Jazz: Jean-Pierre Como and Tigran Hamasyan, two artists supported by the BNP Paribas Foundation, take centre stage!

It is 15 years since the BNP Paribas Foundation first began to support jazz musicians and follow them in their development. Assisting with recordings, and supporting promotion and dissemination of their work, especially on tour, are all ways of helping them develop their projects. Besides this support, the BNP Paribas foundation strives to help these artists to become better-known and to reach a wider audience.

To date, 15 jazzmen have benefited from this support – among them the young virtuoso pianist Tigran Hamasyan and the keyboard player Jean-Pierre Como. These two artists really do make a name for themselves this summer.

Tigran Hamasyan, who has been supported by the BNP Paribas foundation since 2006, is an inspired composer, as demonstrated by his latest album, Red Hail, recorded with his new group, Aratta Rebirth. Made up of young musicians from Los Angeles, Aratta Rebirth explores, reshapes, and mixes – with a rare talent – the musical styles which have always inspired its leader and composer: rock (hard rock, even neo-metal), folk music, groove, and of course jazz. Flushed with the success of this work, which came out in 2009, this young, boldly talented performer has just gained more recognition on the international stage by signing a contract for two new albums with the Universal label, the first of which will come out in early 2011.

Répertoire, the latest recording by Jean-Pierre Como came out last May, and won «4 Chocs» from the Classica magazine. Accompanied by Aldo Romano on drums and Diego Imbert on bass, he produced with Répertoire an album that combines revival of great jazz standards – such as the evergreen The Way you Look Tonight, When I fall in Love, and Over the rainbow - with inspired compositions of his own. Oscillating between memory and creation, this French-born jazzman but with Italian roots offers us a disc that is both classic and modern, subtle and vigorous. Jean-Pierre Como is a partner of the BNP Paribas Foundation since 2006.

To learn more, visit www.myspace.com/jeanpierrecomo and http://tigranhamasyan.com/