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Hrayr Attarian

A young artist exhibits his work for the first time. An art critic is in attendance. The critic says, "would you like my opinion on your work?" "Yes," says the artist. "It's worthless," says the critic. The artist replies "I know, but tell me anyway."

About Me

I was born in Lebanon and grew up with jazz music in the house because my father was a great jazz enthusiast. I have been listening to jazz since I was a child and I have become a self-taught aficionado. I have listened to over 3000 jazz recordings and read about 70 critical works on jazz. I continue to expand my musical horizons by catching live shows and expanding my personal music library. Since moving to the US in 92 I have lived in different parts of the country. I currently am a practicing neurologist and live in Chicago with my wife, our parrots and our cats. I also review for the “Chicago Jazz Magazine” and “Jazziz” magazine. I am a member of the Jazz Journalist's Association.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because of the spontaneity involved in its creation, the freedom in its expression and its colorful history. I was first exposed to jazz when my father played Charles Mingus' "Roots and Blues" for me I met James Moody in St Louis in 2002. The best show I ever attended was the McCoy Tyner trio with Charnett Moffett and Eric Gravatt in Burlington on June 11th 2005. The first jazz record I bought was Tijuana Moods by Charles Mingus. My advice to new listeners is to sample a few different genres of jazz and listen to each record carefully rather than just having it play in the background.

My Favorite Local Jazz Venues & Festivals

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