Contemporary jazz with world beat overtones aptly describes the music of Canadian/Armenian multi-instrumentalist/composer Levon Ichkhanian. A third generation musician and artist of great versatility, Levon is proficient on the fretted and fretless guitars, oud, bouzouki and banjitar. Levon's musical odyssey first took shape in Lebanon. He first studied classical guitar under the direction of his uncle, Professor Joseph Ichkhanian. At the age of twelve, his family immigrated to Canada. One year later, he found himself drawn to the electric guitar and began his professional performing career, playing in a band with his jazz pianist father, Edouard. Levon's first professional gig was at the age of thirteen with Adiss, the pioneer modern Armenian singer.

Levon's talent was sufficiently recognized throughout his formative years by way of various awards, most notably by the Canadian All Star Jazz Award received at the age of sixteen. Private studies with many different teachers followed suit, as did several scholarships, in particular one bestowed by the Ontario Arts Council, granting him the opportunity to attend workshops at the University of Toronto. Later, Levon had the opportunity to study with world renowned musicians Pat Martino, Jim Hall, Steve Khan and Simon Shaheen. Levon has also gained a wealth of practical experience from touring widely throughout Canada, the Middle East, Brazil and the United States where he has played in clubs, concert halls and at international festivals, such as Peter Gabriel's WOMAD, MIDEM (Cannes), Chet Atkins Musicians Days Concerts (Nashville) and the Montreal Jazz Festival. He has performed with Mark Egan, Danny Gottleib and Muriel Anderson, along side Liona Boyd, and was featured in 'Pizza Express' (London, England) Guitar Masters series, which included Birelli Lagrene, Larry Coryell and Martin Taylor. Most recently he has toured throughout North America and Europe with Peter Murphy (former frontman of the band Bauhaus).

His career as a session guitarist has provided him with recording opportunities for a wide variety of musical situations. He co-led a Cd "Kick-n' Jazz" with master drummer Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie (who is associated with Jazz luminaries like Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, George Benson and Jeff Beck). He has also played on JUNO nominated projects, recorded with producer/composer Kenni Hairston (who has produced and composed for Vanessa Williams, Cyndi Lauper, Freddie Jackson and Cameo) and most recently he recorded with Jolly Mukherjee for singer/songwriter Hariharan from India.

Levon has also branched out into the film world, scoring and performing all instruments to the soundtrack of acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan's "Looking for Nothing". His guitar playing is featured on the soundtracks for films, commercials and other artists CDs. With this wealth of experience behind him, the decision to record a CD of his own was an inevitable fact of life. His debut, "After Hours", blends Armenian/Middle Eastern melodies with contemporary jazz, featuring instruments from around the world, including doudouk (Armenian wind instrument), tabla, bouzouki, and accordion. Featured musicians include Grammy award winners world renowned artists John Patitucci (bass) and Paquito D'Rivera (sax/clarinet). Distributed by Mediterrano Productions, "After Hours" was an Armenian Music Award nominee for Best Jazz Album, and reached #1 Indie and Top 10 Jazz on HMV Charts. Levon's follow up CD "Travels", is a collection of Levon's compositions encompassing styles from Middle Eastern to Brazilian grooves and melodies that has won top honours in the jazz/fusion category at the Armenian Music Awards.

Levon has been warmly welcomed into AHANAIE and his guitar playing will be featured on several tracks on the upcoming CD "AHANAIE: Weapon of Mass Construction". Levon is a mature musician whose broad experiences allow him to bring moving emotional expression and a level of sincerity to his playing that singles him out as a true innovator. With many years of study and practical experience behind him, Levon now shares his knowledge conducting World/Jazz Improvisation clinics. He has also published music articles in Guitar Player and Canadian Musician magazines to name a few.