Tigran Hamasyan

Paul Anka, the silky-voice crooner who wrote such evergreen classics as "She's a Lady" and the lyrics to "My Way," has been around the block since he scored his first global number one in 1957.

But it has taken the Canadian 80 years to headline one of the world's top jazz festivals alongside legends like George Benson, Gilberto Gil and Van Morrison.

The Athens Concert Hall presents Armenian jazz pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan in a recital of original work, including pieces from his latest album, "An Ancient Observer," on Monday, November 26. The award-winning composer's work is deeply influenced by folk culture in the US, where he spent a part of his youth, but also his native Armenia. The show starts at 8 p.m.

The 22nd Istanbul Jazz Festival, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), will begin on June 27, promising more than 35 concerts at 15 venues with some of the world's biggest names in jazz and folk.

Award-winning Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan performed a concert on June 23 outside the Akdamar Church on the historical Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van.

The concert on Akdamar Island was "vigorous," said Tamar Nalc?, the project coordinator at Anadolu Kültür (Anatolian Culture), a non-profit cultural institution that organized Hamasyan's concerts in Turkey.

Award-winning Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan performed a concert on June 21 in the historic ruins of Ani, located on the Turkish-Armenian border.