Dialogue Through Music
 

“Jazz has the power to transcend borders, foster dialogue, and ignite joy and hope”: these words, spoken by American jazz pianist and composer, 14-time Grammy Award winner, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, incredibly accurately describe the story of my new hero.
 

Jazz double bassist Mikhail Fominykh, like many others, was forced to leave Russia. He had to overcome both territorial and cultural boundaries on his way to a place that later became his new home. Jazz became the foundation upon which strong dialogue with new people was built and hope for joyful days ahead was sown.
 

“I left because I am against war and do not want to be part of it — I am for peace. In the 21st century, we should be flying into space, not fighting. I take all of this very close to heart,” says the hero.
 

Mikhail was born in the city of Vyatka, was passionate about rock music and extreme metal genres, through which he eventually came to jazz and fell in love with it. Later he moved to Saint Petersburg, where his active professional career began.
 

From Petersburg to “Ulikhanyan”
 

The decision to leave Russia was followed by Mikhail’s phone call to Armenia to a person with whom he had shared the stage many times in Saint Petersburg: “I knew only one person from Armenia — in St. Petersburg we called him the Armenian Bud Powell (American jazz pianist, founder of the modern jazz piano style). I called Vaagn Hayrapetyan, and he said — come! I arrived; there was a singer from St. Petersburg here, she met me at Kayaran, we took a taxi and drove across the whole city. It was my first time in Armenia. I saw Republic Square and fell in love with tuff stone at first sight. And that same day, October 1, 2022, I had my first concert at the ‘Ulikhanyan’ club with Vaagn and Arman Mnatsakanyan.”
 

The hero admits he was very pleasantly surprised: before arriving in Armenia, he had only seen and heard Vaagn play, but here there were so many professional musicians. Mikhail believes that among the CIS countries, Armenia is the most developed musically, especially in jazz. The professionalism here is on the level of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the number of concerts held in Yerevan is comparable to large Russian cities.
 

Mikhail was also surprised by the freedom of speech on public television: “When I appeared with Vaagn and Arman on the program ‘Aravot Luso’ on the First Channel, I felt true freedom for the first time — when people say everything they want within reasonable limits, of course, and joke. It’s a pity our television sessions ended so quickly.”
 

All the Stars Aligned in Armenia
 

Vaagn Hayrapetyan also helped with finding an instrument — Mikhail was unable to bring his own at that time. Here he found a full-size double bass he had always dreamed of; as the hero says — all the stars aligned in Armenia.
 

Mikhail has been living in Armenia for four years now and, according to him, is living his best life. The only sadness in his life is the distance between him and his son.
 

Mikhail’s professional life in Yerevan is as vibrant as it was in Saint Petersburg: he performs many concerts in different ensembles, creates various arrangements for them, including for choir and big band: “In the jazz world everything is easy — they call you and ask, are you free? I’m free! If music is a universal language, then jazz is the most universal. I found here the jazz vibe I was looking for, the one I had in Petersburg.
 

There are many young jazz musicians here, and what still amazes me is that 14–15-year-old drummers are already performing. The younger generation is just wow — we didn’t have that. Jazz is in Armenians’ blood.”
 

In Mikhail’s plans and dreams is to visit New York, the current homeland of jazz. But for now, New York comes here. Last year in Armenia, Mikhail performed concerts with New York–based renowned jazz singer Lucy Yeghiazaryan and her husband, one of the best contemporary saxophonists Grant Stewart, and this year — with saxophonist Zaid Nasser.
 

Adaptation, A New Home
 

Speaking about adaptation in a new environment, Mikhail admits that in Saint Petersburg everyone is for themselves, people are disconnected, and in this respect he has something to learn from the kind and responsive Armenians. He also wants to learn the Armenian language and is making good progress, though not yet enough for a full dialogue: “I walk into a store determined to speak Armenian, say ‘Barev dzez,’ and they answer — ‘Hello.’ That’s it, the Armenian conversation is over.” (laughs).
 

In Mikhail’s Armenian vocabulary, the word “tun” (“home” in Armenian) holds special meaning — a home he has found once again and hopes for a lifetime. He had a tun in Vyatka, then several homes in Saint Petersburg, and three physical homes in Yerevan.
 

“When you move from one place to another, from one country to another, the feeling of home fades, but globally my home is here. I know that home is tun. I live here, I like it here, here I have freedom, rights, and responsibilities. Here I am allowed to do what I did before moving and what I plan to do my whole life — music. Here there are beloved apricots and peaches, sun, kind and good people! I don’t know what scenarios life may have, I hope I won’t move anywhere else. But if there is some movement across the planet, I will always return home — to Armenia!”
 

Interview by Nare Bejanyan
Translation via AI based on the original article in Russian: «Новый дом, где играет джаз: Михаил Фоминых».