Armenian music honors its stars
By Sandra Barrera

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 – 11:43:45 AM PST

Daily News
Staff Writer

It used to be that Armenian artists were rated by the number of gigs
they played and not by the quality of their performances. But that
was before the Armenian Music Awards came into being seven years ago.

Held annually, the event honors artists from throughout the Armenian
music world who are helping to raise the bar of professionalism in
this niche industry. Artists like ’50s jazz innovator Adiss Harmandian,
this year’s Lifetime Achievement recipient.

“Back when he was singing in the Middle East, Armenian music was
very traditional,” says Peter Bahlawanian, a 34-year-old independent
filmmaker who is also the founder of the Armenian Music Awards. “What
he did was bring traditional melodies into the modern world with his
jazz arrangements, and it breathed new life in Armenian music. All
of a sudden, people started listening again.”

Armenian music has been re-imagined through a number of American
genres, including hip-hop, gospel and rock.

Take the singer known only as Andy (Madadian), who joins Thursday’s
list of performers.

“He’s not an Armenian artist, he’s an international artist,”
Bahlawanian says.

Andy comes from Iran. He blends Persian music with Western dance beats
and sings in six different languages – including Spanish, English
and Hindu. The music is widely pirated because his records are illegal.

How come?

“The government in Iran is religious and they think that my kind of pop
music corrupts the mind,” Andy says from his home in the San Fernando
Valley. “To them, it’s seductive and vulgar. To us, it’s just rock
‘n’ roll.”

That “rock ‘n’ roll” has taken Andy around the world, as well as led
him to the big screen.

In 2003, Andy played a wedding singer in the film “House of Sand and
Fog,” starring Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley.

Next month he takes on a larger part with a supporting role in “The
Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam,” a film about the 11th-century
Persian poet and mathematician.

But Andy has no plans to give up the music he takes part in celebrating
with a host of other performers, presenters and nominees in 20
categories.

Here are just a few of the awards that are up for grabs:

Best pop retro album: Tpahznt, “Yerevan-Moscow;” Arthur Ispirian,
“Asum en Te”; Janette, “Norits Kez Hed”; Hooshere, “Provenance”;
Mher Sahakyan, “Khoske Massisi.”

Best newcomer: Artin Karapet, “Tears of Passion”; Zulal, “An Armenian
a Cappella Folk Trio”; BBR, “Bambir”; Hooshere, “Provenance”; Mihran,
“It’s My Time.”

Best rap and hip-hop album: Mihran, “It’s My Time”; Twins, “2Wins”;
Tin Tin, “One Night.”