Born: September 24, 1856 Primary Instrument: Saxophone
Sergey Letov was born in Semipalatinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan, in 1956 and then lived in Omsk, Siberia, where lived his brother Egor Letov (1964 - 2008). Sergey Letov resides in Moscow region since 1975.
First public performance as a soloist with Percussion Ensemble of Mark Pekarsky took place in The Central House of Artist in 1982 in Moscow .
1983-1993 - collaboration with Sergey Kuryokhin (duo, combo and big band POP MECHANICS). Concerts with POP-MECHANICS and Sergey Kuryokhin - all over Soviet Union, Finland, Italy, France, Denmark. Since 1986 - collaboration with the Gypsy singer Valentina Ponomareva. Duo Ponomareva-Letov performed in USSR, Switzerland.
In 1985 Sergey Letov has founded winds ensemble TRI-O (Arcady Shilkloper - French horn, Arcady Kiritchenko - tuba, euphonium, vocal, later - Alexander Alexandrov - bassoon, Youry Parfenov - trumpet). TRI-O performed at almost every jazz festival in USSR, since 1988 TRI-O played in Poland, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Lithuania (Vilnius Jazz Festival), Germany, Austria, Italy, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, USA, including such clubs as Knitting Factory, Anyway (New York), Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Moods (Zurich), Sud des Alpes (Geneva), Blue Tomato (Vienna). In December of 1999 TRI-O participated in the Last Jazz Live Concert of Millenium at Cologne Radio (West-Deutsche Rundfunk) - together with Mal Waldron, Jeanne Lee, Blixa Bargeld and Roman Bunka.
Sergey Letov is interested in various projects, contacts, new partnerships. Among them - German World music band EMBRYO (CD - EMBRYO 2000 live vol. 1 Indigo 9753-2), Danish band NEW JUNGLE ORCHESTRA (concerts in Denmark, Germany and Russia), Italian composer and bass player Enrico Fazio (concert-performance in Noci Jazz Festival, 2 CDs), Americans: cello player Tristan Honsinger, viola and violin player LaDonna Smith (concerts in USA and Russia), guitar player and singer Misha Feigin, harpist Susan Allen, pianist Matthew Shipp, bass player Joe Morris, South African drummer Louis Moholo, British-German saxophone and clarinet player Tobias Delius, Czech saxophonist, guitarist, singer Mikoláš Chadima and his The MCH Band, German saxophone player Vlad Bysrov, Akira Sakata, Koichi Makigami, Kazutoki Umezu, Masahiko Sato, Yoriyuki Harada, Isao Suzuki, SXQ saxophone quintet, Ryoji Hojito, Keiko Komori, Ryuichi Yoshida, Jun Kawasaki, Ko Ishikawa, Yuriko Mukojima, Takero Sekizima (Japan), Theremin' virtuosa Lydia Kavina, butoh dancer Hisako Horikawa, Tina Georgievskaya, Phil Minton (UK) a.o.
Sergey Letov participated in happenings and performances of Moscow conceptualists - Collective Actions, later with Andrei Monastyrsky, and TOTART since 1984, with Rea Nikonova since 1995, played at many art exhibitions in the galleries in Moscow, Bremen, Berlin, Smolensk.
Sergey Letov performed also with modern poets and writers: Nina Iskrenko, Dmitry Alexandrovich Prigov (1940—2007), Lev Rubinstein, Nina Sadur, Andrei Bitov, Vyacheslav Kupriyanov, Sergey Birjukow, Michel Houellebecq (France), Valere Novarina (France), Anna Alchuk (1955-2008), Vladimir Druk, Tatiana Scherbina, Nikolay Baitov and Svetlana Litvak, Yulia Skorodumova, Elena Katsiuba, Liudmila Hodynskaia, Erkki Lappalainen (Finland - Sweden), Marina Kniazeva, Lesya Tyshkovska, Maxim Amelin. In a duo with Alexander Alexandrov he participated in the international festival MILANOPOESIA-91 (Italy). Solo in the videoproject by Vladimir Kupreyanov at ART ATHINA-2007 (Athens, Greece). In 2009 Sergey Letov participated in Stuttgart international symposium “Subversive Practices. Art under Conditions of Political Repression. 60s–80s / South America / Europe”, in 2010 - in modern Art festival 'Styrian Autumn' (Graz, Gleisdorf, Austria).
Since 2002 Sergey Letov plays in Saxophone Quartet (or sometimes trio) Russian Sax Mafia (tours over Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Great Britain).
In 2002 Sergey Letov started Malevich Project, and later with Alexei Borisov and Ivan Sokolovsky - Suprematistic Project (fashion design + audio/video). Since 1984 Sergey Letov plays with rock and alternative bands, such as Aquarium, Tsentr, DK, Alissa, DDT, Vesyolye Kartinki, Doctor, Nochnoi Prospect, Atonal Syndrom, Soft Animals and Ivan Sokolovsky, Grazhdanskaya Oborona and Egor Letov, Umka, Rada and Ternovnik, Vadim Pevzner, Olga Arefyeva, Kaftan Smeha, HLAM, Konstantin “Kuzma UO” Ryabinov.
Since 1986 Sergey Letov collaborates with actress Nika Kossenkova. In the 1988-1989 he worked in Theatre of Improvisation in Moscow, in 1990-1991 in Moscow Creative Workshops (Mikhail Mokeev), in 1989-1992 and then since 1996 in the School of Dramatic Art of Anatoly Vassiliev, in 1991-1992 in Centro Sperimentale di Teatro a Roma (Sharoo and Reza Kheradmand), in 1991-1992 with clown company “Licedei-4” in France, Taganka Theatre since 1996 - “Moscow- Petushki” (Valentin Ryzhiy) and “Marat and Marquis de Sade” (Yuriy Lyubimov), Kinetic Theatre of Sasha Pepelaev (1997-1998), Saumarkt Theater in Feldkirch, Austria in 1998 - Hochzeitsreise by Vladimir Sorokin (Andreas Marent), Moscow Art Academic Theatre (MKhT by A.P. Chekhov) - 1999-2000, Theatre “Chelovek” in Moscow - since 2001 - “Entre Nous” by Ionesco, Kharms, Valer Novarina a.o. Sergey Letov appears as Tiresias in “Antigone - Forever” by Sophocles (2008). Another form of Sergey Letov' activities is composing and playing music for cinema (Aleinikov brothers, Savva Kulish, Tatiana Chivikova, Yury Zmorovich a. o.), video, Radio and TV (more than 10 movies). Since 1996 Sergey Letov and Alexei Borisov play background music for the live performances of the German movie by Friedrich Wielhelm Murnau “Faust – eine deutsche Volkssage”, since 2004 - Metropolis by Fritz Lang. The program SILENT MOVIE - LIVE MUSIC by Sergey Letov was awarded a grant of the President of the Russian Federation for Culture and Ar in 2010.
Mr. S. Letov has written music for TV films by Alexei Burykin - “Nikolai Erdman - the shot of “(2004) and “I, genius, Nikolai Glazkov” (2008).
Sergey Letov plays soprano, tenor, baritone, bass and C-Melody saxophones, bass clarinet, flute, piccolo and alto flute, Bashkirian kurai, Iranian ney, Akai EWI USB and Yamaha WX-5.
Since 2004 he reads the cours of lectures on modern music at Institute of Journalism and Literary Creativity in Moscow.
CDs
- TRI-O. Trialogue. SoLyd Records, SLR 0031, 1995
- Document. New music from Russia. The 80-s. Leo Records CD LR 805
- Conspiracy. Zurich 1989. Leo Records CD LR 810
- Conspiracy. Zurich 1989. Leo Records CD LR 811
- Conspiracy. Zurich 1989. Leo Records CD LR 812
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Polynesia. RCA Victor. VDJ- 1209
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Polynesia. SoLyd Records SLR 0267
- Sergey Kuryokhin and pop-mechanika. Live in france. Kurizza records, kr cd 804
- Enrico Fazio. - Vittorino Curci. Favola. C. V. C. 9921-2
- Kings and cabbages. Moscow Composers Orchestra. Leo Records Laboratory Leo Lab CD 005
- Moscow Composers Orchestra. Life at City Garden. U-Sound UD 95027
- Soft Animals. Conquest of the Arctic. Random mdcd 001
- disc 2 [she says]. Ishtar Records CD002/1996
- Kuryokhin. Tragedy in style fate. UNION SZCD 0679-97
- Sergei Kuryokhin. Divine Madness. Leo Records LR CD 816
- DK. A cup of tea. SS Records 0973
- The soldier Semenov. Step back! ZVUKOREKI AS-005
- Sainkho. Out of Tuva. Craw 6 EFA CD 07609 26
- DDT. Time. DDT Records. BD 154
- Inna Kuznetsova. A lonely island + 4 Remakes DJ OBJie. OBJECTIVE MUSIC OMCD 0698
- Suchilin. Letov. Pillaev. Palma mira (A Palm of Peace). Objective Music B 106
- Umka. Komandovat' paradom. Otdeleniye vyhod In 100
- DK. A mine field by the 8 of March. SS Rec 1802
- DK. Moskva kolbasnaya. SS Rec 16/1702
- "AU" (Pig) Holiday of Disobedience or The Last Day of Pompei" 1998 In 088
- Valentina Ponomareva. FORTE. Boheme music CDBMR 904056
- Yury Yaremchuk. Duets. Landy Star LS-021-01
- Misha Feigin with Serguei Letov. Moscow in June. Spontaneous Folks Records
- DK. DMB-85. SS Records 0898
- DK. An Occupation. SS Records 06/0701
- DK. Tantsy-Shmantsy Brahmsa SS Records 1201
- DK. Boga Nyet SS Records 10/1101
- DK. Do osnovania a zatem SS Records 9804
- DK. Snova liubov' poselitsa SS Rec 1301
- Nick Rock-n-Roll and group Trite Dushu. Padre. Branch "exit".In 148
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Italy. Solyd Records. SLR 0269/0270
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Iblivyi opossum. Solyd Records. SLR 0273 36.
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Don Carlos. Solyd Records. SLR 275
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Prizrak Kommunisma. Solyd Records. SLR 0281
- DK. FAMILY of the FLOWER KINGS. SS Rec 14/1502
- TRI-O and one D.A.Prigov. HOR Records. HCD 056a
- Serguei Letov, Alexei Borisov, Anton Nikkilä. HOR Records. HCD 060a
- Civil Defense. Zvezdopad. HOR Records. HCD-057
- Civil Defense. Tribute. Misteria zvuka. MZ 075-2
- Jumps in width. I. Zaharov - V. Talabuev - S. Letov - A. Alexandrov - V. Vladimirov - S. Proskurin The project " Ural Character "
- Grazhdanskaya Oborona. Svoboda (Freedom). HOR Records HD 075
- Sergey Letov, Alexei Borisov, D. A. Prigov. Concert in O.G.I. Otdelenie VYHOD V 168 - PENTAGRAMMA 027
- Enrico Fazio - Serguei Letov Compgni di strada cmc 2002-2
- Egor + Sergei Letov. Concert in o.g.i. HOR Records hcd-074
- Golden Years of Soviet New Jazz. Volume III Leo records GY 411
- Golden Years of Soviet New Jazz. Volume III Leo records GY 412
- SAX-MAFIA HOR Records hcd-078
- Sergei Letov - Yury Parfenov. Secret Doctrine. HOR Records hcd-066
- SAX-MAFIA Mostrec 944 (CD-R)
- Zoo Jazz. Hivernale Pudeur. Sergey Letov. Pascal Rousseau. Ivan Sokolovsky. Exotica EXO 03137
- Alex Rostotsky/Yury Parfenov. Once Upon a Time in the City of Kazan Cosmic Sounds CS-17
- Vladimir Miller and Quartets. Long Arms CDLA 03052
- Andrei Suchilin. Quasiland RAIG R 002
- Virtual Flowers. Dark Cocktail. Random Music. www.golovibes.sovintel.ru RNDCD 006
- Sokolovsky Ivan, Letov Serguei. Simulated Prison. Random Music, 2005 RNDCD 007
- THE NEW BLOCKADERS/GOSPLAN TRIO. Sound Sketch for Raging Flames http://www.klanggalerie.com gg92 CD
- Rada & Ternovnik. Zagovory. Vyrgorod 041
- Sainkho Namchylak . Arzhaana. Asia+ A035
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Pop-Mechanics. WESTBAM. PMC 98007 2002
- TriO & Sainkho. Forgotten streets of St. Petersburg leo Records CD LR 439
- EMBRYO 2000 live vol. 1 Indigo 9753-2
- HLAM. Wodstockeveryday. HLAM Records
- RADA and GOSPLAN trio OTDELENIE VYHOD CD B242
- DK National Project 2006 SS Rec 42 06 (Recordings 1985-1988; remix 2006)
- DK. Subtle Ethereal Substance (Recordings 1984- 1985, remixed in 2008) SS Rec 45 08
- The second CD - tribute to Vladimir Mayakovsky "Mayakovsky Alive" ANTROP
- RADA andthe Black Thorn. Anthology SZCD 5563- 08
- DK Eto tvoya Rodina, Synok! SS Rec 46 08
- DK STEREO 1982-89 - SS Reс 48 08 - 2008
- DK Nashi i vashi – SS Reс 49 08 – 2008
- Moscow Composers Orchestra & Sainkho Namchylak. Portrait Of An Idealist. CD LR 527 - LEO RECORDS
- HLAM. INDUSTRIAL JAZZ. OTDELENIYE VYKHOD, 2009, B253
- The BIG Sax CD. Contemporary Baritone Saxophones. SLAMCD 406 (Carlo Actis Dato, Italy; Charles Evans, USA; George Haslam, UK; Mikko Innanen, Finlans; Sergey Letov, Russia; Javier Zalba, Cuba)
- EXIT PROJECT & Sergey Letov. LIVE AT GOLDEN MASK. SZCD 7247-11
- KILLDOZER. Vadim Kurylyov and Sergey Letov.
- translit №2 Ulitka Records www.leonidfedorov.ru U018
- Elektricheskiye Partizany. Chyorny Protuberanets ili Nam Nuzhna Anarkhiya
- Cisfinitum & First Human Ferro – Alchemicals. Old Captain – OCCD06
- Gruppa DEVYAT. Bez Maya. www.devyat.ru
DVDs:
- Umka i Bronevik. Steklyannaya rybka. DVD Vyrgorod 03
- DK. Povedeniye v bytu SS Rec 50 10
- Kontsert-Posvyashcheniye 25 Let GO DVD Vyrgorod V09
- Oleg Garkusha i Sergey Letov. otdeleniye vykhod B302
LPs:
- Tri otverstiya. Ansambl' Sovremennoij Muzyki Tri- O. Melodiya С60-28461
- Sergeij Kurehin. Polineziya. Melodiya С60- 28421
- Sergey Kuryokhin. Introduction in Pop-mechanics. Leo Records LR 146
- Popularnaia Mehanika. Kino. West Bam. EFA WSFA 3F 57
- Valentina Ponomareva. Iskushenie. Melodiya С60- 28293
- Valentina Ponomareva. Intrusion. Leo Records LR 156
- Rocking Soviet. Antenne/Janus JD 10 CNUF 29749 10030
- Mezhdunarodnyij Dzhazovyij Festival' Leningrad `89. Melodiya S60-30587 (Sainkho + Sergey Letov + Aleksandr Aleksandrov)
- Live In Noci : Sergei Kuriokhin's Pop Mechanics. Leo Records CD LR 176
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