Kids big-band was created by Andrey Machnev in 1997 on the basis of jazz school named Kim Nazaretov (director - Aram Rustamiants). The school is the only one specialized children's educational jazz school in Russia. The band took part in the international jazz festivals at Krivoi Rog (Ukraine, 1998), Dnepropetrovks (2000), Kassel and Plauen (Germany, 2002), Sochi (2002, 2005, 2006), Southern - in Odessa (Ukraine, 2006 - Grand Prix), Odessa (Ukraine, 2002), Vinnitsa (2003), Moscow (2004), Nebug (2005), Rostov-on-Don (1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007).
The band took part in the international jazz festival in Bad-Arolsen (Germany) and at anniversary concert of the National Artist of Russian Federation Anatoly Kroll and Igor Bril, performing on one stage with big bands of Oleg Lundstrem and Igor Butman. Big-band consists of 4 trumpets, 6 saxophones, 3-4 trombones, expanded rhythm-section (piano, double-bass, bass-guitar, drums) and two singers. They’ve issued two CD - "Happy Birthday" (2003) and "Mother, Father, I and JAZZ" (2007).
PRESS DIGEST:
Recently I have had a real pleasure to get in touch with a wonderful kids big band of a jazz school named after Kim Nazaretov - the band has been my guest at the anniversary at the concert hall "Rossiya". The audience has been just crying in ecstasy. It was an unbelievable success. Such things can’t be a pure coincidence.
(Composer, band leader Anatoly Krol, People's artist of Russia, Moscow)
I don't like jazz played by children. I expected everything but this. I could not believe my own eyes! There was a great contrast between what I saw and what I heard. The young musicians not only perfectly play - they really understand what they do. They have found their own place in this music, and inside this music they feel at home. One should say the warmest words to the teachers. They have thought pupils not only to acquire their instruments, irreproachably to feel ensemble, inventively to improvise and to behave in public, but also to do it easily and freely without traces of previous long and hard work. I think anyone as I, while watching Andrey Machnev conducting the big band and playing together with children, experiences surprise and a little bit envies those who can so remarkably teach. I still dislike big bands. But this band - with its children smiles and not children sound, with piercing to the bone riffs of brass, with powerful rhythm of the bass player and the drummer, who are twenty years old altogether, - this band is an exception. I do love this big band!
(Journalist Oleg Shestopalov, Kiev, Ukraine)
Children are getting used to be constantly in public. They aren’t afraid of the stage and of the spectators. I’m sure, it is the generation of the future, which will leave behind the best musicians of the world. By the way, it’s the fifth year since Alexey Nekrasov, who has graduated from this school, moved to America, where he works with the famous saxophonist Nelson Rengel.
(Newspaper "Rossiya")
Kids big band - these are 20 children and their head, whom they really love, saxophonist Andrey Machnev. A year after its creation the band became a laureate of a prestigious festival "Gorizonty Jazza" (Jazz Horizons). Some children started playing just recently, but each of their performances was followed by deafening applause, and at the festival the audience has greeted them standing up.
(Journalist Olga Maydelman, Krivoi Rog, Ukraine)
Metallurgist town Krivoi Rog hasn’t seen such a thing for a long time - it took 20 young people from Rostov-on-Don only half an hour to get into the hearts of many spectators who came to the huge City Culture Palace that day. Each of the kids of the big band has his individuality, his own manner of playing the instrument, his own way of performing on the stage. At first the audience was silently listening, then we heard the storm of applause and finally everybody stood up. Nobody has had such a success before.
(Jazz festival "Gorizonty Jazza", Krivoi Rog, Ukraine)
"Jazz- tandem" is a unique project. This is the first time, when the big-band of the kids jazz-school named after Kim Nazaretov and Kim Nazaretov’s professional orchestra (with 40 years of experience) played together. Almost all the concert consisted of the original compositions and arrangements by A.Machnev and A. Rustamyants. Even the well-known jazz standard found its own new sounding. The concert was finished by a jazz-surprise: In the Mood (G.Miller) was performed by the double bid band! It was a wonderful jam, where at one moment young jazzmen soloed, at the other - it was the role of the coryphaei. And the "ending picture" was really great - near each of the adult musicians "in a single mood" (this is the virtual translation of the play) played his young colleague. It would be great to show such a performance in the other cities as well. But these are almost 50 people….
(Journalist Olga Korzhova, "Sedmaya Stolitsa", Rostov-on-Don)
The zest of the carnival in Odessa was the performance of the kids big band from Rostov-on-Don (leader - Andrey Machnev). The band has created a real furore. Our governor and our guest of honour Mikhail Zhvanetskiy were beside themselves with ecstasy.
(Piano-player Youriy Kiznetsov, Odessa, Ukraine)
What wonderful kids they are! The drummer can’t be seen behind his cymbals, baritonist is hardly taller than his instrument, the contrabass-player is very-very little. And these are they - who make music. They express themselves by way of the instrument. And it is not so important how fast their fingers move. The main thing is their energetic "movement", which can be achieved by direct connection of the heart and the instrument. How is it taught? Unbelievable!
(Band-leader Nikolai Goloshchapov, Odessa, Ukraine) |
