walking upstream…
Harout Pamboukjian
photo: kevorkmail · cc by-sa 3.0 ↗Harout Pamboukjian
Harout Pamboukjian left Soviet Armenia for Los Angeles in the mid-1970s and built a career translating centuries-old Armenian folk and revolutionary songs into electrified, dance-floor arrangements — tunes recut with rock organ and guitar until diaspora weddings from Fresno to Beirut ran on his catalog. Fans call him 'Dzakh Harut' (Left Harout) for the left-handed guitar style that became as recognizable as his voice, and his records document a generation of Armenian-American musicians working out how to keep an old sound alive in a new country.
the sound in question
1983
Hey Jan GhapamaHarout Pamboukjian
walk the tributaries ↓
Deep Purple1970s · Hard rock / Heavy metal
The electrified organ-and-guitar backing on his dance numbers reflects the hard-rock records his teenage cover band Erebouni played alongside Armenian folk repertoire, going 'from village to village playing everything from Charles Aznavour to Deep Purple and Elvis Presley.'
listen: upstream & here
1972
Smoke on the WaterDeep Purple
1983
Hey Jan GhapamaHarout Pamboukjian
listen forThe driving, organ-inflected backing on 'Hey Jan Ghapama' has some of the same hard-rock muscle as 'Smoke on the Water,' just repurposed for a folk-dance tune.
Elvis Presley1950s · Rock and roll / Rockabilly
The crowd-pleasing showmanship and crossover pop instincts in his later, more produced singles echo the rock-and-roll charisma of American records his generation grew up hearing — Presley was part of the Western pop and rock repertoire his teenage band covered alongside Armenian folk songs.
listen: upstream & here
1957
Jailhouse RockElvis Presley
2023
O Kami KamiHarout Pamboukjian
listen forThe uptempo, hip-shaking energy of 'O Kami Kami' owes something to the same crowd-baiting showmanship Presley brought to 'Jailhouse Rock,' decades removed.