Appears Briefly

I am going to be in New York City from June 13 to June 17. On the 16th, I'm taking part in the 13th Jazz Awards ceremony. I will also speak to Howard Mandel's World Music classes at NYU (Monday, June 15, 6:15 to 9:30 pm); there is something else in my schedule (a couple of interviews etc.) -- but still, I'm ready for a contact, if someone needs such contact. I will be staying in midtown Manhattan; I'm easy to contact either through comments here, or via e-mail moshkow@moshkow.net.

Russians Are Coming: the Second Approach in NYC

A great new jazz trio from Moscow, the Second Approach, is going to perform at Brooklyn's Ibeam (168 7th Street Brooklyn) on June 12, 2009. Yes, they are friends of mine, but that is not the point. The point is, they are great musicians; they are not exactly straight-ahead jazz, but [still] thoroughly enjoyable, and their only NYC performance is not to be missed (they also play Rochester Jazz Festival on June 15 and 16.) If you can come and see them, do it: it's worth it. If you can help spread a word about it, please do so: we need to bring in as many people able to understand their values as possible. Yes, Russia does have a new jazz scene, however small; and those musicians do not imitate anybody - they follow their own patterns. It's quite difficult to put the Second Approach on a narrow genre shelf. It's jazz, modern classical, and post-modern ethno/jazz crossover at the same time, rooted in native Russian music rather than in anything else.


The performance will take place at Ibeam (168 7th Street Brooklyn) on June 12. For a few tunes the trio (Andrey Razin, the piano player and composer; Tatiana Komova, the singer; and Igor Ivanushkin, the bass player) will be joined by the great Roswell Rudd, the trombone player. Roswell is featured on the Second Approach's new CD, The Light (SoLyd Records, 2009); this picture of Roswell and Tatiana, the Second Approach singer, is taken by me during their 2007 performance in Moscow.

There is a $10 donation at the door; music journalists can contact the band via Cyril Moshkow of Moscow JJA to be on the list.
Ibeam
Directions (how to get there)
The Second Approach

Jazz.Ru #2-2009

On the cover: renowned Russian composer/pianist Ivan Farmakovsky releases «Next To The Shadow» featuring Ryan Kisor, Igor Butman, Gene Jackson and Uggonna Okegvo
Jazz Travel: Festival Internacional Jazz Plaza, Havana, Cuba
Larry Appelbaum of the Library of the Congress speaks with Radio Russia jazz host Mikhail Mitropolsky about the unearthed archive gems
From "The Offering To Duke": we commemorate Duke Ellington's 110th birthday by printing, for the first time, one chapter ("Sacred Concerts") from the late Russian jazzology pioneer Leonid Pereverzev's yet-unpublished lifetime work
Contact! -- Jazz.Ru's correspondent Zinaida Kartasheva visits the Institute of Jazz Studies in Newark, NJ
Matthew Shipp interviewed in Moscow
1st Moscow Young Jazz Vocalists Competition
The Moscow Jazz & Blues Jam Sessions Guide
Dialogues: horn virtuoso Arkady Shilkloper discusses various aspects of his work with Yekaterinburg jazz radio host Gennady Sakharov
George Avakian turns 90
Young Scene: Roman Sokolov, sax/flute
Russian Real Book in progress: Valery Ponomarev's "I Was Afraid You'd Never Call Me"

Happy 90th Birthday, George!

George Avakian, the legendary jazz producer, just turned 90.
Happy Birthday, George!

The Jazz Greats, Jazz.Ru's book about musicians

The Planet of Music publishers (St. Petersburg, Russia) just sent me a PDF file with The Jazz Greats, our next jazz book. I already have one published (The Jazz Industry In America, Planet of Music, 2008,) but the new one is a different story. The Jazz Greats is a collection of exclusive original feature articles, interviews, historical aricles and (alas) obituaries on 89 great international jazz musicians, published in in Russian language by Jazz.Ru magazine, both online and in print, from 2001 to 2008. I am one of the writing autors (one of 12, to be exact,) compilation editor, and compilation author. After we proofread the layout, the book is going to be sent to print, due out by May, 2009.

The book is about international (American and European) jazz musicians; what we pubished on Russians, is going to be included in another book, if all goes well.

At last, out #1-2009

In our first 2009 issue:


- Alex Rostotsky (face on the cover) and his newest "Promenade With Mussorgsky" album
- Joe Pass would be 80, Lonnie Johnson 110, J.J.Johnson 85, and Benny Golson turns 80
- Crisis? What crisis? - a new jazz club opens in Moscow on the Arbat street
- GRAMMY® Jazz Nominees and Winners
- The Bad Plus: Why We Play This Strange Music (Ethan Iverson and Reid Anderson interviewed)
- Blue Note Records turns 70
- Vilnius Mama Jazz, the Festival of the Popular Jazz
- Jazz Travels: Jazz Globus Festival in Jerusalem, Israel
- Will Know: Italian-Russian sax player Dimitri Grechi Espinosa
- Kurt Gottschalk's New York Is Now
- In memoriam: Fathead Newman, Hank Crawford, Freddie Hubbard
- Young Lions Turn 40
- Will Know: Polish sax innovator Macei Koczynski
- Young Scene: bari sax player Roman Sekachev
- The Discreet Charm of the Vinyl: Guennady Petrov and Nikolai Shienok review their favorite vinyl rarities
- History: Alexander Rivchun, Russia's first saxophone educator (1914-1974)
- Jazz Experience: Improvising Musicians Conference in Denver, reviewed by its participator Roman Stolyar
- What Do We Play -- Misha Tsiganov keeps bulding the Russian Real Book

In stores since February 25, 2009

One More E-Gadget

I have no idea yet why I need that, but since it's there I'll dwell there as well: Cyril Moshkow on Myspace

Maybe it's just to add musicians I know as friends there, I don't know. A serious writer should have millions of web pages. The only thing I do not yet dare to use, as I feel there like a bearded dwarf in a elementary school playground, is Facebook (and its Russian derivative, vkontakte.ru).

My son runs Jazz.Ru's vkontakte.ru group, though.