Arto Tunçboyacıyan

Biography

Arto Sedraki Tunçboyacıyan (Armenian: Արտո Սեդրակի Թունջբոյաջյան; Western Armenian: Արթօ Սէտրակի Թունճպոյաճեան, romanized: Art'ō T'unjpoyajean; born August 4, 1957) is an American avant-garde folk and jazz multi-instrumentalist and singer of Armenian descent. He fronts his Armenian Navy Band group and is also a member of the instrumental quartet Night Ark.
Tunçboyacıyan had appeared on more than 200 records in Europe before arriving in the United States, where he went on to work with numerous jazz musicians, including Chet Baker, Marc Johnson, Al Di Meola, and Joe Zawinul, as well as performing semi-regularly with Paul Winter and the Earth Band. He has worked with Turkish singer Sezen Aksu, the Greek singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki and the guitarist Adonis Mitzelos. Tunçboyacıyan's elder brother, Onno Tunçboyacıyan, was also a musician, and they have collaborated on several occasions.

Early life

Arto Tunçboyacıyan was born in Istanbul, Turkey. His father was a shoemaker of Armenian descent.
At 11, he began his career playing and recording traditional Anatolian music with various musicians, including his brother Onno Tunç, thus establishing himself as a professional musician throughout Turkey and Europe.
In 1981, Tunçboyacıyan moved to the United States and settled in New York.

Career

Arto started an association with Armenian-American oud player Ara Dinkjian. In 1985, Ara Dinkjian founded and led the quartet Night Ark. Arto recorded the duo project with Ara Dinkjian, "Tears of Dignity×Tears of Dignity1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Uscila7:342Tears of Dignity3:503He Shakes the Ground3:484Passage from Salamanca5:285Black Horses3:096Oror Burbrik6:507Green Plums2:298Balantin - Seto - Otana5:479Heru Nazel4:00" (1994) and "Onno" (1996), a homage to his brother Onno, who died in a plane crash in 1996.
In 1988, his solo albums Virginland and Main Root×Main Root1 January 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Choo Choo Train2:182Message of the Cymbals1:463Walking in the Five6:054Sesare3:525Round Seven12:316King Bottle5:057Yete Yete2:038It's Better Than Nothing1:599Three Hand Three Clap5:4110Bakdavs4:1311Nine to Nine6:15 were released. In 1997, Aile Muhabbeti was released in Turkey and used as a movie soundtrack. He composed the songs with Armenian and Turkish musicians. In 2000, he released Every Day is a New Life.
In 1998, Tunçboyacıyan returned to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and met pianist and keyboardist Vahagn Hayrapetyan. They soon organised a rehearsal to recruit musicians to start a band. Ten local musicians were enlisted, thus becoming the Armenian Navy Band.
Some months later, in 1999, the band recorded their first album, called Bzdik Zinvor, in Yerevan. The recording was followed by their first European tour in 2000, in Italy, Germany, Austria and Spain. The band then performed concerts in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. During a 2001 stop in Istanbul, the Armenian Navy Band recorded their second album, New Apricot, in 2001.
Armenian Navy Band's next album was Türkçe Sözlü Hafif Anadolu Müziği (English: Light Anatolian Music With Turkish Words×Light Anatolian Music With Turkish Words2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Bugün Yaşlı Olmak Kolay Değil5:452Gençlere Kapıları Açık Tutun4:303Gülerken Ağlıyorum6:434Ana Özlemi1:555Beni Alma Onu Al3:476Hay Bedenim5:567Selam Onno Dayday1:298Bu Ne Biçim İnsanlık4:319Sek Sek1:0110Düşüncelerim Rüzgar Olsun4:5511Ufak Eller8:3212Telli Oyun2:0513Bana Yeni Menajer Lazım4:0414Hergün Yeni Bir Umut Var5:25), recorded in the winter of 2001.
Tunçboyacıyan's 2001 album Aile Muhabbeti×Aile Muhabbeti20 March 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Seslensem duyar mısın ?1:352Babum4:083Martılar1:454Seyrek seyrek5:255Ağlayan bendim2:416Dağlara lapa lapa kar yağıyor2:457Yine o an geldi aklıma2:328Herkes kendi gördüğüne doğru der5:239Damla damla gözyaşları2:1810Ağır çengel4:1411Agop Ahparik sanki sesini duyuyorum2:2212Kaçış0:4413Eğer ceylan dağına dönmezse ağlar3:5914Küçük kuş5:35 was used as soundtrack in two films: Hemşo (2001) and Mon père est ingénieur (2004).
The 2003 album Serart is a collaboration with Serj Tankian of System of a Down. They found common ground in shared Armenian backgrounds and a passion for sonic explorations in creating music that claimed to be "completely new."
In the fall of 2003, a new project was born in a Yerevan studio. It was the beginning of a large sound project called "Sound of Our Life – Part One: Natural Seeds." The project was put together by Arto and the Armenian Navy Band, who joined their talents one more time in the fall of 2006 for Part Two. They are hourlong compositions for the ANB and choir and string orchestras.
In 2004, Tunçboyacıyan opened the ANB Avant-garde Folk Music Club in Yerevan. That year, he recorded the album Artostan, which was released in 2006. In 2006, the Armenian Navy Band was nominated for Best Band of Europe and the Audience Award at the 2006 BBC World Music Awards.
There is a hidden track on the album Toxicity by System of a Down where Arto contributed with the band to a traditional Armenian Church hymn, "Der Voghormya (Lord Have Mercy)". He played the instrumental part of "Science" on the same album, and his voice can be heard in the interlude of "Bubbles" from Steal This Album!
In 2007, he formed Yash-Ar with fellow Turkish-Armenian rock artist Yaşar Kurt. Yash-Ar comprises the first part of his and Yaşar Kurt's first names.
In February 2011, Arto Tunçboyacıyan, as a band member of The Paul Winter Consort, won the Grammy for Best New Age Album for Miho: Journey to the Mountain.

Armenian Navy Band

The Armenian Navy Band lineup varies from traditional (duduk, zurna, kemanche, kanun) to contemporary (trombone, alto sax, tenor, soprano sax, trumpet, bass, drums, keyboard and piano) instrumentation. The band plays a mixture of adapted and modern Armenian folk music. (Note that, being landlocked, the country of Armenia has no navy.)

Arto Tunçboyacıyan (percussion, vocals, bular)
Anahit Artushyan (kanun)
Armen Ayvazyan (kemanche)
Armen Hyusnunts (tenor and soprano saxophone)
Ashot Harutiunyan (trombone)
David Nalchajyan (alto saxophone)
Tigran Suchyan (trumpet)
Norayr Kartashyan (blul, duduk, zurna)
Vardan Grigoryan (duduk, zurna)
Arman Jalalyan (drums)
Vahagn Hayrapetyan (piano, keyboards)
Artyom Manukyan (bass, cello)
Vardan Arakelyan (bass)
Gagik Khodavirdi (guitar)
Vahram Davtyan (trombone)

As sideman

With Ron Getz

Ego State (Alithea Records, 1988)
With Arthur Blythe

Night Song (Clarity, 1997)
With Al Di Meola

Kiss My Axe (Tomato, 1991)
World Sinfonia (Tomato, 1991)
World Sinfonia II – Heart of the Immigrants (Tomato, 1993)
World Sinfonía III – The Grande Passion (Telarc, 2000)
With Ellery Eskelin

Figure of Speech (Soul Note, 1991)
With Human Element

Human Element (Abstract Logix, 2011)
You Are In You (Human Element Music, 2018)
With Marc Johnson & Right Brain Patrol

Right Brain Patrol (JMT, 1991)
Magic Labyrinth (JMT, 1995)
With Paul Motian & Simon Nabatov

Circle the Line (GM, 1986)
With Hank Roberts

Little Motor People (JMT, 1993)
With Paul Winter & The Earth Band

Journey With The Sun (Living Music, 2000)