Giorgi Mikadze, fellow artists play Georgian film music for New York audience

A New York jazz concert delighted music enthusiasts on Wednesday with works by Georgian composers, performed by a quartet led by United States-based pianist Giorgi Mikadze.

Held in an intimate atmosphere of the Yamaha Artist Services venue, the show served as a presentation of Mikadze’s latest project, Georgian Songbook Vol. 1.

Joined by artists Adam O'Farrill on trumpet, Benjamin Tiberio on bass and Raphael Pannier on drums, Mikadze played scores from Soviet-era Georgian films, arranged by him into jazz compositions.

The works included music by composers Giya Kancheli, Sulkhan Tsintsadze and Jansug Kakhidze, written for live action cinema as well as animation films.

Mikadze came up with the idea for the project two years ago. The pianist told Voice of America radio his aim was to use the project to promote the legacy of jazz sounds in Georgian composers’ works.

The US-based artist also said he planned to expand the collection of scores within the Georgian Songbook project next year.

The Georgian-born artist has enjoyed a number of new projects and work opportunities over this year.

A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he was selected to work as guest professor for the five-week Summer Performance Program of the institution.

The pianist also joined esteemed musical artists including drummer Jack DeJohnette for the Mikrojazz project exploring microtonality in jazz genre.

Mikadze also became the first Georgian artist to sign with globally renowned musical instrument company Yamaha last year, as he concluded this year by launching a crowdfunding campaign to release his debut album.