Few artists in contemporary music have carved out as adventurous and genre-defying a path as Armenian pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan. Since bursting onto the international scene as a prodigy — winning competitions like the Montreux Jazz Festival piano prize and the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition — Hamasyan has continually reinvented his craft, fusing jazz, Armenian folk music, rock, prog elements, electronics and choral traditions into a singular musical voice.
Now, Hamasyan has dropped his highly anticipated Manifeste — a record that isn’t just another album but a statement of artistic intent.
Tigran Hamasyan live at Transition Festival by Dirk Neven / CC BY 2.0
What Manifeste Is — And What It Means
Released on February 6, 2026, via Naïve Records, Manifeste finds Hamasyan at a creative peak, building on his sprawling 2024 project The Bird of a Thousand Voices and pushing his sound into even deeper and more cinematic territory.
Rather than a traditional jazz or solo piano record, Manifeste moves like a ritualistic journey — opening with meditative textures, expanding into dense rhythmic and harmonic interplay, and concluding with grand choral statements. Across its fourteen tracks, Hamasyan loops piano, synths, bass synth, vocals, whistling and programmed drums into an immersive tapestry that marries the sacred and the modern.
Hamasyan himself described the album as both a personal and spiritual manifesto — not just a collection of songs, but a reflection of what he stands for as a creator and human being.
Musical Collaborators & Sonic Scope
True to Hamasyan’s deeply collaborative ethos, Manifeste features an expanded ensemble of musicians who help shape its varied sonic landscapes:
Marc Karapetian and Evan Marien on bass
Drummers Arthur Hnatek, Matt Garstka and Nate Wood
Daniel Melkonyan (trumpet) and Nick Llerandi (guitar)
Cello by Artyom Manukyan
Asta Mamikonyan on vocals, plus traditional frame drum (daf) and blul (wind instrument) contributions
The Yerevan State Chamber Choir, conducted by Kristina Voskanyan enriches several tracks with choral depth.
This expansive palette — from fragile chamber moments to explosive rhythmic zones — gives the album a cinematic breadth that’s been praised by critics and listeners alike.
Themes: From Ancient Roots to Futuristic Visions
What really sets Manifeste apart is its thematic ambition. Rather than isolating jazz or ethnic music, Hamasyan invites his listeners into a multi-layered labyrinth where:
Armenian folk melodies and sacred musical traditions meet contemporary sound design
Progressive rock energy collides with electronic production
Ritualistic choral passages emerge alongside pounding polyrhythms and trance-like grooves
Tracks like “One Body, One Blood” swirl with choir and electronics, while pieces such as “Dardahan” emphasize driving rhythms and dense instrumental interplay — evidence of Hamasyan’s fearless blending of genres.
Tigran Hamasyan Portrait by Vahan Stepanyan / CC BY 3.0
Why This Album Matters
In its scope and ambition, Manifeste feels like a definitive statement from an artist who refuses to be boxed in. It doesn’t just add to Hamasyan’s growing discography — it radiates as a visionary work, rooted in tradition yet full-on futuristic in execution.
Long regarded as one of jazz and contemporary music’s most exciting voices, Hamasyan continues to stretch boundaries, making Manifeste not merely an album, but a compelling invitation into the transformative power of sound.
Listen if you’re curious about where jazz, folk, prog and electronics meet — and if you want to hear one of this generation’s boldest artists in full flight.