Tigran Hamasyan

Manifeste
Release Date: February 6, 2026
Label: Naïve Records

Celebrated pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan presents Manifeste, a sonic statement infusing the deep spiritual traditions of his Armenian heritage throughout. The album marks a new chapter for one of the most visionary artists working at the intersection of jazz, progressive rock, and global music. Recorded between 2023 and 2025 across studios in Yerevan, Athens, Moscow, Los Angeles, and beyond, Manifeste emerges as both a deeply personal declaration and a vivid portrait of seeking, the joy of creation, and spiritual transformation.

Following his acclaimed 2024 double album The Bird of a Thousand Voices, Hamasyan continues his fearless artistic exploration with a work that unfolds in ritual sequence. From the meditative "Prelude for All Seekers" to the powerful "National Repentance Anthem," weave together rhythmic complexity and spiritual depth with a fresh, progressive aesthetic. 

"Seeking and working on yourself to find who you are…finding something that may have always been there but that you need to dig for in order for it to manifest and be born into this world," Hamasyan reflects in his liner notes. "That moment when a piece of music is being born and joy fills your heart is the most precious moment for me as a musician."

Throughout the album, Hamasyan's pianism reaches extraordinary heights, navigating complex and intricately woven rhythmic structures with his world-class ensemble. The heavier sections pulse with a progressive metal quality, particularly on the explosive opener "Prelude For All Seekers" and the darkly compelling "A Eye (The Digital Leviathan)," which features searing guitar work from Nick Llerandi alongside the powerhouse rhythm section of Marc Karapetian on bass and Matt Garstka on drums. Armenian folk melodies shine through these dense and heavy foundations, blending ancient wisdom with modern urgency.

The album showcases a masterful instrumental palette through the tasteful use of effects, synthesizers, and sound design, crafting  impressive contrasts of mood and atmosphere. "E flat Venice - Per Mané" explores fusion of lyrical pop sensibility with electronica, featuring the ethereal vocals of Asta Mamikonyan alongside Hamasyan's drum programming and synth work. The track builds momentum with an increasingly rhythmic accompaniment, culminating in a techno-inflected groove with funky, danceable pulses.

The arrangements and production throughout Manifeste radiate a cinematic quality that results in a dynamic and immersive listening experience. Each composition crafts a sonic world and approach that guides listeners through a series of epic musical environments, each with its own emotional terrain and textural identity.

Hamasyan’s lush vocal choir writing on "National Repentance Anthem," is characterized by stark, spare minor cadences that gradually transform into a sumptuous chorale, pushing boundaries of tonality while maintaining deeply melancholic and beautiful themes. The piece features the Yerevan State Chamber Choir conducted by Kristina Voskanyan, with Hamasyan adding his own whistling to the layered textures. On "Years Passing (For Akram)," the blend of choir with synth pads creates expansive ambient soundscapes, while trumpeter Daniel Melkonyan floats above with his robust sound and commanding lyricism.

The fiery "Dardahan" showcases Hamasyan on piano, synths, and vocals alongside the formidable rhythm section of Evan Marien on bass and Arthur Hnatek on drums. Together they masterfully create some of the album’s most climactic performances. "A Window from one heart to another (For Rumi)" offers an intimate dedication featuring the daf playing of Hamin Honari and the blul of Yessai Karapetian, creating a sonic bridge between cultures and spiritual traditions.

The closing track "The Fire Child (Vahagn Is Born)" is a moody ambient exploration in which intricate layers of Hamasyan's vocals create a ceremonial feel. Produced entirely by Hamasyan, the piece serves as a powerful conclusion to the album's transformative journey.

"We crystallize through suffering," Hamasyan writes. "The artist's role is to allow the audience to experience catharsis, returning to the eternal mystery of the birth of existence from which we come and to which we return." This philosophy permeates every moment of Manifeste, as Hamasyan brings together the human, digital, and sacred in a declaration of unity through sound, where cutting-edge technology meets ancient resonance.

Born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987, Tigran Hamasyan has established himself as one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists and composers of his generation. A piano virtuoso with formidable groove power, he seamlessly fuses potent jazz improvisation and progressive rock with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. His accolades include winning the Montreux Jazz Festival's piano competition in 2003, the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 2005, the Echo Jazz Award for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year for his Nonesuch debut Mockroot (2015), and the Deutscher Jazzpreis in 2021.

Hamasyan has earned praise from jazz luminaries including Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, and the late Chick Corea, while building a dedicated following worldwide. As NPR notes: "With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk and songwriterly elements...Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You'll hear nothing else like this." With Manifeste, Hamasyan crystallizes his profound artistic vision, merging the mythical with the modern in a work that stands as both spiritual journey and sonic innovation.