Business

Avo Uvezyan

Avo Uvezian (born 1926 in Beirut, Lebanon) is an Armenian-American jazz pianist and cigar manufacturer. Avo Uvezian was born in a family of musicians. His mother was a singer while his father was a composer as well as a conductor for a symphony orchestra. Uvezian joined a jazz trio called the Liban Boys. Avo received an invitation from Shah Reza Pahlevi to perform at his palace. After a year of performing in Iran, the Shah arranged for Avo a travel to the United States of America. While living in New York, Avo played for multiple bands while studying classical piano and composition at the Juilliard School.

Avo met his wife, Marie, while performing at a New York resort in the Catskill Mountains in 1951. Uvezian drafted during the Korean War and was sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey where he was put through infantry training. Soon Uvezian was taken out of the Infantry and put into Band Training. When he was in Korea, the band would play at the Officers Club where they got paid twenty dollars a night. Uvezian was honorably discharged in 1952. After being discharged, Uvezian spent the next few years working with his father-in-law designing jewelry. This eventually brought him to Puerto Rico where he was paid to perform at the Palmas Del Mar resort. In 1983, when Avo’s daughter Karyn was born, he went to Switzerland for her christening. Avo had a Cuban cigar after the meal and was not happy with the price. His friend mentioned that they should make their own. Uvezian travelled to the Dominican Republic, where he searched for two years for a satisfactory production facility. Avo finally met Hendrik Kelner. In the first year, 120,000 Avo cigars were sold. By the third year, Avo sold over 750,000 cigars. In 1995, Davidoff paid Avo Uvezian an estimated $10 million for the rights to distribute his cigars. In 1996, more than two million Avo cigars were sold.

And today as a compensation for that great love -80 years old master has acquired everything necessary – human happiness, respect, love, honor…