Lévon Minassian

Lévon Minassian is a French doudouk player of Armenian heritage who released some solo albums, yet is perhaps best known for his early-'90s work with <a href="spotify:artist:7C4sUpWGlTy7IANjruj02I">Peter Gabriel</a>. Hailing from Marseille, France, Minassian began his recording career with a variety of film soundtracks. His big break came during the early '90s when he collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:7C4sUpWGlTy7IANjruj02I">Peter Gabriel</a> on the commercial blockbuster Us (1992) and toured internationally with the British progressive rock icon in support of the album. In addition, he appears on Secret World Live (1994), a live album recorded during the Us tour, and Big Blue Ball (2008), a collaborative album overseen by <a href="spotify:artist:7C4sUpWGlTy7IANjruj02I">Gabriel</a> that was recorded primarily during the same era but not finalized for release until many years later. In light of his high-profile work with <a href="spotify:artist:7C4sUpWGlTy7IANjruj02I">Gabriel</a>, Minassian found himself in steady demand as a doudouk player, appearing on a couple albums a year. Most notable among his album appearances are <a href="spotify:artist:4UjlFZPd9pYcyGhwdcrXvH">Tony Levin</a>'s World Diary (1995), <a href="spotify:artist:0XGCeDKOmd5hMJUEkfEkX2">Khalil Chahine</a>'s Opake (1995), <a href="spotify:artist:0hUnACGIFz6oHfeDIT36mp">Afro Celt Sound System</a>'s Volume 1: Sound Magic (1996), <a href="spotify:artist:18PkzXDURSTyGZTg9w66qq">Patrick Fiori</a>'s Patrick Fiori (2002), <a href="spotify:artist:6F0Plr9cZQ71ExSA4PGX7r">I Muvrini</a>'s Jalalabad (2002), <a href="spotify:artist:0Ty63ceoRnnJKVEYP0VQpk">Sting</a>'s Sacred Love (2003), and <a href="spotify:artist:4jqOuZDAtFnB3uGEnNxlvX">Hélène Ségara</a>'s Humaine (2003). He also continued working on film soundtracks, most notably that of the Mel Gibson film The Passion of Christ (2004). As a solo artist, Minassian made his album debut with The Doudouk Beyond Borders (1999), a full-length effort billed to Lévon Minassian and Friends that was later reissued by the Long Distance label in 2003. He also released the album Songs from a World Apart (2006), a collaboration with French composer <a href="spotify:artist:2fJb06JRcuBWypwj46TQZj">Armand Amar</a>, on the same label. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi