This is the fifth time I have been able to attend the Bishkek Jazz Festival since I arrived in Kyrgystan in the Fall of 2010. This year I was able to attend the two days of the event on Friday and Saturday at the Philharmonic Hall. I was not able to go to the Jam Session Saturday night because it just got so late. I left the hall after 11 p.m.
I like what the festival organizers are doing with the festival and am a supporter in my own small way, buying extra tickets each year. My favorite element is the work being done to create an ethno-jazz vocabulary that includes a mix of Western instruments and vernacular with the sounds and vernacular of music of Central Asia. Because it is experimental it can have its ups and downs. This year there were more ups than downs as groups from Europe and Central Asia performed.
As I sit this morning in Bishkek having a cup of fresh ground coffee, I find my mind wandering back to the performance of a group from Kazakhstan, The Magic of Nomads, whose combination of folk instruments, kobyz, dombra, flutes, mouth harps and piano, bass, and drums keep echoing in my head. The group is made up of extremely talented musicians. I was most impressed by Jagalsbek Iles who played various flutes and reeds, along with the mouth harp, oz-komuz. His addition to the night of gutteral or throat singing was remarkable. The group has an album recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London titled Bulbul Zaman, which is available on You Tube at https://youtu.be/gJeVp4RXqBg
in case you would like to hear what the sound like. A Google search also turned up an mp3 download.
A great Kyrgyz group, Vikram Rouzakhunov's Jazz Band kicked off the fest on Friday in fine style. American standards reworked well by the band. They featured two vocalists. Mr. Oscar does scat with a Kyrgyz flair. Marina Nabokova added a nice touch with her vocal duets. A pity we don't see more of Vikram and the group during the rest of the year in Bishkek. A friend who is a competetive Sports Latin dancer suggested that Mr. Oscar needed to learn a few new dance moves, but he is entertaining as he tries to figure out what to do in the bridges.
From Tajikistan came Avesto, a six member group that has consistently brought the house down in previous fests and who did not disappoint on Saturday. Led by their incredible vocalist Tahmina Ramazanova the group lays down wonderful traditional melodies rendered in a modern jazz idiom. This is a true example of ethno-jazz. They also have a You Tube presence and channel. Take a listen.
https://youtu.be/i5fXJ1L7AvI
One great thrill for me Saturday was the appearance of Nourghis Chekilova's Trio which featured a friend, Steve Swerdlow, on piano. The trio was a great example of what can be done in jazz with the American Songbook and a talented singer and piano and double bass.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention the performance by my favorite Kyrgyz jazz group, Salt Peanuts. Each year I grow more and more impressed with the work they are doing to incorporate Kyrgyz epos Aikins who perform the national epic of Manas as a part of their offering to the festival. Using national instruments and Kyrgyz language they integrate ethno-jazz into the festival at the highest level. They also have a You Tube channel. Here's an example of their use of Kyrgyz national instrumentation in their work https://youtu.be/t0oqrnoUXWw
I've focused on Central Asia in this post. Tomorrow another post to consider the European groups who performed this year. A big thanks to all the sponsors and supporters who make this festival possible every year. They include the Swiss, Austrian and German Embassies in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, The Christiansen Fund, and the organizers Central Asia Arts Management, local companies namba.kg, Hotel Dostuk, Prego Restaurant.
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| Magic of Nomads, Kazahkstan |
I like what the festival organizers are doing with the festival and am a supporter in my own small way, buying extra tickets each year. My favorite element is the work being done to create an ethno-jazz vocabulary that includes a mix of Western instruments and vernacular with the sounds and vernacular of music of Central Asia. Because it is experimental it can have its ups and downs. This year there were more ups than downs as groups from Europe and Central Asia performed.
As I sit this morning in Bishkek having a cup of fresh ground coffee, I find my mind wandering back to the performance of a group from Kazakhstan, The Magic of Nomads, whose combination of folk instruments, kobyz, dombra, flutes, mouth harps and piano, bass, and drums keep echoing in my head. The group is made up of extremely talented musicians. I was most impressed by Jagalsbek Iles who played various flutes and reeds, along with the mouth harp, oz-komuz. His addition to the night of gutteral or throat singing was remarkable. The group has an album recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London titled Bulbul Zaman, which is available on You Tube at https://youtu.be/gJeVp4RXqBg
in case you would like to hear what the sound like. A Google search also turned up an mp3 download.
A great Kyrgyz group, Vikram Rouzakhunov's Jazz Band kicked off the fest on Friday in fine style. American standards reworked well by the band. They featured two vocalists. Mr. Oscar does scat with a Kyrgyz flair. Marina Nabokova added a nice touch with her vocal duets. A pity we don't see more of Vikram and the group during the rest of the year in Bishkek. A friend who is a competetive Sports Latin dancer suggested that Mr. Oscar needed to learn a few new dance moves, but he is entertaining as he tries to figure out what to do in the bridges.
From Tajikistan came Avesto, a six member group that has consistently brought the house down in previous fests and who did not disappoint on Saturday. Led by their incredible vocalist Tahmina Ramazanova the group lays down wonderful traditional melodies rendered in a modern jazz idiom. This is a true example of ethno-jazz. They also have a You Tube presence and channel. Take a listen.
https://youtu.be/i5fXJ1L7AvI
One great thrill for me Saturday was the appearance of Nourghis Chekilova's Trio which featured a friend, Steve Swerdlow, on piano. The trio was a great example of what can be done in jazz with the American Songbook and a talented singer and piano and double bass.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention the performance by my favorite Kyrgyz jazz group, Salt Peanuts. Each year I grow more and more impressed with the work they are doing to incorporate Kyrgyz epos Aikins who perform the national epic of Manas as a part of their offering to the festival. Using national instruments and Kyrgyz language they integrate ethno-jazz into the festival at the highest level. They also have a You Tube channel. Here's an example of their use of Kyrgyz national instrumentation in their work https://youtu.be/t0oqrnoUXWw
I've focused on Central Asia in this post. Tomorrow another post to consider the European groups who performed this year. A big thanks to all the sponsors and supporters who make this festival possible every year. They include the Swiss, Austrian and German Embassies in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, The Christiansen Fund, and the organizers Central Asia Arts Management, local companies namba.kg, Hotel Dostuk, Prego Restaurant.
