Celebrating Al Gardner: A life bridging music, martial arts, and community in the Midcoast | Column
Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian, a virtuoso of the oud, will be celebrated at the Chocolate Church in Bath on Nov. 13. (Courtesy of Chocolate Church)
In his book “Town Meeting,” Donald Robinson writes about “bridging people” — individuals who bind the fabric of a community together, connecting generations, traditions, and people who might otherwise never cross paths. Al Gardner, also known as Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian, was one of those people.
On Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., the Chocolate Church will host Celebrating Al, commemorating 20 years since his passing and honoring his extraordinary impact on our community.
Al was many things to many people. For some, he was an extraordinary musician — a virtuoso of the oud, a composer and multi-instrumentalist — who helped bring Armenian, Turkish, Greek, and Arabic music to Maine. For others, he was a grand master of martial arts who taught generations of children and adults at his dojo on Front Street in Bath.
I first learned about Al from Georgetown musician and community organizer Fateh Azzam, who brought us the idea for this celebration.
“Al was the kindest and warmest human being you’d ever want to meet,” Fateh told me. “His impact is still felt today, 20 years after his untimely passing, by the community of Middle Eastern musicians he helped create and nurture.”
That impact is equally felt by his martial arts students.
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Leon Doyle began studying with Al at 17. “I wanted something deeper, something more. I found that with him.” When I asked Leon for one word to describe Al, he answered: “Presence. An intensity of presence. That type of thing is rare.”
And Al devoted his life not simply to practicing martial arts, but to bringing people from very different facets of the community together through them. Leon told me, “There was quite a broad spectrum of people as it should be. All these other differences melt away and you’re left with the art form where everyone is united.”
His dear friend Shane McKenna shared, “If you knew Al, you were a better person. He changed and affected a lot of people’s lives.”
What fascinates me is Al’s dual devotion to martial arts and music. Shane McKenna, whose sons studied with Al, told me, “I never knew about his talent as a musician. I never knew he would go home from the dojo and play the oud all night long.”
Having myself studied tae kwon do for over 20 years, while devoting my professional life to the performing arts, I find myself wondering about the connection. Perhaps it’s spirit. Both disciplines cultivate an embodied expression of energy, presence, and something larger than ourselves. Al devoted himself not simply to mastering these practices, but to bringing others along on the journey.
The Nov. 13 celebration will feature Al’s musical compositions and beloved Middle Eastern songs performed by the Al-Mashreq Ensemble, personal remembrances, a martial arts demonstration, and images from his remarkable life.
Another former student, Sensei Heid Fenwicki, recalled, “There was a degree of magic. You could feel it in the dojo.” Twenty years later, that magic is still felt. What a beautiful legacy to celebrate together. And what a great time to remember, it is people like Al, who remind us that it isn’t the people of prominence or political power, but bridging people like Al, who bind us and make us one.
Matthew Glassman is executive and artistic director of the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath.
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