Igor Butman. Official Website

Igor Butman Quartet

Igor Butman, tenor and soprano saxophones
Anton Baronin, piano
Vitaly Solomonov, acoustic bass
Edward Zizak, drums

Igor Butman, now Russia's top jazz personality, is not only the artistic director of the country's best jazz venue, the host of a weekly nationwide TV show (Jazzophrenia, Culture Channel), or the leader of the Igor Butman Big Band. He also leads the Igor Butman Quartet, unity of four Russia's topmost jazz soloists. Working together since 1999, the band has evolved into Russia's best touring hardcore jazz unit.

The rhythm section is the strongest in Russian straight-ahead jazz, and consists of acoustic bass player Vitaly Solomonov and drummer Edward Zizak.

At the time when Edward Zizak joined Igor, he was already an experienced and reliable player who has worked for one of the Russia's most popular big bands, the MKS Big Band led by Anatoly Kroll. The work for the Igor Butman Quartet allowed Zizak to find new expressive means and to reach new steps of jazz drumming mastery.

During the 1990s, Vitaly Solomonov has gained a strong reputation in Russian jazz community as the most reliable and versatile acoustic bass player. He started to work with Igor Butman in the mid-90s.

The pianist, Anton Baronin, joined the quartet in 2000. He inherits the famed Russian school of classical piano (Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory) that he combines with great improvisational skills and fine abilities for interaction inside the band.

In 2000, the Igor Butman Quartet performed at the Moscow Kremlin in front of the U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since 1999 the quartet has performed at the festivals in Germany, Italy, France, Bulgaria and Turkey and toured Israel, Belgium and Finland, as well as the U.S.A.

Igor Butman Quartet also toured Russia and other countries with such special guest soloists as Joe Locke and Randy Brecker. They also appeared at several festivals in Europe as Randy Brecker Quintet.

Igor Butman Big Band

The best jazz orchestra of Russia. A ten and a half splendid jazz musicians. It’s all about Igor Butman Big Band, which was founded 10 years ago by a renowned saxophone player Igor Butman and arranger Vitaly Dolgov. Since 1999 Big Band has frequently toured Russia, Europe, and the USA, appearing at the world’s most prestigious jazz venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, “Birdland” and others.

A special collaboration between Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis and Igor Butman Big Band which opened 2003-04 season at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York in September 2003 caused a sensation in the whole jazz world! New music by both bandleaders and arrangements of Russian folk songs concerts were premiered by two big bands. The New York Times called the performance of Igor Butman Big Band "a show of great competence and fluency."

The first Big Band's album “Eternal Triangle” featuring Randy Brecker was recorded in Moscow in August 2003 and engineered by the best American jazz sound engineer James Farber in November 2003 in New York. “Eternal Triangle” set a very high level of performance and quality of sound for all Russian jazz. The proof for this is that the music from “Eternal Triangle” was on air of many US jazz radio stations even before the album was released!

Internationally renowned jazzmen were excited by performing with Igor Butman Big Band, among them are Dee Dee Bridgewater, “New York Voices”, Kevin Mahogany, George Benson, Gino Vanelli, Wynton Marsalis, Larry Corryell, Billy Cobham, Bill Evans. Joe Lovano, Gary Burton, Toots Thielemans.

Igor Butman Big Band and a great Russian singer Larisa Dolina created a jazz extravaganza «Carnival of Jazz», and toured Russia, Ukraine, Israel and the USA with this program. In 2003 a double album «Carnival of Jazz» recorded live at «Rossiya» concert hall was released. The premiere of a new program «Carnival of Jazz 2. No comments» was held in July, 2008 at Jazz at Lincoln Center within JVC jazz festival and caused a stir among jazz lovers: Rose Theatre hardly seated all comers!

Igor Butman, the leader of the Big Band, enjoys pushing the boundaries of jazz mainstream and create crossover projects. Big Band often tours with American pianist and composer Igor Raykhelson, «Grammy» winning altoist Yuri Bashmet and his chamber ensemble «Moscow Soloists». A big tour with these remarkable musicians is scheduled for February and March 2009.

Igor Butman Big Band’s brand new album will soon be released! On this CD the Band featuring a very special guest Wynton Marsalis plays music by an outstanding composer and pianist Nikolay Levinovsky.

Igor Butman and ...

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