Charles Ganimian
Encyclopedia
Charles 'Chick' Ganimian is a Armenian-American
musician
known mostly for playing the oud
. Ganimian played Turkish
, Armenian
, and Arabic music in the "kef
" style of the Armenian immigrants from Turkey to the US. He played at Armenian-American dance parties as well as belly dance
shows in the Manhattan ethnic nightclubs and elsewhere.
When he was 10, Ganimian moved with his family to the Washington Heights
section of Manhattan. After initially studying the violin
and attaining some skill on the instrument, he switched to the oud.
of the oud and as a first rate singer.
Although trained as a butcher
, Chick earned his living exclusively as a musician. His regular appearances at Asbury Park's Fennimore Hotel, the Round Table, where he was a headliner
for years, the Cafe Feenjon on MacDougal Street
, and numerous other venues, allowed him to enjoy a comfortable living.
He has played with Rufus Harley
, and had a hit single in the 1950s with Gamin's Asia Minors. He has released many solo albums as well.
Although a musician of great reputation and accomplishment, Chick Ganimian is very poorly represented on recordings . There are a few Nor-Ikes 78's, the great LP
Come with me to the Casbah, the two LPs he recorded as a "side man" with jazz flautist Herbie Mann, and a few privately produced independent recordings.
had a debilitating effect on his ability to earn a living, and later on his health. Ganimian died in late 1989 while a resident of the Armenian Nursing Home in northern New Jersey
.
Armenian-American
Armenian Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Armenia. During the United States 2000 Census, 385,488 respondents indicated either full or partial Armenian ancestry...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
known mostly for playing the oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
. Ganimian played Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, and Arabic music in the "kef
KEF
KEF is a British-based loudspeaker manufacturer with international distribution.It was founded in Tovil, Maidstone, Kent in 1961 by electrical engineer Raymond Cooke and named after Kent Engineering & Foundry which previously occupied the site....
" style of the Armenian immigrants from Turkey to the US. He played at Armenian-American dance parties as well as belly dance
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
shows in the Manhattan ethnic nightclubs and elsewhere.
Early life
Ganimian was born in Troy, NY to Armenian parents who had emigrated from Marash in 1922. In his home he often heard the music of the "old country" performed by his father, an amateur musician. Since the family spoke both Armenian and Turkish at home, Chick became fluent in both languages. The basic repertoire he used throughout his career was molded by the music he heard and learned in his youth.When he was 10, Ganimian moved with his family to the Washington Heights
Washington Heights
Washington Heights may refer to some places in the United States:*Washington Heights, Manhattan **Washington Heights , a 2003 film set in Washington Heights, Manhattan*Washington Heights, New York...
section of Manhattan. After initially studying the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and attaining some skill on the instrument, he switched to the oud.
Music career
Ganimian formed the Nor-Ikes Band with Steve Bogossian, Eddie Malkasian, Aram Davidian, and Suren Baronian. The band traveled throughout the eastern United States, developing a strong following, and, for Chick, acknowledgement as a virtuosoVirtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
of the oud and as a first rate singer.
Although trained as a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
, Chick earned his living exclusively as a musician. His regular appearances at Asbury Park's Fennimore Hotel, the Round Table, where he was a headliner
Headliner
A headliner is a composite material that is adhered to the inside roof of automobiles or yachts. It typically consists of a face fabric with nonwoven or foam backing. Headliners consist of multilayered composite materials that bring together multiple functionalities, including the requested look,...
for years, the Cafe Feenjon on MacDougal Street
MacDougal Street
MacDougal Street is a one way street in Greenwich Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The approximate six-block street is bound by Prince Street and West 8th Street. It has been the subject of many songs, poems, and other forms of artistic expression. MacDougal Street has been...
, and numerous other venues, allowed him to enjoy a comfortable living.
He has played with Rufus Harley
Rufus Harley
Rufus Harley, Jr. was an American jazz musician of mixed Cherokee and African ancestry, known primarily as the first jazz musician to adopt the Scottish great Highland bagpipe as his primary instrument.-Biography:Although born near Raleigh, North Carolina, at an early age Harley moved with...
, and had a hit single in the 1950s with Gamin's Asia Minors. He has released many solo albums as well.
Although a musician of great reputation and accomplishment, Chick Ganimian is very poorly represented on recordings . There are a few Nor-Ikes 78's, the great LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Come with me to the Casbah, the two LPs he recorded as a "side man" with jazz flautist Herbie Mann, and a few privately produced independent recordings.
Health
Unfortunately, his dependence on alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
had a debilitating effect on his ability to earn a living, and later on his health. Ganimian died in late 1989 while a resident of the Armenian Nursing Home in northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.