Yessaï Karapetian

Raised in Marseille, Yessaï classically trained in piano and Armenian traditional flutes from the age of six and studied jazz as a teenager where he started composing for his first band, ONEFOOT. In 2017, NextBop described him and his bandmates as trailblazers on crack for their debut album, “Mektonized”. Stylistically expensive, the production found the trio straddling the line between contemporary modern jazz, electronic music and Armenian traditions. Away from co-leading ONEFOOT, Yessaï moved from Marseille to study at the Conservatoire de Paris. After graduating in 2019, he received a full tuition scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where he earned a Master’s degree of Music in Contemporary Performance (Global Jazz Institute) ten months later. Under the watchful eye of musical mentors such as Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci or Terri Lyne Carrington, the pianist won two DownBeat Student Music Awards – for Best Jazz Soloist and Best Original Composition – as well as the LetterOne RISING STAR Jazz Award 2021 awarded by Marcus Miller, out of more than 750 artists worldwide.