Artists & Projects
Contemporary Armenian Jazz
France - Armenia
The artistic project
JAM – Armenian Jazz in Motion is a platform dedicated to the creation, production and distribution of contemporary Armenian jazz.
At the crossroads of Armenian musical traditions and modern jazz improvisation, JAM supports artists committed to a demanding artistic research open to the world.
Creation
Support for original musical projects, recordings, residencies and artistic collaborations between France and Armenia.
Broadcast
Organizing concerts, partnerships with cultural institutions, festivals and performance venues.
Transmission
Intercultural dialogue, associative cooperation, promotion of Armenian musical heritage from a contemporary perspective.
The Group
The group's artistic approach involves a dialogue between contemporary jazz and Armenian musical traditions. Driven by a shared vision and a constant pursuit of authenticity, they have developed a unique sound at the crossroads of Caucasian heritage and contemporary music scenes.
History of the group
The project has its roots in 2014, when the three musicians behind the instrumental trio began to collaborate around a common ambition: to create a modern, open jazz deeply rooted in the musical colours of the Caucasus.
After several years of experimentation, concerts and sound research, the trio formalized in 2020 under the name Umroyan & Saribekyan Trio, asserting a more personal aesthetic blending improvisation, asymmetrical rhythms and contemporary harmonies.
In 2021, the arrival of singer Sona Umroyan marked a pivotal moment. Her expressive voice, subtly imbued with Armenian tradition, brought a new emotional dimension to the project. The alchemy between her voice and the instrumental trio forged an instantly recognizable musical identity.
Today, the group asserts a unique artistic signature, which is authentic, innovative and resolutely internationally oriented.
Artistic Identity
The quartet develops a contemporary jazz deeply imbued with Armenian modes, Caucasian rhythms and a melodic aesthetic characteristic of this region of the world.
His soundscape combines harmonic subtlety, freedom of improvisation, and expressiveness inherited from traditional music. This approach gives rise to a hybrid musical language, where modern jazz meets the unique sounds of Armenia.
The repertoire is based on three pillars:
• Original compositions, reflecting a current vision of Armenian jazz, between sophistication and intensity.
• Reinterpretations of ancient and modern Armenian songs, revisited with contemporary arrangements.
• International covers adapted into jazz versions, enriched with a musical signature specific to the group.
Through this approach, the quartet builds an artistic bridge between tradition and modernity, cultural roots and international openness.
The Artists
Creators, performers, conveyors of emotion.
Each project is born from an encounter between freedom, high standards, and musical depth.
Garik Saribekyan
Piano, Composer, Arranger, Artistic Director
Garik Saribekyan is a renowned Armenian pianist and composer, a major figure in contemporary Armenian jazz. Born in Yerevan into a family of musicians, he received early piano training before graduating from the Yerevan State Conservatory, where he developed a style blending modern harmony with Armenian modal influences.
An active musician since the 1990s, he has performed on numerous international stages (Russia, UAE, Qatar, Georgia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, France) and participated in several important projects on the Armenian jazz scene. He then founded the group "Why Not" and, in 2009, the Nuance Jazz Band, an innovative ethno-jazz ensemble integrating traditional instruments into a contemporary jazz language.
Awarded the title of Honorary Culture Contributor of Yerevan in 2014, he is also the author of the album Autumn Yerevan and a film composer. His playing is distinguished by great melodic sensitivity, refined harmonic mastery, and a unique ability to bridge tradition and modernity.
Today, with the Saribekyan Trio and singer Sona Umroyan, he continues his work exploring a deeply rooted jazz.
Sona Umroyan
Vocal
Sona Umroyan is an Armenian singer with a warm and expressive voice, born in 1991. From a new generation of Armenian artists, she stands out for her ability to blend emotion, modernity and musical heritage.
Endowed with a deep timbre and a keen sense of musical storytelling, she knows how to move from gentleness to intensity with great elegance.
In 2017, Sona presented her album "Fade Out," which included 13 tracks entirely composed and written by Sona Umroyan.
In the spring of 2017, the first music video from this album, the song "Shadow," was released. Subsequently, the song "Vayrkan" won over audiences with its gentleness and sensitivity. With the Saribekyan Trio, Sona brings an essential vocal dimension: a natural link between Armenian tradition—which she reinterprets with finesse—and contemporary jazz, whose nuances she perfectly masters.
Her stage presence and artistic sensitivity make her one of the rising voices of Armenian jazz.
Surik Zakaryan
Bass
Surik Zakaryan is a renowned bassist on the Armenian jazz scene. Also present within the orbit of the Malkhas Jazz Club, he has established himself with a deep, warm playing style and great melodic finesse.
His playing offers stable rhythmic support, sensitive melodic lines, and constant interaction with other musicians.
Within the Saribekyan Trio, Surik plays a key role: he anchors the music in an elegant groove while fully participating in improvisational explorations. His playing blends tradition, modernity, and a deep understanding of Armenian modes, making him a pillar of the trio's sound.
Karen Astabatyan
Drums
Karen Astabatyan is a key drummer on the Yerevan jazz scene. A regular musician at the legendary Malkhas Jazz Club, he has forged a reputation as a versatile drummer, capable of combining energy, subtlety and rhythmic precision.
His playing is characterized by a remarkable mastery of swing, a sensitivity to the rhythms of the Caucasus, and a modern approach to improvisation.
Karen brings a powerful and refined dynamic to the trio, creating a solid rhythmic foundation while remaining very attentive to the musical dialogue with the piano, bass guitar and voice.
It directly contributes to the group's unique sound, at the crossroads of contemporary jazz and Armenian traditions.
A Project in Motion
At the crossroads of memory and creation, the Saribekyan Quartet embodies a vision of contemporary jazz where the Armenian heritage becomes living matter.
Driven by a strong artistic vision and national recognition in Armenia, the project is part of an international dynamic, encompassing concerts, collaborations and cultural transmission.
Each performance is a journey: a dialogue between tradition and modernity, intensity and poetry, rootedness and openness to the world.