A New Chapter •••
Vahagn Stepanyan
Jazz fusion keyboardist
Lovers of jazz fusion keyboardists like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea should take a listen to Armenian Vahagn Stepanyan’s latest album, A New Chapter with Grammy-winning and world-class musicians, producers and engineers. Jazz fusion is a blend of elements of jazz with other genres, often using keyboards, synthesizers, saxophones, and pianos to create a range of textures, harmonies, and improvisational styles within the genre. The aesthetic of contrast, so central for jazz fusion, is inspired here on Mr. Stepanyan’s production of his album with Kitt Wakeley, who earlier this year won the Grammy for Best Classical Compendium for “An Adaption Story” to which he contributed to engineering and playing keyboards. Other performers include eleven-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Philip Lassite, guitarists Greg Howe and Mark Lettieri, saxophonist Dave Koz, bassist Ida Nielsen, and drummer Eric Moore.
On the track “Synergy,” Mr. Moore’s style showcased keen musical intuition with complex rhythms, rapid fills, and a strong sense of control, characterized by powerful and precise strikes on the drum kit. Mr. Lettieri’s sharp, cutting tones and expressive techniques make his electric guitar sound vibrant and penetrating. Mr. Koz showcased the soprano saxophone’s versatility, often achieving a wide range of tones, from smooth and lyrical to sharp and piercing. Mr. Stepanyan’s expressive and melodic vocals on “Without Limits” along with Anthony Crawford’s stratospheric bass solo leaps to the fore on an exploration featuring Mr. Lettieri’s fretwork.
Mr. Nielsen’s dexterous bass is given star status on “Motion,” which packs powerful horn section blasts, a scorching and gauzy electric rock guitar solo by Roy Ziv, and Mr. Stepanyan’s otherworldly synthesizer expositions. Mr. Howe and Mr. Lassiter topline “Gravity,” floating above the intricate swatches of multiple guitars and horns. Throughout A New Chapter, Mr. Moore’s knockout drumming dominates in impressive fashion, but he’s officially featured on “So Good,” which is illumined Mr. by Stepanyan’s imaginative keyboards and a screaming and attention-grabbing guitar solo by Feodor Dosumov and Melvin Lee Davis’s elastic basslines. Brazilian drummer Cleverson Silva and Venezuelan bassist Isai Romero add Latin flavor to the playful “Toy.” Closing with a solo piece that was recorded in one take, Mr. Stepanyan exquisitely conveys the emotions of the challenges he’s faced in recent years on “Hold My Hand,” a contemplative, poetic and cinematic beauty.
Although Mr.Stepanyan’s early training was in classical music, his muse has been jazz and gospel while incorporating world beat and global music. He produced and collaborated on three volumes of the multicultural “The Ethnos Project” that were released in 2013, 2015 and 2018, truly international compilations that include up to fourteen languages. As a solo artist, Mr. Stepanyan debuted in 2015 with Moonlight, an offering of jazz, R&B and funk that he produced. Amongst the talents from the US, Armenia, Brazil, Thailand, Israel and that performed on the album were Billboard chart-topping guitarist Adam Hawley, six-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist Eric Marienthal, bassists Mr. Crawford and Mr. Davis, and drummer Mr. Silva. In 2020, the artist collaborated with Grammy-winning gospel singer Percy Bady.
