Richard A. Hagopian & Buddy Sarkissian - Kef Time (Traditional Crossroads, 1968; 1994)

Although the majority of musicians of Armenian descent in the United States who established themselves during the 1960s hailed from cities along the Atlantic seaboard such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, a considerable number of their counterparts on the West Coast also made significant contributions to the emerging and uniquely American version of Middle Eastern music. Today, Los Angeles is known for its large Armenian community, but it is the city of Fresno, located in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley region, that has traditionally been the epicenter of activity for members of this particular ethnic group in California. Initially attracted by a climate and topography similar to that of their homeland, it was inevitable that these immigrants who numbered in the thousands would bring their folkways with them. Since, in many cases, they came from different villages than their brethren who had settled back east, their repertories sometimes consisted of different material, which ultimately contributed to the development of a performing style that is particular to Armenian-Americans on the West Coast.

A MORE RECENT PHOTO OF UDI RICHARD A. HAGOPIAN

In addition to John Bilezikjian, Richard A. Hagopian ranks among the top oudists to have emerged from the Armenian community in California, although his musical expertise extends to several other instruments as well. His credentials have been considerably enhanced through lessons with legendary figures including Udi Hrant Kenkulian and Kanuni Garbis Bakirgian. Hagopian's instrumental talents had been apparent since an early age, but his career really took off in the mid 1960s when he was recruited by dumbeg player Buddy Sarkissian (a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts and younger brother of percussionist Mike Sarkissian) to join his group of musicians in Las Vegas. This unit, the Kef Time Band, performed as part of a show called the Cleopatra Revue that was staged at the famous Flamingo Hotel from 1963 until 1968 and doubtlessly exposed many Americans to the sounds of the Middle East for the first time. Nonosh, an authority on such music and a frequent commenter on this blog, has explained to me that the term "kef" is an Armenian loanword derived from the Arabic "kief," meaning "pleasure" or "well-being." Potheads, of course, will recognize the latter as the word for the powdery THC crystals that coat marijuana buds. With that in mind, I'll go with Nonosh's definition - "natural high" - as my favorite, though collectively "kef time" might be best translated into English as "party time." That's not to suggest that this is "stoner music" by any stretch of the imagination, but it often does possess a euphoric quality that should provide aficionados of Middle Eastern music with a really nice buzz.

A CLEAN-SHAVEN BUDDY SARKISSIAN, CIRCA 1980

Kef Time compiles the group's Kef Time Las Vegas and Kef Time Fresno LPs (plus one bonus track) from 1968 onto one CD. There is not a dull moment to be found on any of these 17 performances, which consist of Armenian and Turkish standards as well as new interpretations of traditional material that reflect the immigrant experience in America. Recorded at the end of their tenure with the Cleopatra Revue, Hagopian and Sarkissian - along with Hachig Kazarian on clarinet, Manny Petro on guitar, Jack Chalikian on kanun, and Russell Jajour on tambourine and zils - are in top form as a result of five years of non-stop playing for the hordes of Las Vegas tourists. It is tempting to focus exclusively on the headliners' magnificent oud and dumbeg playing, but that would be doing a tremendous disservice to the other extremely talented musicians who take part in these proceedings, especially the redoubtable Kazarian and Chalikian. And that doesn't even take into consideration that Hagopian also possesses an engaging, robust singing voice as heard on "Soode Soode," "Elimon Ektim Tasa," "Telegrafin Telleri," "Konyali," "Tin Tin," "Huseynigin Sazera," "Adalar," "Sulukule," "Kale Kale," "Cile Bulbul Cile," and "Koprumun Alti Diken/Yar Saclarin." (If you don't understand Armenian or Turkish, the booklet notes provide translations of the lyrics.) Regarding the instrumentals, "Dersim Medley," "Halay," "Sepastia Bar," "Karslama," "Siro Yerk," and "Laz Bar" are as conducive to achieving "kef" as you might imagine.

BUDDY (L) & RICHARD BACK IN THE DAY

1. Soode Soode
2. Dersim Medley
3. Elimon Ektim Tasa
4. Telegrafin Telleri
5. Halay
6. Konyali
7. Sepastia Bar
8. Tin Tin
9. Karslama
10. Huseynigin Sazera
11. Adalar
12. Sulukule
13. Kale Kale
14. Siro Yerk
15. Cile Bulbul Cile
16. Koprumun Alti Diken/Yar Saclarin
17. Laz Bar*

*previously unreleased