André Manoukian

At Salle Pleyel in Paris, on 28 March 2026, André Manoukian presents La Sultane, a programme in which Armenian melodies engage in dialogue with a lucid modal jazz. For five albums he has drawn on this material to reveal its modes, colours and rhythms, and his piano explores an intimate memory, between inheritance and sonic inquiry. Around him, Mosin Kawa on tablas establishes a percussive texture drawn from India, Gilles Coquard supplies a clear double bass, Anissa Nehar adds the cajón, while the strings of the Orchestre Appassionato, conducted by Mathieu Herzog, expand the harmonic space, with arrangements by Manoukian and Simon Cochard. Singer Arpi Alto joins the ensemble on two lullabies from the Armenian repertoire. Between East and West, the themes progress through motifs and echoes, weaving lines that answer one another. The title La Sultane refers to an affectionate nickname in Manoukian’s family, while the boys were called Pacha. A concert where composition, improvisation and the transmission of tradition find common ground.