bio (short)
Contemporary jazz with world beat overtones describes the music of Levon Ichkhanian. Following the family tradition of musicians Levon's musical experiences range from recording, composing and touring. He has released three solo CDs (with featured musicians including John Patitucci, Paquito D'Rivera, Alain Caron and Bernard Purdie) and has played on over 60 commercially released recordings from Canadian Idol to Hariharran/Jolly Mukherjee. He has composed for the Nashville Chamber Orchestra as well as created soundtracks for filmmakers such as Atom Egoyan. Levon has toured throughout Canada, the US and Europe, both with his own world/jazz group as well as with the likes of Peter Murphy of Bauhaus fame. Levon is an avid explorer of improvisation which forms the basis for his workshops, master classes and published articles. He has been the cover feature in numerous music magazines. In addition to the acoustic and electric guitars. Levon is an accomplished performer on world string instruments, including the Oud and Bouzouki.
Travels "is a real tour de force - Levon's most ambitious album yet" MUZIK ETC
"Travels is a worthwhile listen for any musician out there. Featuring contributions from heavyweights such as Alain Caron and Wilson Laurencin, the album blends many styles seamlessly together for an enjoyable listen" CANADIAN MUSICIAN MAGAZINE
'Guitarist Levon Ichkhanian's Armenian Heritage makes his melding of jazz and world music seam natural . . . a fabulous player" WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
After Hours is "one of the most original efforts of the year" JAZZTIMES
**** " The more one listens to this CD, the more one realizes how much there is to admire about Ichkhanian" ALL MUSIC GUIDE