Oriental Delight - Hank Mardigian Sextet

Seeds Of Joy

Oriental Delight
Hank Mardigian Sextet Featuring George Mgrdichian on the Oud

Cover Photo: Lester Krauss
Forum SF 9010

Both the Forum and the Roulette release feature the same cover image.

From the back cover: Hank Mardigian's Sextet has, since early childhood, lived and played oriental music. In the eight, short years that the six gifted musicians have been playing together, the band has become one of America's most popular and well-known American bands of today.

Hank Mardigian, in his playing of the mandolin and the alto saxophone, has captured the style and authenticity of the ancient music of Asia Minor. The popularity of the band is due to his leadership, arrangements and inspiration.

The oud, a large hand-carved pot-bellied long-necked mandolin-type string instrument, is the most important in oriental music. George Mgrdichian, without question, is considered one of then best oud players in America and is a perfectionist. He plays very freely, with genuine feeling, and his interpretations of the oud have won wide recognition for him. He is such an artist that when he plays, the music "lives," and makes you wonder when the oud will start "talking."

Roupen Gureghian, the youngest member of the band, plays the clarinet with feeling, and not from notes. The music moves him so, that the result is a distinctive style of playing.

The rhythm section, which is most important to an oriental band, has Berge Jehanian playing the castanets for added flavor. The section is paced by Roger Mgrdichian, who plays the treble dumber, an hour-glass-shaped drum which is open on one end, with a unique style. George Terkanian plays the bass dumbeg, which stands thirty inches high and he excels as "the whistler" in "Come My Sweet One."

Billboard Magazine review original 1958 review (Roulette SR-25032): Most of the Armenian music in this off-beat platter will sound to the average ear like the musical background for a "kootch" act, with its wailing melodic line, drum and tambourine accents, and Middle Eastern flavor. However George Mardichian lends striking color with his skillful handling of an odd instrument called an "oud", sounding like a cross between a guitar and a zither.

Oriental Delight (Jazayair)
Dance Of The Viel (Chefte Telli)

Village Dance

Dreams Of Home (Groong)

The Halleh

Caucasian Dance

Sweet Spring (Anoush Karoun)

Kismet

Mood Orientale

Zebeck

Seeds Of Joy (Ikerim Attarim)

Come My Sweet One