Albey Balgochian grew up in Boston and has played Improvised music, Reggae, R&B, Rock and Funk from the East coast to the West, from the Gulf of Mexico to Chicago. ”Formally self-taught”, in his mid-twenties he studied with Major Holly and John Neves. Part of NYC's "out" scene since the early 80’s, he has also toured with such artists as Handy award winner Paul Rishell and R&B’s Jr. Medlow.
He moved to NYC permanently in 2004 and a short time later joined with Cecil Taylor (Trio, AHA2:3, and big band ”Orchestra Humane”,) while continuing to perform and record with, Marshall Allen, Marco Eneidi, Taylor Ho Bynum, André Martinez, Sabir Mateen, Rashied Bakar, Roy Campbell, Laurence Cook, Elliot Levin, Daniel Carter, JD Perron, Bobby Zankle, Steve Swell, Brian Groder, Jeff Hoyer, Raphe Malik, Dennis Warren, Tor Yochai Snyder, Mark Hennen, Joe Giardullo, Karen Borca, Deepop, Darryl Jones, Ras Moshe, Sound Vision Orchestra, Earth People, Frederico Ughi.
His website has over 250,00 hits, and two mp3’s from his Rhythmism cd "All My Relations", (his first recording as leader/composer,) were rated by downloaders in the top five daily for over 30 weeks at the LYCOS Listening Room (now defunkt), and on the top download list daily on the Boston Globe MP3 site (defunkt), for a record 54 weeks.
Pomposing and producing music for a variety of projects and multi-media events, collaborations include dancers, artists and poets. Currently he performs with various ensembles as well as his own group. His group performs improvisations from Albey’s narrative compositions, while his ensembles consist of various musicians assembled for a specific sound. His ensembles can be an 'Xpress' (2), 'OuTrio' (3), 'Funktet' (4), 'Xra' (5+)'.
His improvised-funk style of music brings together the best of the intellectual and the visceral. No matter what the instrumentation of the moment is, or how far "out" the music goes, the bass is always there on the bottom guiding the uninitiated as well as the experienced listener through this funk driven form of improvised music. Captivating audiences with it’s unusual approach towards improvisational music, Albey represents a departure from the jazz norm and will impassionate and tantalize your senses with soundscapes not found in regular jazz idioms.

PRESS
"Balgochian on bass, no frills just thrills, with taste and style"     Off Beat New Orleans Music & Arts 
"An impressive new voice on bass, without being too over-the-top"    BLG, Music Gallery
"great arco bass playing"     CBGB’s Gallery Blog to Com
"His music is very advanced, very freeform. Be prepared, to go places you haven't been before."    
Bass Inside Magazine
"New York's Best of 2005 - Cecil Taylor Big Band"    The Iridium 2.20.05 All About Jazz
"challenging rhythms...fluidly improvised in a free jazz environment"    Knitting Factory 'Knotes'
"lays down a fluid and sometimes quite rhythmic bottom end...an easy point of access for the uninitiated"
Signal to Noise Improvised & Experimental Music
"laying down rhythms strong enough to support a convoy of tanks"    Boston Globe Grace Notes
"may just be the most underrated musician around"    Boston Phoenix “pick of the week”
“how has your music has evolved? Improvised music is a strong force in me, I've played bass with some amazing cats, bues, rock, reggae, R&B, all these influences come together in my improvisations. "    
Bass Frontiers Magazine
"improvisations on the bass are real man, you got funk...you got style...you are one of the cats!"
Darryl Jones (Miles Davis, The Rolling Stones)
"mix of funk, out bowing and word is happening…love the delivery"    
Reggie Scanlan (The Radiators, Professor Longhair)
"Beautiful…it’s jumping man…very fantastic…all of it"    Michael Henderson (Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder)
"I’ve been listening to you for over 25 years…you are truly the maestro"
Danny Morris (Bass Professor - Berklee College of Music)
"Excellent...Love the bass playing, sound, concept, and man the Word is killing"
Richie Appleman (Bass Professor & Chair, Berklee)


Venues:   Solo & Band Performances
From intimite club settings, schools, performance halls, and festivals, to real time internet broadcasts. Abop tv on Manhattan Neighborhood Network Cable Access, The Blue Note, The Iridium Jazz Club, NYC River to River Music Festival, Knitting Factory, Bent Noise Festival, Piano Magic New Music Series, Texaco Jazz Festival, The Brecht Forum, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque Journal Theatre, South X Southwest Festival, KUT University of Texas, Austin On Tap PBS Series, Baltimore MD Free Music Series, Berklee College of Music Bass Workshop and Summer Teaching Sessions, Boston Blues Festival, Harper's Ferry Blues Festival, WERS Emerson College, Meeting House New Music, Amherst, MA, Cambridge MA River Festival, Cambridge Arts Festival, Lilly Pad Art Gallery, Studio 234, The Zeitgeist Gallery, Poetry Series @ The Iguana Cafe, House of Blues house band, Audible Think Series, Worcester MA Art Museum, Newton MA Art Center, DCH Fashion Runway, Tippitinas, Storyville and Benny's in New Orleans, aboptv.com Online Series, Turn 2 Music, Portland ME Jazz Series, and online “realtime” performances and workshops..

Performances, Recordings & Sessions
include a wide palette of artists: Associated Big Band, Secret Music Society, Cecil Taylor Trio, Cecil Taylor Big Band, Rhythmism, Xpress, Outrio, Funktet, Xtra, Jackson Krall, Marshall Allan, Sabir Mateen, Elliott Levin, Laurence Cook, William Parker, Daniel Carter, Dennis Warren, Joe Giardullo, Brian Groder, Rashied Bakar, Ras Moshe, Marco Eneidi, Mark Hennen, Raphe Malik, Daniel Carter, Laurence Cook, Newman Taylor Baker, Andy McWain, David Maxwell, Will Connell, Bobby Zankle, Bill Lowe, JD Perron, Steven Hayes, Richard Keene, Taylor Ho Bynum, Steve Swell, Amir, Jeff Hoyer, Dave Ross, Andy McWain, Forbes Graham, Karen Borca, Hal Onserud, Shoske (Susanna) Rayzl, Jonathan Lemasters, Masahiko Kono, William Parker, Rob Brown, Richard Keene, Leo Witlarge, L. Barnes, Kevin Batchelor, Denis Charles, Sydney Mills, Charmaine Neville, Chris Duarte, Big 'J' McNealy, The Radiators, Tomo Fujita, Buddy Miles, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Fay Victor.

Performances & Workshops:
Solo: Upright bass, percussion, bass guitar, and spoken word.

Improvisational workshops:
Solo, band & rhythm section (bass and drum) performances range from small intimate settings to large performance halls and festivals, and more recently “Realtime” online workshops and performances. His band delivers a set of improvisations from Albey's narrative compositions, while his Ensembles include of a group of various musicians assembled to achieve a certain sound. Ensembles can be and Xpress (2), OuTrio (3), Funktet (4), or Xtra (5+).

Recordings

Rhythmism
"Another Beautiful Day in NYC"
 Jackson Krall, Brian Groder, Dave Ross, Albey Balgochian
2007 Digabop
Funktet
"Sky"
 Daniel Carter, Dave Ross, Frederico Ughi, Albey Balgochian
2007 Digabop
Cecil Taylor
Big Band
The Iridium Jazz Club
"AHA"
 Sabir Mateen, Marco Eneidi, Elliott Levin, Will Connell, Bobby Zankle, Bill Lowe, JD Perron, Steven Hayes, Richard Keene, Taylor Ho Bynum, Amir, Steve Swell, Jeff Hoyer, Albey Balgochian
2006 Straw 2 Gold
Funktet
"Jelly @ the FMRJE Hit Factory"
 Forbes Graham, Dave Ross, Dennis Warren, Albey Balgochian
2006 D&D
Cecil Taylor
Live at the Blue Note
"AHA:2:3"
 Cecil Taylor, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2006 Straw 2 Gold
Xpress
"One Love"
 Ras Moshe, AlbeyBalgochian
2006 Digabop
Cecil Taylor
Live at the Blue Note
"Tales of Matie"
 Cecil Taylor, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2005 Straw 2 Gold
Xpress
"Sanity"
 Elliott Levin, Albey Balgochian
2006 Digabop
Cecil Taylor Trio
"Live The Iridium Jazz Club"
 Cecil Taylor, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2005, Straw 2 Gold
Cecil Taylor's
Orchestra Humane
"Live The Iridium Jazz Club"
 Sabir Mateen, Marco Eneidi, Elliott Levin, Will Connell, Bobby Zankle, Bill Lowe, JD Perron, Steven Hayes, Richard Keene, Taylor Ho Bynum, Amir, Steve Swell, Jeff Hoyer, Albey Balgochian
2006  Straw 2 Gold
Funktet
"1 from the Hit Factory"
 Dennis Warren, Brian Groder, Dave Ross, Albey Balgochian
2005 D&D
Cecil Taylor Trio
Music Conference
Alberquerque, NM
 Poetry & Music Symposium
 Cecil Taylor, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2005, Outpost Productions
Where is Jazz Going?
French Film
The Trajected Trio
 Brian Groder, Newman Taylor Baker, Albey Balgochian
2005 Freezone Films Lucie Hardoin and Ronan Cabon
Dennis Warren's Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble
"The Legacy"
 The history of members of Full Metal
Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble.
2007 D&D
Rhythmism
"Slight Return"
 Sabir Mateen, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2004 Digabop
Outrio
"Color Monday"
 Andy McWain, Laurence Cook, Albey Balgochian
2004 Digabop
Cecil Taylor Trio
Castle Clinton
Battery Park
"Hudson River Festival"
 Cecil Taylor, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2004  Straw 2 Gold
McWain, Cook & Balgochian
"Vigil"
 Andy McWain, Laurence Cook, Albey Balgochian
2004 Fuller St. Music
Outrio
"Old Friend & New"
 Joe Guiardullo, Jackson Krall, Albey Balgochian
2004 Digabob
Dennis Warren's
FMRJE
"Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble Live at the Zeitgeist Art Gallery"
 Joe Guiardullo, Chris Florio, Dennis Warren, Jonathan Lemasters, Jose Aroyo, Albey Balgochian
2003 D&D
Outrio
"In Flight"
 Laurence Cook, Dave Ross, Albey Balgochian
2004 Digabop
Bass Of Peace
"Deepestphere"
 Solo Bass Albey Balgochian
2003 Digabop
Band Of Peace
Allmost A Band"
 Rob Egan, Dave Ross, Albey Balgochian
2003 Digabop
FMRJE
"Polysonic Spirits"
 "Joe Guiardullo, Chris Florio, Dennis Warren, Hilary Noble, Jose Aroyo, Albey Balgochian
2004 D&D
Band of Peace
"Taxi Of Reality"
 Kurtis Rivers, Rob Egan, Albey Balgochian
2002 Digabop
Greg Miller Group
"Welcome to Mother Earth"
 Rob Egan, Greg Miller, Albey Balgochian
2002 GMG Music
Rhythmism
"All My Relations"
 Sabir Mateen, Jackson Krall, Dennis Warren, Albey Balgochian
1999 Digabop
FMRJE
"Event Horizon"
 Andy Voelker, Chris Florio, Dennis Warren, Jose Aroyo, Albey Balgochian
1997 Drimila Records
FMRJE
"Live at the Alterknit"
 Raphe Malik, Earl Grant, Tor Yochai Snyder, Mike Sealy, Martin Gill,  Dennis Warren,  Jose Aroyo, Albey Balgochian
2000 D&D Productions
FMRJE
"7 in 1"
 Raphe Malik, Earl Grant, Tor Yochai Snyder, Mike Sealy, Martin Gill,Dennis Warren, Jose Aroyo, Albey Balgochian
1998 D&D Productions
Jackson Krall's Secret Music Society
"Meeting House Series"
Amherst, MA
 Jackson Krall, Raphe Malik, Sabir Mateen, Albey Balgochian
1997 Eremite Records
Associated Big Band
"Cirrus NYC Gallery"
 Hal Onserud (b) Albey Balgochian (b) Jackson Krall (d) Daniel Carter (reeds) Karen Borca (bassoon) M. Kono (?) Marco Eneidi (reeds) Rob Brown (reeds) R. Keene (reeds) L. Witlarge (brass) L. Barnes (brass) William Parker (b) Denis Charles (d)
1995 Stork Music
The Associated Big Band
"Live at The Knitting Factory"
 Hal Onserud (b) Albey Balgochian (b) Jackson Krall (d) Daniel Carter (reeds) Karen Borca (bassoon) M. Kono (?) Marco Eneidi (reeds) Rob Brown (reeds) R. Keene (reeds) L. Witlarge (brass) L. Barnes (brass) William Parker (b) Denis Charles (d)
1995 Stork Music
Paul Rishell Band
"Swear to Tell The Truth"
 Paul Rishell, Chuck Laire, Albey Balgochian
1993 Tone-Cool Records
One World
"One Reggae World"
 Ras Inando, Brian & Phil Sykes, Tom Meyer, Charles Thorpe, DJ Nastee, Fred Woodard,  Sydney Mills, Kevin Batchelor, Jr. Rodigan, Albey Balgochian
1990 Chillum Records
Dream Warriors
"The Dream Warriors"
 Reggae/World Beat
1990 Atlantic Records
Jr. Medlow & The Badboys
"Austin on Tap"
 Jr. Medlow, Chris Duarte, Donnie Silverman, Jeff Hodges, Sandy Allen, Ken Lefevre, Albey Balgochian
1988 KLRU PBS television
Hennen & Krall Avant-Guard Quintet
"Live at The Knitting Factory"
 Jackson Krall, Mark Hennen, Sabir Mateen, Albey Balgochian 1987 Stork Music
Paul Rishell Trio
"The Bootleg Sessions"
 Paul Rishell, Chuck Laire, Albey Balgochian
1978 I Made Music
Big 'J' McNealy
"Live at Nightstage"
 Paul Rishell, Chuck Laire, Albey Balgochian
1978 Nightstage Productions
Albey Balgochian
Bx 2478 E. 14th St.
New York, NY 10009 		     
1.917.696.4178
http://aboptv.com/albey
email: jb AT aboptv.com