CREDITS

Recorded April 15, 1980, New York, NY
LP Released in Japan only on Atlas Records (LA27-1011)
CD Reissued worldwide on Sunnyside Records (SSC-4039) October 3, 2025
*Bonus track not on original LP release

PRESS

PostGenre.org (2025)

Stargazer (Sunnyside, 2025) is a reissue of an album by a trio of pianist Armen Donelian with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Billy Hart that first appeared forty-five years ago, in 1980. Originally released and distributed on Atlas Records in Japan, it was available only as an import elsewhere. Soon thereafter, Atlas went out of business, and most copies vanished. Thus, although the title composition appears on three other albums by the leader for the label —A Reverie (Sunnyside, 1995), The Wayfarer (Sunnyside, 1990), and All or Nothing at All (Sunnyside, 2006) — Stargazer is the first time most will hear the original album bearing that name in its entirety.
At the time of the recording, Donelian was only a twenty-nine years old protege of pianist Richie Beirach, percussionist Mongo Santamaria, and saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Gomez had built his reputation from providing his recognizable sound to recordings with Bill Evans and Hart his own with Herbie Hancock. But Donelian’s choice to use both artists is not tied to these experiences of either. As the leader notes, “I had played with Billy several times as a sideman in other bands, and met him working with vocalist Anne Marie Moss. Eddie was someone I had seen play with flutist Jeremy Steig and at Bradley’s in various duos. I was fortunate to have personal contact with them, and I was young and foolish, and asked them. They said yes…They propelled the music to places I’d never gone to and really challenged me.” These challenges paid off well. While the trio hadn’t played together before this date, they quickly established an instant rapport.
Donelian’s title track, his most well-known composition, opens the record. The pianist composed the piece shortly after the death of his mother as a means of processing his loss. In its original form, the song was meant to be ruminative, but his trio mates give it drive and stunning dynamic turns. Gomez’s bass solo is so melodic that one could mistake it as coming from a horn player. The final piece recorded at the session, “Free at Last,” appears second in the sequencing. It is the prime example of the improvising ability of these three. Donelian’s playing stands out for his smooth, glittering right hand and ability to shift rhythms unexpectedly, as well as to venture into the kind of harmonic landscapes inspired by his mentor, Beirach.
The tender ballad, “Southern Belle,” was inspired by Donelian’s fascination with a certain lady. It is another example of Gomez’s legendary lyricism, as heard in his conversational solo that extends beyond into an almost call-and-response-like dialogue with the pianist. The versatility of the trio is on display in the joyous Brazilian samba, “Love’s Endless Spin,” which Donelian had developed and played with Colombian saxophonist/flutist Justo Almario and Brazilian drum great Portinho. The sheer exuberance of the piece is carried with gusto by Hart and Gomez.
Hart delivers a narrative-like drum intro via brushes to “Monday,” a piece that later evolves into a burning counterpoint between Gomez’s bass line and Donelian’s melody. Again, Gomez shines in his solo. While it is essentially a bebop rhythm, Donelian plays a series of unexpected chords. “Silent Afternoon,” the album’s original closer, is a tone poem in ¾ time, offering a sense of relaxation with an impending sense of tension. It is a prime example of the exploratory harmonic landscape learned from Beirach. On this rereleased version of Stargazer , “Queen of Light,” somehow left off the original version, closes. Gomez is front and center and the tune is filled with starts and stops, pregnant pauses, and restatements as if carefully navigating its way to a destination.
Unfortunately, the trio on this record was short-lived and delivered solely this one recording and a performance at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall. Hearing the album attests to the fact that the group was indeed criminally overlooked. (Hynes)

Jazz Times (2025)

Recorded in 1980, pianist Armen Donelian’s debut album Stargazer was the work of a player just under 30, a lyrical soloist and sophisticated harmonic thinker working alongside the great Billy Hart on drums, as well as longtime Bill Evans bassist and then-current Chick Corea sideman Eddie Gomez (who recorded Corea’s influential Three Quartets the same year).
Now 75, Donelian can point to a rich discography that includes the trio set Fresh Start (Sunnyside, 2022) with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Dennis Mackrel, as well as Oasis (2014) with bassist David Clark and drummer George Schuller. Donelian’s elevated solo piano work is also heard on the three-volume Grand Ideas series and the epic Sayat-Nova: Songs of My Ancestors, with immersive interpretations of 18th-century Armenian songs. The 2011 release Leapfrog highlights Donelian’s ambitious writing in a charged quintet setting with guitarist Mike Moreno, tenor saxophonist Marc Mommaas, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tyshawn Sorey.
It all began, however, with Stargazer. The sonic character and aesthetic of early ’80s jazz is not today’s, so the saturated, quasi-electric tone of the bass will stand out too much for some listeners. Already on Trio ’87, featuring Donelian with bassist Carl Morten Iversen and drummer Audun Klieve, we hear an improvement in that regard.
The playing and writing on Stargazer, however, is full of imagination and promise. Donelian’s burning, relentless lines on the bright samba “Love’s Endless Spin” call to mind David Kikowski, and perhaps there’s a touch of Kenny Kirkland in his hard-swinging solo on “Monday.” Gomez’s improvising is assured and searching, his feel and temperament somewhat akin to Miroslav Vitous. Billy Hart, who at the time was working extensively with pianist Richie Beirach in the quartet Quest, seems to relate similarly to the virtuosic Donelian as a player, his drumming utterly distinctive as ever. (Adler)

Jazz Chill (August 2025)

Armen Donelian’s 1981 Debut Stargazer Returns in a Stunning Reissue from Sunnyside Records
Jazz pianist and composer Armen Donelian is revisiting his artistic roots this fall with the long-awaited reissue of his 1981 debut album Stargazer — a hidden gem that until now had only been available as a rare Japanese import. Sunnyside Records will release the newly remastered edition on October 3, just ahead of Donelian’s 75th birthday.
Originally recorded in April 1980, Stargazer captured the then 29-year-old Donelian in peak creative form alongside two jazz icons: bassist Eddie Gomez (of Bill Evans fame) and drummer Billy Hart (known for his work with Herbie Hancock). What resulted was a deeply expressive and dynamic piano trio album that showcased not only Donelian’s compositional skill but also his improvisational daring and deep musical communication with his bandmates. “I’m not tied to the past,” says Donelian. “But I felt strongly this was a document that needed to be available.”
A Rediscovered Masterwork
From the lyrical grace of “Southern Belle” to the contemplative waltz of “Silent Afternoon,” Stargazer shines with a bold originality shaped by Donelian’s early tutelage under Richie Beirach, Mongo Santamaria, and Sonny Rollins. The title track opens the album with spirited interplay between the trio, and “Love’s Endless Spin” bursts with rhythmic joy and playful exploration.
One of the album’s standout moments is “Free at Last,” a free improvisation that feels almost sacred in its spontaneous unity. And the track “Monday,” introduced by a wake-up-call solo from Hart, moves into energetic territory, using complex counterpoint and bebop feel to blur the line between rhythm and melody—an approach Donelian continues to teach in his university ensemble classes today.
A Long-Lost Bonus
The reissue also unveils a previously unreleased track, “Queen of Light,” which didn’t make the original LP but was recorded during the same session. Built on a sultry groove from Hart, it finds Donelian and Gomez pushing bluesy motifs into cerebral twists — a fitting finale to a collection that now finally gets the wider audience it has long deserved.
A Legacy in Jazz and Education
Born in Queens in 1950 to Armenian immigrant parents, Donelian began piano studies at age 7 and discovered jazz at 12. After studying at Columbia University, his real-world education came through playing with legends like Chet Baker, Claudio Roditi, Billy Harper, and of course, Sonny Rollins. Over the decades, he’s released more than a dozen albums including the acclaimed Secrets (1988), Sayat-Nova: Songs of My Ancestors (2014), and Fresh Start (2022).
Beyond the stage and studio, Donelian has shaped generations of musicians through his teaching. He’s earned seven Fulbright awards, co-founded the Hudson Jazz Workshop, taught at the New School and William Paterson University, and authored essential pedagogical works including Training the Ear and Whole Notes: A Piano Masterclass.
Now, with Stargazer finally available worldwide, we’re gifted a chance to revisit the moment Donelian began his journey as a recording artist — a moment that sounds as timeless and inspired today as it did in 1980.

Amazon.com (July 2025)

Half a century into a brilliant career is a good time to release a debut album. For veteran pianist/composer Armen Donelian, the moment seems ripe to revisit the first release in his treasure-laden discography, Stargazer. The recording was listened to and appreciated in Japan and Europe, but never distributed and barely heard in the United States. Featuring bass maestro Eddie Gomez and NEA Jazz Master Billy Hart on drums, the captivating and passionately lyrical trio session introduced an accomplished composer and self-possessed improviser eager to mix it up with his older peers. Released on vinyl in 1981 by the long-defunct Japanese label Atlas Records and now due for reissue by Sunnyside Records with an extra, never-before-released track, Stargazer offers a fresh look at an artist then-emerging as a dynamic creative force. For Donelian, the sting isn't just that the music was essentially unheard for 45 years. "It wasn't even reviewed in Downbeat or other American publications because it was an import," he says. He recorded and produced the album in 1980 in New York with his much better established compatriots. A year later he struck a deal with Atlas for the Japanese release. The masters reverted to Donelian when the label went under years ago. But he bided his time, preferring to forge ahead with new music rather than look backward. With the approach of his 75th birthday in December, though, he "felt strongly this was a document that needed to be available," he says. "I've been very fortunate to meet and work with incredible musicians throughout my life. I never really look back that much on my career, or even think about the idea of a 'career.' To me, what I've always loved to do is move forward into the explorative space, the unknown. After this comes out, I've got another album scheduled on Sunnyside. I'm not by any means tied to the past.” The past, however, has a good deal to say about Donelian, starting with the album's title track, an intricate, sweeping tune defined by the trio's volatile interaction. Composed after the death of his mother, "Stargazer" wasn't so much written for her as inspired by Donelian's grief and his memories of wonder as a child looking out at the night sky with a telescope. "It all went into the mix of this somewhat ruminative composition, but Eddie and Billy gave it the propulsion," says Donelian, noting that he's recorded the piece on three subsequent albums and includes it in almost every concert. "The way Billy plays really shaped the piece. He's very interactive, completely free yet taking care of business at the same time.” Completely free also describes the trio's approach to the final piece recorded at the session, the aptly titled, "Free at Last." From the ringing dissonance of the opening notes the performance evolves as the three players listen and respond to each other, moving through several modes and moods without a road map or destination. A tender ballad inspired by a woman with whom Donelian was infatuated, "Southern Belle" features Gomez exploring a harmonic landscape the pianist entered during his studies with Richie Beirach, a brilliantly probing improviser with a rarefied musical vocabulary pioneered on his 1976 ECM debut album Eon. Gomez had become one of jazz's most esteemed bassists during an 11-year tenure with piano legend Bill Evans, and he brings similar distilled lyricism and intensity to the piece. No conclusions about the fate of the crush should be drawn from the following piece, the joyous, Brazilian-inflected "Love's Endless Spin." Donelian developed and played the tune with the prolific Colombian saxophonist/flutist Justo Almario and Brazilian drum great Portinho, and in the hands of Gomez and Hart it retains it's almost giddy groove. (Bibel)

Hot House (October 2025)

Stargazer, Armen Donelian (Sunnyside)
From The Vaults: Armen Donelian’s Debut Album
Pianist Armen Donelian emerged on the Big Apple scene around 1975, working with Mongo Santamaria’s Afro-Cuban jazz octet as well as with muscular, hard-driving tenor saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Billy Harper, before recording this trio album in 1980. It was produced for the Japanese label Atlas, who released the LP album in Japan in 1981. It has never been released here until this record, which includes a bonus track culled from the original tape sessions but never released.
Although he had been playing in high energy contexts, Armen obviously had other ideas about what his piano trio should be, ideas obviously influenced by pianist Bill Evans. For this, his debut album as a leader, he enlisted Eddie Gomez, a recent 11-year veteran of Bill’s trio. Rounding out the band was now legendary drummer Billy Hart.
The album’s title tune, and first track, is also Armen’s signature; his unofficial theme song. It, and the other six tracks on this album, feature interactive trio music very much in the spirit of Bill’s trio-as-equal approach. Armen leaves lots of space for his trio cohorts, and the trio, as a whole, creates moods and momentum filled with shimmering notes and resonant space. Even “Free At Last,’ a totally improvised track, moves in definite narrative contours that don’t remotely suggest the type of “free jazz” being played in that era.
Eddie is prominent on a number of tracks, as accompanist, collaborator and soloist. During the previous decade (1970’s), bassists had become enamored of electric amplification, and Eddie, although playing an acoustic upright double-bass, often sounds like he’s playing an electric bass guitar because of the levels of his amping.
All the other six tunes are Armen originals, and run the gamut from gentle swing to moody ballad, and even (on the bonus track), a stab at modal fusion. Most exuberant is “Love’s Endless Spin,” a brisk jazz samba with seamlessly fluent piano choruses. Most impressive is “Silent Afternoon,” an elegy in 3/4 marked by cleanly articulated notes and tones from Armen and Eddie, Billy sensitively accenting with brushes. It all makes for a very impressive jazz trio and debut album from a master jazz pianist who is still on the scene 45 years later. (Kanzler)

Swing Journal (Japan, 1981)

The pianist with a slightly unusual name of Armen Donelian is a 30 year old New Yorker. Although he came to Japan in 1979 as a member of the Billy Harper Quintet, most people in Japan probably have not heard of him yet. However, his first LP has caught the attention of the Japanese before the rest of the world.
Donelian's lyrical touch with an emphasis on the right hand and beautiful tone can be identified with the music of Richie Beirach. His sharp sensitivity can be felt by the way in which he draws from the music of Bill Evans and Chick Corea. In his new album, Donelian displays his intellectual yet attractive play with the support from veterans Eddie Gomez (b) and Billy Hart (d). But, Gomez does not simply stay in a rhythm support role. Instead, he encourages Donelian, and through interplay, he succeeds in heightening the wonderful tension throughout this album.
Including one jointly composed song, all 6 songs are Donelian's originals. Donelian possesses an uncommon talent as a composer, as well. If the expanse of the music could be maintained throughout the "play," this album would be perfect. However, it is evident that Armen Donelian is a rising star pianist.

Stargazer

Armen Donelian | PianoEddie Gomez | BassBilly Hart | Drums