Igor Butman - about his career in Russia and America

Фото: Depositphotos

In the recently opened MATCH concert complex in Houston, the standing ovations died down at a concert by Igor Butman and his Moscow jazz orchestra.

Igor Butman, one of the greatest jazz saxophonists in the world, once began his career in the ensemble of the famous Soviet jazzman David Goloshchekin, then played in the orchestra of the outstanding musician Oleg Lundstrem and the best USSR jazz band Allegro Nikolai Levinovsky. By the way, Nikolai also took part in the Houston concert.

After graduating from Berkeley College of Music in Boston, Butman worked in the New York Orchestra of Lionel Hampton. Igor Butman's own Big Band has repeatedly performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Birdland jazz mecca and at the most prestigious concert venues in the world. He was applauded by US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chairman of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin and even the most capricious connoisseurs of jazz at the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho.

In an exclusive interview with the newspaper "Our Texas" Igor Mikhailovich spoke about jazz - and not only.

N.T. When we meet with the musicians of the band Igor Butman, we remember a line from the old song “My address is the Soviet Union”.

Igor Butman: That's for sure. Double bassist from Dneprodzerzhinsk, drummer from Sevastopol, Alexander Berenson is my old friend from St. Petersburg. Saxophonists - Ukraine and Volgograd, trumpeters - Moscow, Novosibirsk and Nalchik...

N.T. There are a lot of young people in the orchestra.

IB When we, as a collective, declared ourselves, established ourselves and began touring the world, we began to support young musicians. Today there are excellent young people playing in the orchestra - I invite those whom I know or whom the guys recommend. I can't say that I discover talents. They come to me and give part of their talent to the orchestra. Our young people are ambitious, energetic, know a lot and are capable. Some eventually go to America and try to make traditional jazz careers here. Do I mind? No, how can I object, I myself once left. I can manage without them, of course, but I always feel sorry when a good beginning musician is in a hurry when he is not ready for such a step.

N. T. You went to America and returned to Russia.

IB Of course, I did not have any longing for Petersburg or Moscow. Just the circumstances. I met my future wife, we had a child, she wasn’t given a visa, I was waiting for citizenship, I stayed in Moscow for 2 for a year, became involved in new projects, got involved. Could I have a similar orchestra in America?

The famous pianist Chick Corea said many times that I need to work together with Nick Levinovsky. But there were various reasons that all did not allow this to take place, including financial ones. It was necessary to work as Ilf and Petrov and the Goncourt brothers - “Jules takes care of the manuscript, and Edmond runs around the editorial offices and sells it.” If we could, we would do that, and we would have an orchestra in America. But they could not.

And in Russia, festivals, concerts began, tours began, including to America. The Americans have always treated us well. (For reference: an example of a “good attitude” - as recognition of the American public, Butman’s band was invited to perform with a jazz orchestra conducted by the outstanding Wynton Marsalis and repeatedly received the highest praise in the American press. - “Our Texas”). In New York, no one really noticed that I left. And now even more so, I come there all the time. In 2007, a fruitful collaboration with Nikolai Levinovsky began. We work, compose, arrange, and often tour together. Now we are no longer talking about survival in a difficult city for a jazz musician. We just go and perform calmly, giving joy to people and ourselves. But I don’t have any political or human need to move.

N.T. What is today, in your opinion, the level of performing jazz skill in Russia?

IB He is tall. In my orchestra, for example, everything is technically my level. There are guys who are very young, and even they are at a completely different level than the performers at that Soviet time, when I was at their age. I was so alone in the USSR - young, in a good way cheeky and ambitious. In 18 years I already got to Goloshchekin. And now there are many. Here in my orchestra there is Anton Chekurov, for example. I was alone, and Anton is breathing a dozen in the back.

N. T. Many people think that jazz is only America. 3 quotes are indicative: “The achievements of America that will be known in 2000 years are the Constitution, baseball and jazz” (historian Gerald Early), “Jazz is America’s gift to the world” (musician Ahmad Aladdin), “Only blacks and Jews can play real jazz “That’s why America became the birthplace of jazz” (singer Ray Charles). How do Americans perceive jazz from Russia?

IB It’s easy for us in the USA, they know me here, we have a name and reputation. And in general, in America there is no prejudice towards jazz players. Americans are interested in everything. They are very curious to see how Russians play jazz. Rather, this is a preconceived opinion in Europe - Americans play traditional jazz, and Russians are assigned a small niche of sort of semi-avant-garde underground jazz... half theater, half circus with half clowns. Of course, I'm talking about those who know little. If people are interested in jazz, they are more developed, more educated. We have friends in Sweden and England. We go there, we generally love touring. A musician needs tours. Sponsors often help. This trip to Houston took place thanks to the great support of sponsors.

N. T. You love touring. Which cities in the list of the most attractive?

IB I love Moscow, Petersburg, New York and Riga - and, as they say, I love life, and as touring places. Beautiful cities, alive. There is always the opportunity to see something in addition, some exhibition of contemporary art, for example.

N.T. The most unexpected meeting of this year?

IB Imagine, at a concert in St. Petersburg, I met the guys with whom more than 40 years ago I played together in a hockey school!

(For your information: Igor Butman is an avid hockey player; he has loved this game since early childhood; in his youth he was even a member of the youth team of the SKA Leningrad hockey club. Hockey, according to him, is in second place among his passions, after jazz).

I. B. Here I fly to Moscow, take off my amazing new Texas hat and cowboy boots (by the way, you need to buy the same friend-minister before departure!) And immediately run away to play hockey.

***

Of course, Butman doesn’t have much time for hockey. The leader of the orchestra, who is touring the world in triumph, he is also the art director of the Igor Butman Jazz Club on Taganka and the Igor Butman Jazz Club on Polyanka, the producer of the Triumph Jazz and Akvadzhaz international festivals, the owner of the Russian-American jazz label Butman Music, head of the quartet, which is a rhythm section of the Big Band. In collaboration with Larisa Dolina, Igor Butman created the project “Carnival of Jazz”, and together with Arkady Ukupnik, he organized the annual jazz festival of the World Jazz Festival in Riga. At the invitation of Ilya Averbukh, the musician participated in the TV projects “Stars on Ice” and “Ice Age”. For many years he led on the channel "Culture" his author's program "Jazofreniya".

How he does everything is impossible to understand. But it has time. In 2015 in Paris at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) "For outstanding achievements in the field of culture and art and a huge contribution to the development of international cultural relations" Igor Butman was awarded the prestigious "Medal of five continents."

The original interview is published on the website. "Our Texas". Reprinted with abbreviations with permission of the publisher.

See also:

Who comes in the autumn on tour in the USA

Vladimir Pozner on patriotism in the USA and Russia, immigrants and failed interviews

In New York opened a cinema where you can sleep

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.