Jazz Goes To the People

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.