Lee Tomboulian

Leland Diran Tomboulian (born January 8, 1960) is an American jazz pianist, accordionist, composer, arranger, and educator.

Early life and career
Lee Tomboulian was born in White Plains into a music-loving family, the youngest of four children of Clyde Tomboulian and sculptor Norma Tomboulian. He displayed an affinity for music, in particular for the piano, by age seven, and was given several years of private instruction.

Tomboulian attended the University of Arkansas, majoring in music composition with a minor in theater arts. He continued to live and work in Arkansas for more than a decade, where he met his wife, jazz singer Elizabeth (Betty) Elkins, in the late eighties.

In 1989 he formed the ensemble Circo Verde. The group was influenced especially by the music of Brazil and Uruguay. A particular inspiration was Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira's 1973 album Fingers, whose Uruguayan rhythm section formed their own influential jazz fusion trio, Opa. One of Opa's founding members, Hugo Fattoruso, produced the debut recording of Tomboulian's self-described "pop-latin-jazz" ensemble more than a decade later.

In 1992, Tomboulian married Elizabeth Elkins. The following year, they departed Arkansas for Denton, Texas where Tombolian attended the University of North Texas as a graduate student, earning a Master of Music in Jazz Studies in 1997. While earning his degree, he performed and recorded with the university's One O'Clock Lab Band, appearing on the CD Lab '97. The album features a track, "B.B.", composed and arranged by Tomboulian. At some point during the Tomboulians' 12-year stay in Denton, Circo Verde's name became simply Circo, under which name its two albums were recorded.

In 2005, the Tomboulians moved to Wisconsin, where Lee served as Instructor of Jazz Piano and Improvisation at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. He continued in this capacity until 2011, when the couple relocated to New York City. Since then, Tomboulian has released a CD, Imaginarium, with solo piano and overdubbed accordion.

As le.dHe is er

 * North/South Convergence (Circo Music, 2000)
 * Return to Whenever (Lee Tomboulian, 2007)
 * Imaginarium (Lee Tomboulian, 2012)

As sideman
With Kelly Franklin With Little Jack Melody and his Turks With Trout Fishing in America With Brian Moore With The One O'Clock Lab Band With The Two O'Clock Jazz Band With Al Gibson With The UNT Jazz Repertory Ensemble With Tony Hakim With Pete Brewer With Mary Ellen Spann With Susan Colin With Faith to Faith With Colin Boyd With Lisa Perry With John Adams With Wycliffe Gordon With Maria Schneider With Stuart Dempster With Terrell Stafford
 * Labyrinth (Sidhe Records, 1993)
 * World of Fireworks (Carpe Diem, 1994), accordion, piano
 * Mine! (Trout Records, 1994), accordion, piano
 * Who Are These People (Trout Records, 1994), accordion, organ
 * The Signpost (Brian Moore, 1995)
 * Lab '97 (North Texas Jazz, 1997)
 * Two O'Clock Jazz Band (1997, Klavier Records), piano
 * Moon River (1999, Klavier Records), piano
 * It's About Time (Al Gibson Music, 1999)
 * Rockin' In Rhythm (North Texas Jazz, 1999, recorded in 1996)
 * Summer Place (Grasshopper Records, 2000, rec. btw November 1997 and November 1999)
 * Second Wind (Pic Records, 2000), piano – track 3, part 2
 * Little Red Robin (China Alley Records, 2002)
 * Shabbat Favorites (Lowell Music, 2003)
 * Every Day: Songs of a Spiritual Life (Jewish Song Service, 2005)
 * Worship (Doxology, 2005), piano
 * Sincerity (Crystal Clear Sound, 2005), organ
 * Tropical Rose (Angel Rose Music, 2005)
 * Trios (Congruent Music Co., 2006), keyboard, tracks 1, 7 & 8
 * Jazz Celebration Weekend, November 11, 2006: Wycliffe Gordon (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2006), piano
 * Jazz Series, June 1, 2007 (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2007), accordion, track 4
 * Stuart Dempster, trombone w[ith] Brian Pertl, didjeridu & Dane Richeson, percussion (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2009), accordion
 * Terell Stafford, trumpet: w[ith] Jazz Faculty Trio (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2011)

As arranger/composer
With The One O'Clock Lab Band With Al Gibson With The Lawrence University Conservatory of Music
 * Lab '97 (North Texas Jazz, 1997), composer – "B.B."
 * It's About Time (Al Gibson Music, 1999), composer – "Rhoda Ribbon" and "Memory Gardens"
 * A Concert for Humanity (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2006), composer – "Set for New Orleans" (disc 1, track 16)
 * Hybrid Ensemble and Solo Jazz Singers in Concert (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2009), arranger – "Louva-a-Deus" (Milton Nascimento)
 * Just Jazz: Hybrid Ensemble (Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, 2010), arranger and lyricist – "Nothing Personal" (Don Grolnick)

Audio

 * Interview on KUAF's "Ozarks At Large"



Text

 * List of compositions at BMI
 * Lee Tomboulian's jazz commentary & criticism (1989–1991) at Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation