Jazz circle
Second season kicks off with launch of recorded performances by Ukraine’s finest jazz musicians
Jazz-Kolo (Jazz Circle) was founded with the goal of bringing the Ukrainian jazz scene, which is practically in the underground at the moment, to a new level. This is the brainchild of Ihor Zakus, a well-known jazz musician, bass guitarist, and leader of the Z- band, and the Tempora Publishing House. The founders of Jazz-Kolo are focusing their activity on holding regular jazz concerts, recording them, and releasing CDs. “There are great musicians in Ukraine who have interesting material that they have composed,” Zakus says. “But they need to communicate with our Ukrainian audiences. Look at Poland and Hungary, where jazz is much more developed and popular, although jazz has never been art for the masses but for sophisticated people with a higher than average intellectual level.”
The organizers define “Jazz- Kolo” as an event that is interwoven with the Ukrainian cultural context. But this does not mean that ethnic elements are part of the jazzmen’s performances, which consist of classical, modern, or ethnic jazz. The main thing is that the music is of good quality. “The Ukrainian public has to develop its own traditions in such an outstanding sphere as jazz to ensure a full-fledged cultural process,” says Yulia Oliinyk, director of the Tempora Publishing House. “When we talk about Ukrainian jazz, we don’t talk about a musician’s ethnic background. We speak about beautiful music, which is always universal and wonderful. Like Polish, German, and English jazz, Ukrainian jazz is performed on a high level.”
Jazz-Kolo is a specific format unique to Ukraine. Recordings of Ukrainian jazz bands have never been released before. Now, three CDs (3,000 copies) and two DVDs (2,000 copies) have just been issued. Each DVD features photos and interviews with musicians and audience members.
The disks will get into music stores throughout Ukraine in the next few weeks. “This is important because, as a rule, released disks get to musicians and their friends, but they are not found on store shelves and do not reach vast numbers of music lovers,” Zakus says, emphasizing that for the moment Jazz-Kolo is not pursuing a purely commercial goal by issuing these disks. The production price will not cost a lot, so a CD will cost 20 hryvnias, and a DVD - 50.
Ukrainian jazzmen performed a review concert dedicated to the launch of the second season of Jazz-Kolo. The bands that are slated to perform solo concerts during the second season took part in the concert. One of them was Yulia Roma with the Night Groove band. Yulia, who performs her own compositions, which resemble European jazz, recently released an album called “Heartbeats.” Jazz fans are looking forward to the concert by the trio led by the well-known jazz pianist Natalia Lebedieva. Pianist Rodion Ivanov’s quartet and Serhii Ovsiannikov and Illia Yeresko’s Superband will perform a mix of jazz, blues, and Latin rhythms. Afterwards, all the concerts of Jazz-Kolo’s second season will be released on CD and DVD.
I hope this lineup of jazz concerts finds an audience. It is meant for all music lovers and for those who like fine quality sound.
