Arto Tunkobyasian | Photo Credit: Andranik Taylor
“What is the plan You game?” asks Arto Tunkoboyasian, a Grammy Award-winning percussionist, over a WhatsApp call from Istanbul. It’s a first. I’m now the subject. I falter, and shyly admit I play some terrible guitar and sometimes I also sing. He approves, and says that then I will know what it is to be creative. This sets the tone for a lovely conversation that flows easily despite shaky networks and stuttering English, for which This great musician is unnecessarily apologetic. Definitely, one of those conversations that leaves a feeling of warmth long after it’s over.
This weekend, Arto, the self-taught percussionist, multi-instrumentalist and composer best known globally for his Grammy-winning collaborations with American jazz legend Chet Baker, and Paul Winter, Mark Johnson and Turkish singer Other international stars like Sezen Aksu come to India. For the first time, with a solo act for the Mahindra Percussion Festival in Bengaluru. The 66-year-old Armenian, who grew up in Turkey, calls himself an “avant-garde folk” musician. Ask him what this means and he says, “Folk is who I am, and avant-garde is imagining for tomorrow without losing its identity.”
Arto Tunkobyasian | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The story of how he discovered the musician in him is quite an interesting one. Growing up, conditions at home were not always favorable. Tunçboyacıyan grew up as a cobbler of Armenian-Anatolian descent as part of the minority Armenian community in 60s Istanbul. They say that playing ball or doing odd jobs is a characteristic of their childhood. His elder brother, Onno Ohans Tunkobsyan, was a musician. “In the ’60s, there used to be matinees for young people who could not afford to go to nightclubs. My brother used to take me there. My eyes were always on the stage. One such day, I was playing with a broken drum that belonged to a band. Suddenly, the frontman of that band pushed me on stage and I had to play. I got paid, and was told to come the next day,” he says, pausing to reminisce with a laugh. “I was looking at everything as an instrument, anything that made sound.”
Having realized his calling, the musician is now an exponent of not only the percussion instrument (his favorite sets are the ones he made by hand), but many other instruments such as the duduk, szebo and bular. Each device has its place in his life, says Arto. He remembers that when he moved to America in 1981, his handmade drum set was often a conversation starter and the English language had yet to become a friend.
Although many have said how her Armenian roots inspire her music, she has a different take, “I’m not really a cultural person. I would say that I have cultural spice, but with a personal imagination. That’s the way he looks at life and music. “I’m a human and my spice is Armenian.” He says his roots don’t inspire him, and quickly adds, “You’ll have to listen to me patiently. I’m not inspired because I am what sounds Armenian. What inspires me are other cultures and The sounds built in there.”
And rightly so, Arto is one who believes that there are no brackets or boundaries when it comes to music. This philosophy applies in life. So, does the fact that there are no rules make it easier to grow as a musician? “Music does not belong to any person or nationality. Why don’t we use creativity in a healthy way, without dictating to others?” he asks. To that end, his music is always evolving, mainly because he believes there’s no reason to be stuck in the past, even if it comprises a large part of his identity. The future is as is important.
As for what he has in store for Bengaluru, he has only one thing to say: “Surprise, surprise… both for the audience and me.”
The Mahindra Percussion Festival, in association with The Hindu Group, is co-sponsored by Carlsberg Soda, and promoted and produced by Hyperlink Brand Solutions. Tickets for the festival are available on Bookmyshow.com.