With a Song in My Heart

The music contained in this album stands as a testament to the power of friendships, those old and those new. Like old friends, the songs, which hail from the canon of American (and Brasilio-American) jazz, are possessed of a familiarity that makes them extremely accessible. Yet, much like the excitement one derives from making new friends, the subtle re-harmonization and new arrangements of these standards provide the listener with a motivation to “want to get to know the music better”.

Interestingly, a quite effective complement of old and new friendships can be found when one examines the makeup of Double Sharp, the ensemble responsible for this music. Levon Mikayelyan (vocalist), Arshak Sirunyan (pianist), and NuneVartanyan (vocalist) are parties to a friendship that has stood the test of time, and space. Friends since their childhood days, in Yerevan, Armenia, the trio managed to maintain their bond despite the fact that all three of them immigrated to United States four years apart from one another.

During the rehearsals for the recording session, new friends, Tony Bunn (bass) and Wes Crawford (drums), both veterans of an array of music “scenes”, were skeptical of the lofty goals the Armenian trio had set out to accomplish. Brought into the fold by pianist Sirunyan, after their earlier work together in a local Washington D.C. area instrumental ensemble, the veterans thought it quite impossible to complete the recording of 10 tracks in a 1-day session. Much to their amazement, 5 hours after the first chord was struck, the recording phase of the session was complete — and everyone in attendance was happy with the result.

This release of With A Song In My Heart could have been possible only through the commitment that derives from true friendship!