Aga Zaryan
Encyclopedia
Aga Zaryan is an internationally recognized jazz vocalist of the new generation.

Though (in jazz terms) young, her tone and delivery carry the hallmarks of classical jazz for a modern audience and as such is part of a new wave of Polish jazz artists recognised on the international scene. She is known for her distinctive style and intimate approach to singing, with a characteristic lightness of phrasing and warm, slightly matte-toned voice. Her performances are reminiscent of such female jazz vocalists as Shirley Horn
Shirley Horn
Shirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist.-Biography:Encouraged by her grandmother, who was an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. At twelve, Horn studied piano and composition at Howard University and later majored from there in classical music...

, Carmen McRae
Carmen McRae
Carmen Mercedes McRae was an American jazz singer, composer, pianist, and actress. Considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics that made her memorable...

 and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...

. This year Aga Zaryan was signed to Blue Note records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...

 to join such names as such as Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...

 and Dianne Reeves
Dianne Reeves
Dianne Reeves is an American jazz singer. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.-Early life:Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan to a very musical family. Her father, who died when she was two years old, was also a singer. Her mother, Vada Swanson, played trumpet. A cousin, George Duke, is a...

, she is also the first Polish artist ever to release albums on Blue Note Records.

Zaryan has been successful in integrating ambitious artistic goals with popular appeal, recording six albums to date, all of which have earned gold, platinum or multi-platinum status. In 2008 she was honored with the Polish recording industry's most prestigious prize - the Fryderyk
Fryderyk
The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name...

 Award.
She was nominated for the title of Woman of The Year 2008 by Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...

, one of Poland's most widely circulated newspapers.
Aga was also named Jazz Vocalist of The Year in the European Jazz Forum Magazine's yearly Jazz Top readers' poll in 2007, 2008'2009.and 2010
She has an active performance and recording schedule.

Early life

Zaryan was born in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. From early on she traveled widely throughout Europe with her parents (her father being a classical pianist, and her mother an English language educator and author) spending part of her childhood and primary school education in Manchester, UK.
In addition to classical works, both of Zaryan's parents shared a passion for the music of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

, Weather Report
Weather Report
Weather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...

, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

, Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...

, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

, and various other popular artists. This provided Zaryan with the exposure to a wide range of contemporary music, from an early age.

After returning to Poland from the UK she became involved in playing tennis competitively, and went on to win the Warsaw Tennis Championship at the age of 14.

Musical Beginning

Whilst still in her teens, she developed a passion for music and theatre. After hearing the music of Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

 and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...

, Zaryan decided to become a jazz vocalist.
She studied voice at the Fryderyk Chopin Public Secondary School of Music, and attended the Post-Secondary Jazz Studies Program there, graduating with honors.
Zaryan was awarded scholarships to attend international Jazz workshops on two occasions: the Stanford Jazz Workshop
Stanford Jazz Workshop
Stanford Jazz Workshop was founded in 1972 by saxophonist and educator Jim Nadel to create an environment conducive to learning, experiencing and appreciating jazz...

 and Jazz Camp West, both in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where she was able to further develop her vocal skills.

Solo career

In 2002, Zaryan's debut album My Lullaby – recorded with a group that included Tomasz Szukalski, Darek Oleszkiewicz, Michał Tokaj and Łukasz Żyta - was released.
This collection of jazz standards, sung with the backing of a jazz quartet in original and personal interpretations, brought her critical acclaim as one of Poland’s premier vocal talents.
In 2006, Zaryan performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in Warsaw, opening for Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...

, an occasion which enabled her to introduce herself to a wider audience as a great performer and sophisticated jazz vocalist.

Since that time, Zaryan has appeared in clubs and at festivals in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, the USA, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

.

In 2006 the premiere of Picking Up the Pieces took place – an album recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 with a first-rate international line-up of musicians: Larry Koonse (guitar), Munyungo Jackson (percussion), Nolan Shaheed (cornet) and Dariusz Oleszkiewicz (double-bass).

Picking Up the Pieces is composed of a set of eleven songs that tell stories of women; illustrating emotional and spiritual situations encountered in their lives.

The album was well-received critically and enjoyed commercial success, becoming a Bestseller which achieved platinum status.
With the release of Picking Up The Pieces, Aga Zaryan established herself, not only as one of Poland's premiere jazz vocalists, but also as an artist of international standing.

In early 2007, Zaryan was in the United States for a series of concerts with her American line-up, appearing in jazz venues such as Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub at Public Theater is a nightclub that hosts live performances regularly. The venue, which is a non-profit operation, is located at 425 Lafayette Street near Astor Place in Manhattan, New York City...

 in New York City and Blues Alley
Blues Alley
Blues Alley, founded in 1965, is a jazz dinner-and-nightclub in an alley off Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood.As of 2008, exclusively jazz musicians are booked into Blues Alley for approximately 360 nights out of the year....

 in Washington D.C. The concerts were enthusiastically received by the public, with critics across the ocean taking notice of Aga's talent.

Beauty Is Dying, recorded in the summer of 2007, was Aga Zaryan's first album on which she sings in Polish. On it she is backed by a jazz piano trio, enhanced by a 17-piece string section with harp and oboe. The album contains nine works by Polish poets, depicting scenes of Warsaw at the time of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...

, selected and sung by Zaryan to original music composed and arranged by pianist Michał Tokaj. It has been described as lyrical and pulsing with emotion, the delicate string section and laid-back jazz trio melding perfectly with Zaryan's singing.

"A river of people – a sea of listeners" (trans."Rzeka Ludzi - Morze Glow")

On August 4 of that year, a one-of-a-kind concert took place at the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Liberty Park, where Aga Zaryan performed the material from “Beauty is Dying” with the full lineup of musicians who took part in its recording. The concert was broadcast live on Polish Public TV and Radio, and attendance was so high that traffic in the immediate vicinity of the venue was gridlocked for hours, as a vast and steady river of people converged on the park. The culmination of the event saw over seven thousand people listening to Zaryan's performance in concentrated silence.
The concert was as somewhat of a sociological phenomenon, in that the audience spanned four generations, with first-hand witnesses to the events it honored in attendance, as well as their great-grandchildren.

Beauty Is Dying was followed with appearances in prestigious concert halls and venues throughout Europe.
Later in 2008, Zaryan was accorded the Polish recording industry's highest honors - The Fryderyk
Fryderyk
The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name...

 Award - for "Beauty is Dying", as the year's the Best Poetic Album.

"Live at Palladium"

This double-CD/DVD album is a recording of one of the concerts that took place at Warsaw's Palladium Club during Aga Zaryan's 2008 concert tour, on which she was joined by musicians who flew in from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 for the occasion. Aga opted for a somewhat atypical and rather delicate-sounding combination of instruments for the project: guitar, double bass, and percussion. The personnel were guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, and Darryl Jackson on various percussion instruments.

The main body of the repertoire was composed of songs from the albums “Picking Up the Pieces” and “My Lullaby”, some of them with completely new arrangements that took shape over the course of the tour. The album is recognized as having truly captured the exceptional mood of these concerts, and highlights Zaryan's fluid ease in performance. Several of the pieces are sung as duets, to the accompaniment of just double bass.

The album was welcomed as quintessential jazz and a commercial success, earning triple platinum status.

March 2010 sees the release of her latest album 'Looking Walking Being' as a Blue Note artist.

Discography

2002 - 'My Lullaby' CD

2006 - 'Picking up the Pieces' CD

2007 - 'Beauty is Dying' '(Umiera Piękno)' CD

2008 - 'Live at the Palladium' CD/DVD

2010 - 'Looking Walking Being' CD

2011 - 'A Book of Luminous Things' CD

Awards and nominations

Awards

'Best Polish Female Jazz Vocalist' Jazz Forum's Readers Awards 2007 & 2008 & 2009 & 2010

'Best Poetic Album' Fryderyk
Fryderyk
The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name...

 Award for 'Beauty is Dying' 2008

'50 Most Important Ladies of the Capital 2008' - Życie Warszawy
Zycie Warszawy
Życie Warszawy is a right leaning Polish newspaper published in Warsaw. It was founded in October 1944 as an initiative of Polish Workers' Party. Currently it is published by Dom Prasowy Sp. z o.o. and owned by Michał Sołowow....

 (Warsaw press)

'Best New Artist' Mateusz
Mateusz
Mateusz is a Polish given name, equivalent to Matthew. It may refer to:* Mateusz , 12th-century Roman Catholic bishop of Kraków* Mateusz Bartczak, Polish football player who currently plays for Amica Wronki* Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Polish sailor...

 Award - Polish National Radio 3 award for 'Picking up the Pieces' 2007

Second Prize at the International Jazz Vocalists' Competition in Zamość, PL - 1998

Nominations

'Woman of the Year 2008' - Gazeta Wyborcza magazine (Wysokie Obcasy)

'Wdechy' 2007 'Co Jest Grane' (Whats going on) magazine's Warsaw cultural awards

'Best Polish Jazz Vocalist' Jazz Forum's Reader's Awards 2004 and 2005

'Best Jazz Album' "My Lullaby" Fryderyk
Fryderyk
The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name...

2002

External links

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