'Jiving today, accused of treason tomorrow': How Russian jazz survived communist repression to celebrate 100 years
The history of Russian jazz began 100 years ago. While it has forged a unique path, the art form that evolved in the country has deep connections to that which thrived around the world. However, the path of this ‘bourgeois art’ was not easy in the Soviet Union, and it survived persecution only thanks to the musicians who were its faithful adherents.
In October 1922, the Russian musician, poet and choreographer Valentin Parnakh performed in Moscow for the first time with his ensemble called 'First Eccentric Orchestra of the Russian Federated Socialist Republic – Valentin Parnakh's Jazz Band'.
Parnakh had heard the music in Paris and became so fascinated that he purchased a set of the required instruments and brought them to the Soviet Union. His first – and subsequent – performances were great successes, especially among artists from the avant-garde. The concerts also inspired other musicians to try out the new genre.
Four years later, in 1926, Soviet audiences had the chance to encounter authentic jazz. American pianist Sam Wooding and his orchestra visited the country together with the Chocolate Kiddies show and performed in Moscow and Leningrad (the Soviet-era name of St. Petersburg). “[It was] the first country I’d ever been in where I was considered a human being,” woodwind multi-instrumentalist Garvin Bushell, who performed with Wooding, recalled later.
Several images from those performances can be seen in the silent film 'A Sixth Part of the World' directed by Soviet cinema pioneer Dziga Vertov. The episodes are featured in the part where the director condemns slavery and capitalism.
The same year, the ensemble of Frank Withers, together with saxophonist, clarinetist and the world’s first jazz soloist Sidney Bechet, also toured the USSR.
It was a time of cultural exchange. In 1926, the Soviet agency tasked with promoting education and culture sent musician Leopold Teplitsky to the US to study local music. He worked in the orchestra of Paul Whiteman, often called the King of Jazz. They were the first to perform George Gershwin’s 'Rhapsody in Blue'.
Back home a year later, Teplitsky founded the 'First Concert Jazz Band' in Leningrad. The group, which performed in concert halls typically designed for classical music, was a great success.
Leonid Utyosov called Teplitsky "the first of the domestic musicians who showed the playing of jazz." Utyosov himself was the main jazz star of the USSR in the late '20s and '30s. Having assembled the band 'Thea-Jazz' (a portmanteau of Theatrical Jazz), he created a popular musical trend that acquired the scale of a theatrical performance.
In 1934, Utyosov and famous actress Lyubov Orlova starred in the first Soviet musical comedy featuring a jazz musician as a main character and a soundtrack with plenty of jazz compositions. 'Jolly Fellows', with tunes composed by Isaak Dunayevsky, became a sensation, and was Joseph Stalin’s favorite movie.
The film was even released in the US under the name 'Moscow Laughs'. Legend has it that even Charlie Chaplin offered his praise of the film.
“Before this film, Americans knew Dostoevsky’s Russia, now they have seen a big shift in the public psychology. People there are laughing loudly and cheerfully. This is a great victory. It is more persuasive than bullets and speeches," he is believed to have written.
‘Unbending of saxophones’
However, jazz was nevertheless a controversial phenomenon in the USSR. In spite of the success of Utyosov and others, many perceived the genre as a manifestation of bourgeois culture that was inappropriate for a socialist state.
In 1928, renowned Soviet writer Maxim Gorky published an article called 'About the Music of the Fat,' in which he blasted the new music genre as something belonging to “fat” capitalists who have no clue about real culture.
During the Second World War, however, jazz orchestras performed for soldiers right near the battlefield, although some of those forays ended tragically. For example, in 1941, the State Jazz Orchestra of the USSR was performing near the frontline when the musicians were surrounded by the enemy and most of them ended up being killed.
Utyosov, whose military songs are now considered classics, also performed concerts during the war. His music (which included more than just jazz) was in the Soviet mainstream until the mid-60s, and he himself became one of the immortal legends of the Soviet stage.
However, not all performers were so lucky. In 1930, Teplitsky was accused of espionage and jailed for three years. He was not the only jazz musician to have been persecuted. In fact, a lot of musicians were arrested and jailed in the '30 and '40s, although not necessarily because of their musical careers.
With the beginning of the Cold War, the ideological battle against ‘Western values’ intensified, and jazz became one of the targets. What became known as a time of the ‘unbending of saxophones’ spawned phrases such as “Today he’s playing jazz, tomorrow he’ll betray his Motherland” and “There’s one step from saxophone to a knife” (the latter one attributed to the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev). Thus, the art form remained repressed until the mid-50s.
Back to the stage
However, the years of the ban were unable to erase jazz from the Soviet cultural landscape. In 1956, the jazz orchestra of Oleg Lundstrem, which had not been allowed to be based in Moscow, finally got a chance to relocate to the capital. It should be noted that in 1994, the Guinness Book of Records recognized the Lundstrem ensemble as the oldest continuously existing jazz band in the world.
Jazz was given a new push in 1957, when Moscow hosted the World Festival of Youth and Students. This was a time of renewed cultural exchange, which inspired a whole new generation of musicians.
How could it survive the years of oppression? According to Igor Butman, a legendary saxophone virtuoso and head of the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, we should thank the enthusiasts themselves.
Musicians just had a belief: They believed in their art, in their talent, in the improvisation, they couldn’t live without their music.
“Jazz is a universal language: People can talk to each other, because they know certain styles, they know the music. A jazz musician is quite dangerous for ideology – what if he decides to play something not featured in the score, some kind of call?” he told RT.
According to Butman, officials soon realized that there were challenges far more dangerous, such as rock music. So, jazz was rehabilitated to serve as something of a counterweight. Jazz clubs started to emerge in different cities of the USSR, and American jazz stars such as Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington arrived to tour the country.
Naming all the jazz musicians who became legends of the Soviet stage would be a daunting task. Georgy Garanian, Nikolay Levinovsky, Igor Bril, Alexey Kozlov – these are just a few of the names, but there are many more.
“In the USSR, there was always political pressure on jazz musicians – the ideology changed from allowing [perfomances] to denying [them], from support to oppression,” Butman explains.
After the USSR collapsed, jazz received a strong impetus for development, as musicians could travel, study and perform in international ensembles. The ideological effect vanished, the state started to support jazz, so now we see new stars emerging.
In modern Russia, Butman is without a doubt the number one jazz personality. He has performed with Chick Corea, Grover Washington Jr., Natalie Cole and many other global stars. Last year, Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performed together with Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra in Moscow.
Butman also plays a key role in promoting Russian jazz. Music festivals organized by him are held all across the country every year, which he and the musicians from his orchestra headline. He also supports up-and-coming talent by participating on the jury of jazz contests and heading up the Jazz Academy in Moscow.
Is there anything in particular that distinguishes Russian jazz? According to Oleg Akkuratov, a virtuoso pianist and soloist with the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, the country's style is influenced by Russian culture and derives a lot from this rich tradition. “You can find a lot of features of Russian traditional music in it,” he told RT. “Playing jazz, you can do almost anything: You can include parts of classical music or cite well-known Soviet songs. That’s why jazz can be understood … by almost everyone in our country.”
During his career, the 32-year-old musician has performed with opera singer Montserrat Caballe and participated in a concert at the residence of the Pope with the UNESCO choir. In 2018, he took second place at the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in the US.
While touring, Akkuratov adds a unique touch to his performances – he sings in the language of the country where he’s performing. The same goes for various Russian regions that have their own traditional languages.
Foreign languages are helpful in understanding other cultures and the roots of their folk music, he says. Common features can be found everywhere, no matter which country's music you are listening to.
“You can listen to a jazz standard, and suddenly discover a part or an intonation that reminds you of a Russian folk song,” Akkuratov says. “And it’s not because somebody is copying someone else. It’s because music culture is universal.”
Russian jazz as a world phenomenon
Even the current tense relations with the West are not able to halt the cultural exchange that the art form makes possible. The Moscow Jazz Festival, held this summer in the Russian capital, brought together musicians from countries such as Serbia, Brazil, Türkiye, and India.
“No culture is a stranger to jazz,” Butman, who helped organize the event, says. “It’s sometimes a matter of stereotype, to think that jazz belongs to one particular culture. There are brilliant Turkish musicians, Indian musicians, for example, Ravi Shankar, who performed with the Beatles and John Coltrane. And one of the most distinguished jazz pianists in the world, Joey Alexander, is from Indonesia.
Russian jazz is for sure a global phenomenon.
“Look at the success of our musicians on the world stage. We see it now, and in ten years, we will see even more. Young people want to play jazz, they are not afraid of becoming jazz musicians.”
The Moscow Jazz Festival was just one of many events held across Russia this year to celebrate the 100th anniversary. On October 1, a stunning concert was held on the main stage of the iconic Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
What will Russian jazz be like in 50 years, on its 150th anniversary? “It will be a good one,” Butman says. As for predictions, we will have to wait and see!
Akkuratov believes that the musical landscape is changing so fast that it’s hard to say for sure. “For now, I’m very happy that we have such a massive celebration of the 100th anniversary of Russian jazz. It’s great that we are doing so much to promote our art in the country and abroad.”
'Jiving leo, kushtakiwa kwa uhaini kesho': Jinsi jazz ya Urusi ilivyokoka ukandamizaji wa kikomunisti kusherehekea miaka 100 Historia ya jazz ya Urusi ilianza miaka 100 iliyopita. Ingawa imefanyiza njia ya kipekee, aina ya sanaa ambayo ilibadilika nchini ina uhusiano wa kina na ile ambayo ilifanikiwa ulimwenguni kote. Hata hivyo, njia ya "sanaa ya bourgeois" haikuwa rahisi katika Muungano wa Sovieti, na iliokoka mateso tu shukrani kwa wanamuziki ambao walikuwa wafuasi wake waaminifu. "Mwaka 1922 mwanamuziki wa Urusi Valentin Parnak aliimba wimbo wa ""First Extraneous Orchestra of the Russian Socialist Republic"" katika Moscow." Parnak alikuwa amesikia muziki huo huko Paris na akavutiwa sana hivi kwamba alinunua seti ya ala zinazohitajika na kuzipeleka Urusi. Maonyesho yake ya kwanza na ya baadaye yalikuwa mafanikio makubwa, haswa kati ya wasanii kutoka avant-garde. Maonyesho hayo pia yaliwachochea wanamuziki wengine kujaribu muziki huo mpya. Mwaka 1926 watu wa Sovieti walianza kufurahia muziki wa jazz. Pianist Sam Wooding na orchestra yake walitembelea nchi hiyo pamoja na show ya Chocolate Kiddies na walifanya maonyesho huko Moscow na Leningrad (jina la St. Petersburg la enzi ya Sovieti). "Ilikuwa ni nchi ya kwanza niliyowahi kuwa nayo ambapo nilionwa kama binadamu", Garvin Bushell, mwimbaji wa ala nyingi za upepo, ambaye alicheza na Wooding, alikumbuka baadaye. Picha kadhaa kutoka kwa maonyesho hayo zinaweza kuonekana katika filamu ya kimya 'A Sixth Part of the World' iliyoongozwa na mwanzilishi wa sinema ya Soviet Dziga Vertov. Vipindi hivyo vinaonyeshwa katika sehemu ambapo mkurugenzi anashutumu utumwa na ubepari. Mwaka huo huo, ensemble ya Frank Withers, pamoja na saxophonist, clarinetist na ulimwengu wa kwanza jazz soloist Sidney Bechet, pia alitembelea USSR. Ilikuwa wakati wa kubadilishana utamaduni. Mwaka 1926 shirika la Sovieti lililokuwa na jukumu la kukuza elimu na utamaduni lilimtuma mwanamuziki Leopold Teplitsky Marekani kujifunza muziki wa nchi hiyo. Alifanya kazi katika okestra ya Paul Whiteman, ambaye mara nyingi aliitwa Mfalme wa Jazi. Walikuwa wa kwanza kutekeleza 'Rhapsody in Blue' ya George Gershwin. Alirudi nyumbani mwaka mmoja baadaye, Teplitsky alianzisha 'First Concert Jazz Band' huko Leningrad. Kikundi hicho, ambacho kilitenda katika majumba ya maonyesho ya muziki wa kawaida, kilikuwa na mafanikio makubwa. Leonid Utyosov alimwita Teplitsky "mwanamuziki wa kwanza wa nyumbani aliyeonyesha kucheza jazz". Ulyanov alikuwa mwanamuziki maarufu wa muziki wa jazz wa Urusi katika miaka ya 1920 na 1930. Baada ya kukusanya bendi 'Thea-Jazz' (portmanteau ya Theatrical Jazz), aliunda mwelekeo maarufu wa muziki ambao ulipata kiwango cha maonyesho ya ukumbi wa michezo. "Mwaka 1934 Ulyanov na mwigizaji maarufu Lyubov Orlova alicheza katika Sovieti ya kwanza ya muziki comedy featuring ""muziki wa jazz"" kama mhusika mkuu na soundtrack na mengi ya muziki wa jazz." 'Jolly Fellows', yenye nyimbo zilizotungwa na Isaak Dunayevsky, ikawa filamu inayopendwa na Joseph Stalin. Filamu hiyo hata ilitolewa nchini Marekani chini ya jina 'Moscow Laughs'. Hadithi husema kwamba hata Charlie Chaplin alisifu filamu hiyo. <unk>Kabla ya filamu hii, Wamarekani walijua Urusi ya Dostoevsky, sasa wameona mabadiliko makubwa katika saikolojia ya umma. Watu huko wanacheka kwa sauti kubwa na kwa furaha. Huo ni ushindi mkubwa. Ni yenye kushawishi zaidi kuliko risasi na hotuba", anaaminika kuwa aliandika. ‘Unbending of saxophones Hata hivyo, jazz bado ilikuwa jambo lenye utata katika USSR. Licha ya mafanikio ya Utyosov na wengine, wengi waliona aina hiyo kama maonyesho ya utamaduni wa bourgeois ambao haukuwa sahihi kwa serikali ya kisoshalisti. "Mwaka 1928 mwandishi mashuhuri wa Sovieti Maxim Gorky alichapisha makala inayoitwa ""Kuhusu Muziki wa Fat,"" ambapo alishutumu muziki mpya kama kitu cha ""fat"" wawekezaji ambao hawana wazo kuhusu utamaduni halisi." Hata hivyo, wakati wa Vita vya Pili vya Ulimwengu, okestra za jazi ziliimba kwa ajili ya askari-jeshi karibu na uwanja wa vita, ingawa baadhi ya maonyesho hayo yalimalizika kwa msiba. Mwaka 1941 wakati wa maonyesho ya State Jazz Orchestra ya USSR, wanamuziki hao walipigwa na adui na kuuawa. Utyosov, ambaye nyimbo zake za kijeshi sasa huonwa kuwa za kale, pia alitoa maonyesho wakati wa vita. Muziki wake (ambayo ilijumuisha zaidi ya jazz tu) ulikuwa katika mtiririko mkuu wa Sovieti hadi katikati ya miaka ya 60, na yeye mwenyewe akawa moja ya hadithi zisizo na kifo za hatua ya Sovieti. Hata hivyo, si waigizaji wote waliokuwa na bahati kama hiyo. Teplitsky alishtakiwa kwa ujasusi na kufungwa jela kwa miaka mitatu. Yeye hakuwa mwanamuziki wa jazz pekee aliyeteswa. Kwa kweli, wanamuziki wengi walikamatwa na kufungwa gerezani katika miaka ya '30 na '40, ingawa sio lazima kwa sababu ya kazi zao za muziki. Pamoja na mwanzo wa Vita Baridi, vita ya kiitikadi dhidi ya "thamani za Magharibi" iliongezeka, na jazz ikawa moja ya malengo. Kile kilichojulikana kama wakati wa "kusikubaliwa kwa saksofoni" kilizalisha misemo kama vile "Leo anacheza jazba, kesho atachukia Nchi yake" na "Kuna hatua moja kutoka saksofoni hadi kisu" (ya mwisho inahusishwa na kiongozi wa Sovieti Nikita Khrushchev). Kwa hiyo, aina hiyo ya sanaa ilibaki ikinyamazishwa hadi katikati ya miaka ya 1950. Hata hivyo, miaka ya marufuku haikuweza kufuta muziki wa jazi kutoka katika utamaduni wa Sovieti. Mwaka 1956, orchestra ya jazz ya Oleg Lundström, ambayo haikuruhusiwa kuwa na makao yake makuu huko Moscow, hatimaye ilipata nafasi ya kuhamia mji mkuu. Mwaka 1994 kitabu cha Guinness Book of Records kilitangaza kundi la Lundström kuwa kundi la zamani zaidi duniani ambalo limedumu kwa muda mrefu. Mwaka 1957 jazz ilipata msukumo mpya wakati Moscow ilipokaribisha tamasha la kimataifa la vijana na wanafunzi. Huo ulikuwa wakati wa kubadilishana upya kwa utamaduni, ambao ulichochea kizazi kipya kabisa cha wanamuziki. Lilikuwaje na uwezo wa kuvumilia miaka mingi ya ukandamizaji? Kwa mujibu wa Igor Butman, msanii mashuhuri wa saksofoni na kiongozi wa Moscow Jazz Orchestra, tunapaswa kuwashukuru wapenzi wenyewe. Wanamuziki walikuwa na imani moja tu: Waliamini katika sanaa yao, katika talanta yao, katika ubunifu, hawangeweza kuishi bila muziki wao. <unk>Jazz ni lugha ya ulimwengu: Watu wanaweza kuzungumza na kila mmoja, kwa sababu wanajua mitindo fulani, wanajua muziki. "Mwanamuziki wa jazz ni hatari sana kwa itikadi - ""Ikiwa anaamua kucheza kitu ambacho hakiko kwenye alama, aina fulani ya wito?"" aliwaambia RT." Kulingana na Butman, punde si punde maofisa walitambua kwamba kulikuwa na magumu hatari zaidi, kama vile muziki wa roki. Kwa hiyo, muziki wa jazi ulirekebishwa ili utumikie kama kitu cha kupinga. Klabu za jazz zilianza kuanzishwa katika miji mbalimbali ya USSR, na nyota wa jazz wa Marekani kama vile Benny Goodman na Duke Ellington waliwasili kuzuru nchi hiyo. Ni kazi ngumu sana kutaja majina ya wanamuziki wote wa jazba waliokuwa hadithi za Sovieti. Georgy Garanian, Nikolay Levinovsky, Igor Bril, Alexey Kozlov <unk> hizi ni majina machache tu, lakini kuna mengi zaidi. "Katika Umoja wa Mataifa, kulikuwa na shinikizo la kisiasa juu ya wanamuziki wa jazba - itikadi ilibadilika kutoka kuruhusu [maonyesho] hadi kukataa [yao], kutoka kuunga mkono hadi kukandamiza", Butman anaelezea. Baada ya kuanguka kwa USSR, jazz ilipokea msukumo mkubwa wa maendeleo, kwani wanamuziki wangeweza kusafiri, kusoma na kufanya kazi katika vikundi vya kimataifa. Matokeo ya kiitikadi yalitoweka, serikali ilianza kuunga mkono jazba, kwa hiyo sasa tunaona nyota mpya zikitokea. Katika Urusi ya kisasa, Butman bila shaka ni mtu wa kwanza wa jazba. Amefanya kazi na Chick Corea, Grover Washington Jr., Natalie Cole na nyota wengine wengi wa kimataifa. Mwaka jana, Wynton Marsalis na Jazz katika Lincoln Center Orchestra walifanya kazi pamoja na Butman na Moscow Jazz Orchestra huko Moscow. Butman pia ana jukumu muhimu katika kukuza jazz ya Urusi. Tamasha la muziki limekuwa likifanyika nchini kote kila mwaka na wanamuziki wa bendi yake wamefanya hivyo. Pia anaunga mkono vipaji vinavyokuja kwa kushiriki katika baraza la majaji la mashindano ya jazba na kuongoza Chuo cha Jazz huko Moscow. Je, kuna jambo lolote hususa linalotofautisha muziki wa jazz wa Urusi? Oleg Akurotov, mwanamuziki wa muziki wa piano na mwimbaji wa pekee wa Moscow Jazz Orchestra, anasema mtindo wa nchi hiyo unaathiriwa na utamaduni wa Urusi na unatokana na utamaduni huo. "Unaweza kupata sifa nyingi za muziki wa jadi wa Urusi ndani yake", aliiambia RT. <unk>Ukicheza jazba, unaweza kufanya karibu chochote: Unaweza kutia ndani sehemu za muziki wa kale au kunukuu nyimbo zinazojulikana sana za Sovieti. "Kwa hiyo, ""jazz inaweza kueleweka karibu na kila mtu nchini mwetu.""Katika kazi yake, mwanamuziki huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 32 amefanya maonyesho na mwimbaji wa opera Montserrat Caballe na alishiriki katika tamasha katika makazi ya Papa na kwaya ya UNESCO." Mwaka 2018 alishinda tuzo ya pili katika mashindano ya kimataifa ya muziki wa jazz ya Sarah Vaughan. Wakati wa ziara, Akkuratov anaongeza kugusa ya kipekee kwa maonyesho yake <unk> yeye anaimba katika lugha ya nchi ambapo yeye <unk> ni kufanya. Vivyo hivyo inatumika kwa mikoa mbalimbali ya Urusi ambayo ina lugha zao za kitamaduni. Lugha za kigeni husaidia kuelewa tamaduni nyingine na mizizi ya muziki wao wa kitamaduni, asema. Sifa za kawaida zaweza kupatikana kila mahali, bila kujali ni muziki wa nchi gani unaosikiliza. "Unaweza kusikiliza wimbo wa kawaida wa jazba, na ghafula ugundue sehemu au sauti inayokumbusha wimbo wa kitamaduni wa Urusi", anasema Akkuratov. <unk>Na si kwa sababu mtu fulani anamwiga mtu mwingine. Ni kwa sababu utamaduni wa muziki ni wa ulimwengu. Jazz ya Kirusi kama jambo la ulimwengu Hata mahusiano ya sasa yenye mkazo na Magharibi hayawezi kuzuia kubadilishana kwa kitamaduni ambayo aina ya sanaa inafanya iwezekanavyo. Tamasha la Jazz la Moscow, lililofanyika majira ya kiangazi katika mji mkuu wa Urusi, liliwakusanya wanamuziki kutoka nchi kama vile Serbia, Brazil, Turkey, na India. "Hakuna utamaduni ambao haujulikani kwa jazba", anasema Butman, aliyesaidia kuandaa tukio hilo. <unk>Nyakati nyingine ni suala la maoni ya kawaida, kufikiri kwamba jazba ni ya utamaduni mmoja hususa. "Muziki wa kihistoria wa Uturuki, ambao ni maarufu kwa jina la ""The Beatles,"" na wa India, ambao ni maarufu kwa jina la ""Ravi Shankar,"" ni moja ya nyimbo za kihistoria zaidi za Uturuki." Mmoja wa wanamuziki maarufu wa muziki wa jazz nchini Indonesia ni Joey Alexander. Kwa hakika muziki wa jazba wa Urusi ni jambo la ulimwenguni pote. <unk> Angalia mafanikio ya wanamuziki wetu kwenye jukwaa la dunia. Tunaona hilo sasa, na baada ya miaka kumi, tutaona mengi zaidi. "Watu wengi wanajua jinsi ya kucheza jazz, na kwa hivyo wanashangaa sana kuwa ""mwimbaji wa jazz"" wa Moscow, ambao ni maarufu kwa miaka yao ya kuigiza." Mwaka jana, mwaka wa 2000, maonyesho ya muziki yalifanyika kwenye ukumbi wa michezo wa Bolshoi huko Moscow. Jazz ya Urusi itakuwaje baada ya miaka 50? "Itatokea vizuri", Butman anasema. Kuhusu utabiri, itabidi tungojee na kuona! Akkuratov anaamini kwamba mazingira ya muziki yanabadilika haraka sana hivi kwamba ni vigumu kusema kwa uhakika. "Kwa sasa, ninafurahi sana kwamba tuna sherehe kubwa kama hiyo ya maadhimisho ya miaka 100 ya jazba ya Urusi. """ Ni jambo zuri sana kwamba tunafanya mengi sana kukuza sanaa yetu nchini na nje ya nchi.