Building on the success of their debut Daughter of the Seas (ABC Jazz), Awakening expands Visions of Nar’s sonic realm. Across ten pieces – from the ethereal title track Cri de Coeur,  to the deeply emotive Sweet Sorrow and the fiery, rhythmically charged Eat Chaos – the ensemble draws on Armenian modes, jazz improvisation, and electronic textures. The music conjures both intimacy and vastness, inviting the listener into a world where improvisation and composition, tradition and innovation, coexist. “This project has always been about connection,” says Rose. “Between cultures, between genres, and between musicians. Awakening captures that spirit – it’s music that searches for light.”

Recorded live in the Pier 2/3 studios, the sessions captured the ensemble’s organic chemistry in crystalline detail. The sound of the Steinway D – resonant, alive – became the album’s heartbeat. “Recording at the ACO studios felt transcendent,” recalls Margossian. “The space itself inspired our performances – every note seemed to shimmer in the air.” With Hilary Geddes’ ethereal guitar and Bobby Singh’s mesmerising tabla, Awakening moves fluidly between fiery energy and meditative calm. “We wanted to create something timeless,” adds Rose, “music that acknowledges our heritage but speaks in the language of now.”

At its core, Awakening continues the band’s mission to weave cultural narratives through music. Inspired by the Armenian goddess Nar – deity of water, sea and rain – the music channels cycles of renewal and transformation. It’s a kaleidoscopic work: deeply personal yet universal. Critics have praised the group as “transcendent beauty, remarkable interplay, shimmering with crystalline prose and profound intimacy” (★★★★½ Fine Music), and “beguiling beauty, spellbinding and hypnotic” (Rhythms Magazine). Awakening builds on this legacy – an album that evokes both hope and reflection.

Visions of Nar brings together some of Australia’s most distinctive jazz voices. Zela Margossian, an Armenian-Lebanese pianist and composer, is celebrated for her emotive storytelling and virtuosic blend of Armenian folk and contemporary jazz, earning ARIA nominations and international acclaim. Jeremy Rose, an ARIA and APRA Award-winning saxophonist and composer, is one of Australia’s leading creative forces, known for projects including The Vampires, Earshift Orchestra, Vazesh and Jeremy Rose Quartet. Bobby Singh, among the world’s most distinguished tabla masters, brings rhythmic vitality honed under the tutelage of Aneesh Pradhan, while Hilary Geddes, known for her work with punk outfit The Buoys, adds grit and other worldly sounds through her nuanced guitar textures. Together, they form an ensemble where music transcends boundaries – a celebration of identity, collaboration and renewal.