Artyom Manukyan

Cellist Artyom Manukyan first gained recognition in his native Armenia and traveled the world as the youngest member of the award-winning group, Armenian Navy Band, which received a BBC World Music Award. He is equally comfortable on jazz club stages, concert halls, and rock festival, performing with leading international artists such as Darryl "DMC" McDaniels from Run-D.M.C., Draco Rosa, and Natasha Bedingfield, composing for film and television, or leading his electro-jazz quartet. Artyom has also appeared on television shows like Dr. Phil and Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he joined Coldplay, Bono, and Odesza for live performances.
His genre-defying ability to play the cello like a bass stems from a combination of his conservatory training and his exposure to iconic jazz bassists such as Jaco Pastorius and Marcus Miller.
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2010, Artyom has become highly sought after as a session musician and composer for original soundtracks (Hannibal Season 2, Dear White People Season 2, Cartel Land, Zipper, Central Intelligence, Geostorm, Birth of a Dragon, Luke Cage), and for live performances with many renowned musicians (Everlast, Kamasi Washington, Melody Gardot, Daedalus, Flying Lotus, Peter Erskine, Hadrien Feraud, Charles Altura, MdCL, Tigran Hamasyan, Herb Alpert, Capital Cities, Vahagni, VOCE, Gretchen Parlato, Virgil Donati, and many others). He was also a guest artist at the New Direction Cello Festival in 2016.
Following the success of his first solo album Citizen and a tour, Artyom released two more records: HILA, a collaborative album with French electro-jazz producer Dawatile Kiledjian, and Alone, a solo album. Staying true to his early preferences, he composed and recorded his third album, Rap-etoire, where he also performs as a rapper.
In 2022, Artyom returned to Armenia and became actively involved in the local music scene. He plays in various ensembles and has formed his own group, the Yerevan Calling Quartet. They perform their own avant-garde fusion and funk compositions. The Quartet has already played at several major international jazz festivals. Their mission is to popularize the art of jazz in Armenia, raise awareness of social issues, and raise funds for the restoration of historical sites in Armenia’s capital.