Pianist Tigran Hamasyan's second Nonesuch album, An Ancient Observer, is out now. It includes ten new compositions, two of which are based on Armenian melodies. Some are through-composed and completely written out, while others are composed with ample space for Hamasyan to improvise. He cites a wide range of influences—from Baroque dance to hip-hop grooves adapted to piano—and the sounds of his native country of Armenia are present, as always. DownBeat exclaims: "It's simply breathtaking." The Huffington Post calls Hamasyan "one of jazz's most dynamic artists" and the new album "outstanding."

Tigran Hamasyan performed two songs from his new album, An Ancient Observer, for NDR Kultur Neo in Germany: "Markos and Markos" and "Egyptian Poet." You can watch the performances here. "Tigran Hamaysan hovers between fast-paced jazz improvisation, classical piano art, and the enchanted music of his native Armenia," says NDR Kultur, which gives the album four stars.

Tigran Hamasyan has unveiled the music video for "The Cave of Rebirth" from his forthcoming album, An Ancient Observer. The video, produced by Truth.io, was directed by Ruben van Leer. Made in collaboration with fractal animator Julius Horsthuis and computer facilities at Hectic Electric Amsterdam, the video translates Hamasyan's music to 3D visuals based on mathematic formulas. "As a pianist and composer, he draws inspiration from jazz, folkloric and classical sources, in ways that feel both hypermodern and practically ageless," says NPR's Nate Chinen. "This synthesis is well captured in the video." Watch it here and get the song now with album pre-order.

Tigran Hamasyan will begin a world tour ahead of the March 31 release of his new album, An Ancient Observer, starting with three nights at the Blue Whale in Los Angeles, February 25–27. The US leg of the tour continues with shows in Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Boston, and NYC. The European tour begins in Italy on March 17, with stops in Switzerland, France, Belgium, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Norway, Estonia, Switzerland, and Hamasyan's home country of Armenia. He heads to Japan in May and to Australia in June.

Nonesuch Records releases its second album from pianist Tigran Hamasyan, An Ancient Observer, on March 31, 2017. It includes ten new compositions, two of which are based on Armenian melodies. Some are through-composed and completely written out, while others are composed with ample space for Hamasyan to improvise. He cites a wide range of influences—from Baroque dance to hip-hop grooves adapted to piano—and the sounds of his native country of Armenia are present, as always. Pre-orders include an instant download of the album track "Fides Tua"; you can watch a live performance of the song here.

Tigran Hamasyan was among the winners at the ECHO Jazz 2016 Awards. He took part in the awards ceremony held at Kampnagel in Hamburg on May 26, which was broadcast on NDR, receiving his award for International Instrumentalist of the Year, Piano, for his album Mockroot and performing the album track "Lilac." You can watch the performance here. Among the other winners were James Farm, named International Ensemble of the Year for its album City Folk, and Brad Mehldau, who received a special prize for his box set 10 Years Solo Live.

Congratulations to Brad Mehldau, James Farm, and Tigran Hamasyan, who are all winners of ECHO Jazz 2016 Awards. James Farm was named International Ensemble of the Year for City Folk; Tigran Hamasyan was named International Instrumentalist of the Year, Piano, for Mockroot; and Brad Mehldau will be given a Sonderpreis ("special prize") for his box set 10 Years Solo Live. The ECHO Jazz 2016 Awards ceremony will take place in Hamburg on May 26 and will be televised by NDR.

The ECHO Jazz 2016 Award nominations have been announced, including three for Joshua Redman projects: International Saxophone Instrumentalist of the Year for his work with James Farm on their latest album, City Folk and International Ensemble of the Year to both James Farm and The Bad Plus Joshua Redman and their self-titled debut album. Tigran Hamasyan has been nominated for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year for his Nonesuch debut, Mockroot. The ECHO Jazz Awards ceremony will take place in Hamburg on May 26.

Tigran Hamasyan was featured on NPR's All Things Considered Sunday. He spoke with host Arun Rath about his new album, Mockroot, and its diverse musical influences. "Musicians arrive at their signature sounds through all sorts of influences, but [Hamasyan] may have the most unusual collection yet," says Rath, noting sources from the folk music of Hamasyan's native Armenia to metal to Indian classical music. "So when you listen to the music of Tigran Hamasyan, know that there's a lot going on there." You can listen to the conversation here.

Pianist Tigran Hamasyan's Nonesuch Records debut, Mockroot, is out now, featuring new tracks written by Hamasyan, as well as his arrangements of traditional Armenian songs. Although trained as a classical and jazz musician, Hamasyan draws on a wide range of influences, including Armenian folk music, rock, electronica, poetry, and more. "There are many brilliant and perfectly finished young jazz pianists around," says the Telegraph, "but Hamasyan stands out because he has something important and urgent to say." "You will find it difficult if not impossible to get this disc out of your machine for quite a while," raves the Buffalo News. "Don’t count on getting it out of your head for a long while either." Hamasyan and his trio are currently on tour in the US.

Tigran Hamasyan, whose Nonesuch Records debut album, Mockroot, is due out on Tuesday, kicks off a tour of the US with a performance at the University of Chicago's Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts—his Chicago debut—on Friday. The tour continues through the month, with stops in Oakland, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and Cambridge, two nights in New York City, and two sets in College Park, Maryland.

Tigran Hamasyan has unveiled an animated video of the song "Kars 2 (Wounds of the Centuries)," off his new album, Mockroot. The video, which premiered on Les Inrocks, was created by his sister, Melanya Hamasyan. You can watch it here. The song was written about the town of Kars, the ancestral home of Hamasyan's maternal grandparents, a place that became part of Turkey in the years that followed the Ottoman genocide of Armenians during the First World War.