HYE Times

The other day I was looking for a graphic to go along with another post I created when I stumbled on an old commercial on YouTube that I remember in my youth. I got a short chuckle out of it and I began to think about the creativity that went into creating such television advertising several decades go. Now, it seems that we only see creativity in television commercials (well, that’s debatable I guess) when it comes to Super Bowl commercials. Millions of dollars are spent for a short 30 second commercial during the Super Bowl, so I guess they need to bring their ‘A’ game when it comes to creativity.

It got me to search for other commercials that I felt hit a home run on creativity – most of the time, humor was involved. Tell me if these commercials were your favorites or if you can recommend some newer ones:

This was such an iconic phrase when I was growing up.

Can’t publish this blog without asking “Where is the Beef?!”

Classic!

This was shown in Detroit all the time, featuring the radio icon, the Great Gildersleeve…

I remember this one as a kid…

Never saw this one, but had to include because I am a fan of Jackie Gleason.

… and who doesn’t remember “You can call me Ray…”

Ok, well, this is an outtake from Orson Welles famous Paul Masson wine commercials. I have to include, so funny.

Each year through this blog, I do my best to commemorate April 24th, a date too well known to Armenians worldwide when 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered by the hands of the Turkish government, then referred to as the Ottoman Empire. This is a hard story to write each year, but nevertheless an important one and its the only time I allow myself to wander off the path of the theme of these blogs.

Often we use the phrase “if we are not careful, history will repeat itself”. For the Armenians, we know this phrase all too well.  Just close to two years ago, the Armenians once again suffered the fate of the hands of the Turkish government, this time from their cousins – Azerbaijan. Some have called it the Nagorno-Karabagh Conflict, but what it has been (since 1988) is Azerbaijan looking to take land historically under Armenia’s domain (for centuries) for their own. They used the same tactics used by their ancestral cousins deployed 100 years ago, however this time they had double the force with the aid of Turkey.

Innocent Armenians were killed and land was taken

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin told his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev to “take care of Christian shrines”. A joke as Aliyev destroyed those sacred buildings.

Fast forward, the attack on Armenians continues to this day. Yet, 107 years after our ancestors were murdered – we do not forget and can never begin to heal until Turkey acknowledges their hideous actions. Even today, their PR machine continues as they attempt to erase the past or cloud the internet with their falsehoods by claiming it was a “civil war” or “death occurred on both sides”.

Let there be no mistake – it happened. It continues to happen and sadly, history will repeat itself.

Now we see the poor people of Ukraine that have been killed and displaced like the Armenians once were. At least the USA has decided to aid and help these refugees. However, where were the allies when Armenian was being killed 107 years ago … and two years ago?

Genocide is just that – man’s inhumanity to man. We continue to allow history to repeat itself…over and over again.

To the millions of Armenians and Ukrainians that have perished due to government control, may their memories be eternal.

In 2015 which marked the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, I released a film documentary. Guardians of Music: History of Armenian Music in Detroit followed the journey of Detroit Armenian musicians that were children of Armenian Genocide survivors and continued the tradition of performing Armenian folk music and creating a sense of community for the Armenian people.

This film featured rare photos and film clips of musicians and bands that entertained Armenian audiences in the metro Detroit area for decades.

Now, I am happy to announce that my film is available on Amazon.

If you haven’t seen this film, I would hope that you would give it a try and rent it or buy it on Amazon for a fraction of the cost it took to produce. This was a labor of love and the message of perpetuating the story of Armenian music and the musicians that allowed the music to live on even after a horrific Genocide continues to be a focal point whenever I am performing for live audiences.

If you have seen the film and would be so kind as to give it a favorable review, that is also appreciative!

As artists, we are told to tell a story with our work.

Storytelling is an art form in itself, but mastering this art form is just as difficult as any form of artistry.

However, storytelling can be expressed in different ways. A painter tells a story by what they create with color. A writer tells a story by word and a musician tells their story by performing certain notes in a specific pattern.

In Middle Eastern music, the expressionist form of telling a story is through the art of a taksim. The word taksim itself is of Turkish/Arabic origin and means ‘”improvisational”. It is through taksim that an Armenian or Middle Eastern musician can tell a story while playing their instrument. Often playing a taksim demonstrates a musicians mastery of their instrument – whether it is an oud, kanun, violin, etc. Performing in a specific mode or makam (scale) displays their innate ability to demonstrate their knowledge of a scale or a range of different scales.

I don’t think that playing a taksim should be limited to how a musician understands the makam but more of how they can express themselves by notes. Their soul, the touch of their instrument, can say much more than their understanding of their instrument or the scale in which they are performed. Their passion for the music, the love of their instrument or a connection to their heritage can be felt through their improvisation.

The importance of spontaneous composition can tell a musician life’s story. For me, playing a taksim or improvised solo is less about displaying my knowledge of the scale as it is the warmth of the music or my passion for playing the instrument. I want to be able to express to audience why I play this music more than how good I may be at playing it.  Performing a solo is much more expressive than playing a song from the first note to last.

Playing an improvised solo allows you to free yourself from the chains of a particular melody and open allows you to open your soul.

Sting once said ” If you play music with passion and love and honesty, then it will nourish your soul, heal your wounds and make your life worth living. Music is its own reward”.