The first jazz band in Armenia was formed in 1938. It was directed by a composer and cellist Artemy Aivazyan. The band performed city folklore, Armenian popular songs and original instrumentations of composers of those times. The concerts used to start with “Armenian Rhapsody” by Aivazyan, the notes to which are depicted on the reverse of the coin.
Today jazz bands of various styles and directions perform in Armenia, and international jazz festivals are held to unite admirers of this popular genre of music.
The coin issued with colored inks. The silver collector coin was designed by Eduard Kurghinyan. The mintage of the collector coins is 10,000 and they were minted by B.H. Mayer’s Kunstprageanstalt GmbH, Karlsfeld (Germany).
Source of information: Central Bank of Armenia