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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Jazz Goes To the People

13 July, 1999 - 00:00

By Vyacheslav KRYSHTOFOROVYCH, Jr.

There is a banal thought that if musicians are playing in the park all
is right with the world,

that things are simple, peaceful, and undisturbed.

Perhaps many of those who have had the chance to walk through the Central
Park near Mariyinsky Palace were pleasantly surprised, for it is precisely
there in the fresh air after six in the evening on weekends that one can
hear live music. The orchestras and music is always different but mainly
classical. Still, jazz also crops up. On July 3-4 there was a jazz marathon
in memory of Volodymyr Symonenko, a person of whom it may be said without
exaggeration that jazz here owes its existence. As Oleksiy Kohan once said,
Volodymyr Symonenko was evidence that there are people who are impossible
to replace. When he died Kyiv jazz lost far more than the president of
its Jazz Association, which made sense only with him. And for many hearing
the music was a far more eloquent eulogy then any words, music played not
sorrowfully or mournfully but with the jazzman's special joy.

Musicians from various cities came to honor his memory. As in all great
jazz events, the best Ukrainian jazzmen were present, both top veterans
and the younger enthusiasts full of promise, the latter not always being
strict devotees of jazz. The concert opened with the Kryvy Rih Children's
Big Band led by Viktor Basiuk. More than one grownup big band could envy
them. Great success greeted one of our best known jazz groups, the Men
Sound vocal sextet, as it did the Soiuz (Union) group (which has made great
progress over the last year). Also unforgettable were the Yuri Shepeta
Quartet, renowned pianist Petro Pashkov, and our magnificent (and maybe
best) saxophonist Dmytro Markytantov. But beyond all doubt the Volodymyr
Shabaltas Kharkiv Guitar Quartet (each member of which gave every music
lover his own special gift) formed the event's centerpiece. Their technical
mastery, sense of humor, and compositional skills make these musicians
perhaps Ukraine's best. On the first day for half an hour before the concert
officially opened Markytantov and pianist Volodymyr Solianko were joined
by some quartet members and immediately perked up everyone's ears (for
many this was the best part of the concert). On the second day the quartet
performed only three compositions, but the impression was that this was
plenty, for they gave an incomparable rendition of Henry Mancini's "Pink
Panther" theme. In general, the musicians were so good that after hearing
them once one wants to find them and wait for their next exploit.

The jazz marathon in Central Park could be summed up as bringing cool
jazz to the people. If you like, this action could also be viewed not only
as a cultural contribution but as a social one, for the park is not a concert
hall, and the main thing is not the niceties but that people could play
and others listen. It was both unusual and pleasant to see a nice old lady,
who not only accepted jazz but was feeling the rhythm and in a refined
way grooving to it and applauding after every improvisation.

An orchestra in the park in the summertime is a unique symbol of peace
and serenity, an integral park of urban culture. And although such things
cannot earn one a stable living, they do impart a stability of the spirit.
And that is important.

 

Second International Kyiv Musical Evenings Festival held 
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