System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian will release two new albums this summer.
Orca, Tankian’s symphony, will be released on June 25th; Jazz-iz Christ, his collaborative jazz infused album, will be released on July 23th. Both will be out via his own Serjical Strike Records.
Here are some additional details on both projects from a press release issued today:
“Orca was composed and demoed in Tankian’s home studio and fully realized after a successful Kickstarter campaign that helped fund a recording and debut performance at the regal Brucknerhaus with the “Das Karussell Ensemble”. With conductor Werner Steinmetz at the helm, the four acts of Orca mix influences from early 20th century composers with modern film compositional dynamics showing influences ranging from Ennio Morricone to Philip Glass. Listeners are met with a mingling of sounds and intertwining pieces that are both serene and bombastic at the same time, offering a fresh interpretation to the classical art.”
“Jazz-iz Christ is Serj’s brainchild, but truly is a collaborative effort between many musicians that Tankian curated to be part of the group and self-titled album. Among others, there are considerable contributions from renowned pianist Tigran Hamasyan, flautist Valeri Tolstov, and trumpet player Tom Duprey. Additional performances from Stewart Copeland and actor/musician Davis Alpay and Vincent Pedulla make for a very unique collaboration. The 15 tracks that comprise Jazz-iz Christ, a mostly instrumental effort except for 4 tracks, are an amalgam of progressive jazz, electronic, ethnic and even rock elements, displaying a unique presentation of the genre itself.”