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BIOGRAPHY
"For as long as I can remember there was always music in our house while I was growing up. One of my brothers introduced me to the Big Band sound at an early age and the other introduced me to rock & roll. My sister plays classical piano and my parents always had Armenian and Arabic music playing on the stereo," remembers composer/keyboardist/producer, Armen Chakmakian.
A prodigy with a gift for playing by ear, Armen's musical education was extensive. A native of Glendale, California, he attended Berklee College of Music, UCLA and USC where he studied the "History of Armenian Music". Also, he studied jazz with John Novello, a world acclaimed music educator, and learned improvisation from keyboardist, Chuck Wild of Missing Persons fame and composer of the Liquid Mind stress-relief music series. Soon he found himself embarking on a successful career in Hollywood performing, composing and arranging for singer/songwriters with former Rick James' Stone City Band members, Richard and Lorenzo Shaw.
Next up, Chakmakian formed his own jazz-fusion ensemble whose members graduated to stellar careers playing for hit makers, Shadowfax, Strunz & Farah, Kitaro, Jon Anderson (from Yes), The Rippingtons and some of the biggest pop artists of our time including Sting, Bonnie Raitt, The Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Patti Labelle.
In 1991, the break of a lifetime occurred when Armen joined the GRAMMY� Award-winning band, Shadowfax as the keyboardist. The following year, the album, Esperanto co-written by Chakmakian was nominated for a GRAMMY as Best New Age Album of 1992. Following Esperanto was Magic Theater, Shadowfax Live, and a 90-minute concert video of the Live album. The next five years were spent co-writing, recording and touring with Shadowfax and were instrumental in shaping Armen's signature keyboard stylings.
A new era began in 1998 when he founded TruArt Records. Armen's debut solo album, Ceremonies was released that year to rave reviews and debuted 1 on the New Age/World radio charts (NAV Top 50). Airplay was received on over 600 stations worldwide. Two tracks from Ceremonies were featured on the European compilation CD series, Buddha-Bar I & IV, and have to date sold over 700,000 units.
In 2004, Armen's second solo album, Caravans was released and showcases the artist's growth as a composer/producer with its spontaneous performances. While he continues to man his independent label, he also enjoys playing with other groups including a South American tour with Saltimbanco, Cirque du Soleil's flagship show and contributing songs to film and television projects.
As an artist, Armen Chakmakian continues to break new ground and explore new territory with his inventive and dramatic compositions.
