Critics’ Forum

Music
Mosaic: A Celebration of Sound
By Tamar Salibian

It was with great anticipation that over 1,000 audience members
braved the chilly weather on January 14 to experience Mosaic: a
Celebration of Sound at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California.
Presented by the Hamazkayin cultural organization, Mosaic highlighted
talent from around the country and was hosted by Voki Kalfayan and
Lory Tatoulian.

Dressed as an eccentric immigrant couple, Kalfayan and Tatoulian
opened the three-hour program by meandering through the audience,
animatedly chatting with people and posing for photographs on stage.
The over-the-top antics proved entertaining, if quite predictable.
As Kalfayan and Tatoulian told stories of their ventures in the "old
country," they managed no less a feat than exhibiting their break
dancing skills, while offering everyone sweets and pastries from
Tatoulian’s massive handbag, which she carried around all evening.
Tatoulian was engaging, asking the crowd for the jezveh she’d lent to
a fictional neighbor before utilizing the length of the stage for her
dance sequences, all with a deadpan facial expression. Kalfayan’s
earnestness proved a good match to Tatoulian’s larger-than-life
persona, helping the duo present their own take on the ups and downs
of immigrant life.

The highlight of the program was an impassioned set by a capella trio
Zulal. Paying tribute to the village life of an Armenia long gone,
Teni Apelian, Yeraz Markarian and Anaïs Tekerian proved the most
engaging act of the evening. The trio captivated the audience with
playful and informative explanations of the traditional Armenian folk
songs in their set. The performance itself was highlighted by
intricate, playful arrangements and perfectly choreographed dance
steps, all accompanied by the trio’s clear and lush voices. Most
enjoyable was Zulal’s performance of Ghapama, which the trio
performed with charm, wit and passion.

Also noteworthy was opening act Tallulah Sound Experiment, an
ensemble of self-proclaimed "scientists" who cite a wide variety of
musicians, from Radiohead to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as sources of
inspiration. Lead singer Soseh Keshishyan’s near-perfect pitch,
accompanied by the band’s eclectic and fiery sound, generated an
infectious energy most evident in the group’s final piece, LaDaDa.

K’noup, the lead singer of Visa, also managed to impress the audience
with the distinct intonation and texture of his voice, going so far
as to pepper his lyrics with chants of "I love Glendale!" The
energetic performances of percussionist Danny Shamoun and drummer
Hiram Rosario helped lend a unity and coherence to the performance of
the 8-member group.

Touted as the "concert of the year" in numerous invitations and
advertisements, Mosaic promised a night to remember for both
Armenians and non-Armenians alike. The evening generally managed to
live up to its billing, creating a veritable "mosaic," a tapestry of
sorts with a number of standout performances. And yet, while each
musical act brought an eclectic element to the stage, the thread that
tied the various acts together – apart from the fact that they were
performed largely by Armenian individuals – was difficult to see.
Finding an underlying theme or unifying force for the evening,
therefore, proved somewhat elusive. The end-result was an uneven
program that failed to provide much insight into its acts or engage
the audience beyond the performances’ immediate entertainment value.
It would have been wonderful, for instance, to have incorporated more
commentary on the different performances, as the members of Zulal
did. It would also be interesting to find out how many non-Armenians
heard about the event and, more importantly, whether any were
actually there on the 14th.

All Rights Reserved: Critics Forum, 2007

Tamar Salibian is a filmmaker and writer living in Los Angeles. She
has written for AIM magazine. Her latest film, "Beautiful Armenians,"
was released in 2006.

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