Biography
Armenian jazz pianist David Azarian drew primary inspiration from the impressionistic, textural explorations of Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea, yet his personal approach introduced a distinctly cheerful undertone within the introspective framework. Born in 1952 in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, he first encountered music through his father, who worked as a teacher and orchestra musician. Azarian began formal training at age seven in music school, focusing initially on classical piano, before Voice of America broadcasts shifted his attention toward jazz. At twelve he claimed victory in a major Armenian piano competition, then completed studies at a professional music school in 1970.
Two years afterward he assembled his own jazz trio and maintained performances with the group while pursuing further training at a Yerevan conservatory. Admission to the Soviet Union Composer's Union came in 1976, followed by his appointment to direct the TV and Radio Jazz Ensemble of Armenia; he simultaneously appeared with a jazz-rock fusion ensemble at Yerevan’s Dvin Hotel. In 1982 he assembled a fresh trio whose European and Soviet Union tours accompanied several domestically issued albums, one of which—Stairway to Seventh Heaven from 1986—later received U.S. licensing from Mobile Fidelity.
Azarian journeyed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1989 to present concerts acknowledging American assistance after a catastrophic Armenian earthquake. Persuaded by a Providence church to extend his stay for additional benefit performances aiding victims in both Armenia and San Francisco, he secured a visa extension that became permanent emigration. He remarried, established residence in Belmont, Massachusetts, and began appearing throughout the Northeast with a new ensemble. The album Living in Jazzland, drawn from 1991 and 1997 trio sets recorded at public radio station WGBH, received a limited release and was reissued in 1999 by the German label Enja under the title Hope. Gravity issued another collection, Desire, compiled from two 1998 Boston-area performances; the same label also reissued Stairway to Seventh Heaven along with Longing, an early-1980s session. Shortly before his death Azarian joined the faculty of the Berklee School of Music. On March 29, 2003, he was killed instantly when an erratically driven SUV struck his minivan while he changed a driver’s-side tire.
Two years afterward he assembled his own jazz trio and maintained performances with the group while pursuing further training at a Yerevan conservatory. Admission to the Soviet Union Composer's Union came in 1976, followed by his appointment to direct the TV and Radio Jazz Ensemble of Armenia; he simultaneously appeared with a jazz-rock fusion ensemble at Yerevan’s Dvin Hotel. In 1982 he assembled a fresh trio whose European and Soviet Union tours accompanied several domestically issued albums, one of which—Stairway to Seventh Heaven from 1986—later received U.S. licensing from Mobile Fidelity.
Azarian journeyed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1989 to present concerts acknowledging American assistance after a catastrophic Armenian earthquake. Persuaded by a Providence church to extend his stay for additional benefit performances aiding victims in both Armenia and San Francisco, he secured a visa extension that became permanent emigration. He remarried, established residence in Belmont, Massachusetts, and began appearing throughout the Northeast with a new ensemble. The album Living in Jazzland, drawn from 1991 and 1997 trio sets recorded at public radio station WGBH, received a limited release and was reissued in 1999 by the German label Enja under the title Hope. Gravity issued another collection, Desire, compiled from two 1998 Boston-area performances; the same label also reissued Stairway to Seventh Heaven along with Longing, an early-1980s session. Shortly before his death Azarian joined the faculty of the Berklee School of Music. On March 29, 2003, he was killed instantly when an erratically driven SUV struck his minivan while he changed a driver’s-side tire.
Albums