier prog rock-like pieces, too. The fiery, driving “Dardahan” features the leader on piano, synths, and vocals alongside the formidable rhythm section of Evan Marien on bass and Arthur Hnatek on drums. “Ultradance” is another example of captivating, energetic rhythmic drive, while “A Eye (The Digital Leviathan)” reveals the composer’s darker side. “E flat Venice – Per Mané” explores the fusion of lyrical pop sensibility with electronica, featuring the otherworldly vocals of Asta Mamikonyan and Hamasyan’s drum programming and synth work. The track culminates in a techno-inflected groove with funky, danceable pulses.
“The Fire Child (Vahagn Is Born)” is something altogether different, a moody ambient exploration in which intricate layers of Hamasyan’s vocals create a ceremonial feel. As the pianist writes in the notes to the album, “The artist’s role is to allow the audience to experience catharsis, returning to the eternal mystery of the birth of existence from which we come and to which we return.” That quote well embodies the final piece, “National Repentance Anthem,” which begins with stark, spare piano cadences enveloped by a chorale backing. The piece leans more directly toward the chorale, delivering beautiful, but eerie, solemn themes over which Hamasyan adds his own whistling to the layered textures.
Manifeste is transportive in a highly unusual way. While drawing upon several distinct genres and reference points, in totality, the project provides as unique a sound as you’ll ever hear.
‘ Manifeste’ will be released on Naïve Records on February 6, 2026.
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