In October 1998, the whole city of Yerevan turned into one huge organizing committee for the festival – everybody considered it their duty to drop by Malkhas's den and lend a helping hand. They were motivated by love for jazz and respect for Malkhas. The festival finally came about: a magnificent celebration of jazz, music, freedom and friendship. During the festival Kim Nazarian, the frontwoman of the New York Voices, asked Malkhas: which of the US jazz colleges he had attended upon graduation from the Yerevan Conservatory. She found out, to her utter surprise, that he was a self-taught amateur! One of those same days, Arto Tuncboyajian, a brilliant percussionist and singer, visiting Yerevan with the Night Ark, a famous American ethno-jazz quartet, assembled a band, jestingly called it the Armenian Navy Band, wrote a song Malkhas Akhper (Brother Malkhas) and included it in their first release. It was during one of those same festival days when Malkhas took on stage a little boy from Gyumri, for an audition before seasoned jazz aficionados. With everyone's approval and blessing Tigran Hmasyan eventually became an international jazz star; Herbie Hancock mentions him among his tutors. After a good start, encouraged by respectable coverage in the world media and backed by just about everyone in Armenia, Malkhas got to work on the second JazzFest right away. The preparations were almost completed by October 1999; Chick Corea and his Origin were checking in for their flight to Yerevan, when the news came about the tragic, incredible and terrible events in Armenia's Parliament. The festival had to be postponed. Chick Corea finally came to Yerevan the year after for the second international JazzFest. His band gave a fantastic performance, followed by an electrifying jam-session in the Paplavok jazz club. Very few know about another jazz feat, a joint night performance by Chick Corea and Levon Malkhasyan in the government guest house, after which Chick raised Malkhas's arm, to announce the winner of a boxing match.