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Igor Butman

World famous saxophone player and producer Igor Butman enjoys one of the most successful and flamboyant careers in the history of modern jazz.

Berklee alumnus runs Moscow Jazz Orchestra aka Igor Butman Orchestra and Igor Butman Quartet, their intensive schedule include regular US tours and the most important European and Asian jazz festivals (in 2013 Igor's orchestra, rendered by Downbeat as "an outfit of virtuosos", took part in Umbria Jazz Festival, Jazz à Juan and Wigan Jazz Festival while he performed as a soloist with a symphonic orchestra in Singapore and with IB Quartet in India). Downbeat magazine in his recent review of Umbria Jazz Festival compared the Orchestra to three finest jazz orchestras of all times: “The Igor Butman Big Band ... offered a 90-minute set that displayed their mastery of post-Dizzy Gillespie jazz orchestra language, rendering both bright numbers and ballads with the precision, flair and swing of the Atomic-era Basie Band on steroids and a “We will crush you” attitude reminiscent of the better editions of the Buddy Rich Orchestra...”

Internationally renowned jazzmen were excited by performing with Igor Butman Orchestra, 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. A big US tour of the Orchestra is scheduled for September-October 2014.

Igor Butman released more than 10 albums both as a leader and co-leader, including Magic Land (Sony Classic) with Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci, Stefon Harris and Randy Brecker which became golden in Russia and became a bestseller in the USA and Germany.

As a producer Igor runs three high scale festivals - Triumph of Jazz in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Aquajazz.Sochi jazz festival in Sochi and, a new comer on today's international jazz, World Jazz Festival in Riga, which will be held for the first time in the end of July in Latvia. The saxophonist launched two Igor Butman Jazz Club in Moscow - at Chistie Prudi (in 2006) and at Sokol (in 2011). In 2013 the clubs were included in top-150 best jazz clubs of the world by Downbeat magazine!

Igor is a the producer of his own label “Butman Music”, which releases albums of Russian-American jazz projects. In November 2013 Butman Music released a sensational new album by Nick Levinovsky and Igor Butman Orchestra! It was recorded in January 2013 with fusion and jazz rock super stars: drummer Dave Weckl, guitarists Mike Stern and Mitch Stein, saxophone player Bill Evans, trumpeter Randy Brecker and bassist Tom Kennedy.

Awards

People's Artist of Russia, 2011


Tags

36
Album Review

Igor Butman: Only Now

Read "Only Now" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Tenor saxophonist Igor Butman, born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, is one of a number of jazz musicians from Europe and Asia whose love for the music was nourished by nightly broadcasts from the Voice of America. Since emigrating to America in 1987 (he holds dual citizenship), Butman's virtuosity has been recognized by enthusiasts up to and including former president Bill Clinton who has called Butman “my favorite living saxophonist." Wynton Marsalis--in whose Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Butman appeared ...

1
Catching Up With

Igor Butman: dalla Russia con Jazz.

Read "Igor Butman: dalla Russia con Jazz." reviewed by Emmanuel Di Tommaso


Igor Butman è il jazzista russo di maggiore visbilità internazionale, grazie ad una carriera di successo che lo ha visto protagonista, in particolare, della costruzione di un ponte tra la scena Moscovita e quella Newyorchese. Grazie ad una mentalità globale ha trovato un equilibrio tra conoscenza della tradizione e immersione nel presente, che ha sviluppato anche attraverso fruttuose collaborazioni con i più influenti musicisti del nostro tempo. All About Jazz: Hai suonato con musicisti del livello di Dave ...

1
Live Review

A Night in Anzio

Read "A Night in Anzio" reviewed by Emmanuel Di Tommaso


Sylvester Ostrowski & Co. Anfiteatro L'Abbraccio A Night in Anzio Anzio 8.7.2021 “A Night in Anzio" nasce dall'idea di un gruppo di musicisti provenienti da ben sei diversi Paesi del mondo che si ritrovano a suonare per la prima volta tutti insieme sullo stesso palco, al fine di celebrare, attraverso la musica, il ritorno alla vita culturale e sociale dopo un anno e mezzo di restrizioni agli spettacoli dal vivo e alla mobilità a ...

16
Album Review

Conrad Herwig: The Latin Side of Horace Silver

Read "The Latin Side of Horace Silver" reviewed by Jack Bowers


New York-based trombonist Conrad Herwig began exploring the “Latin side" of various jazz musicians in 1996, with The Latin Side of John Coltrane, which earned him the first of four Latin Grammy Award nominations. Since then, Herwig has done the same for Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and, now, pianist Horace Silver. The formula is trim and solid; choose several of an artist's more notable compositions and recast them in a rhythmic Latin framework. For The Latin ...

105
Album Review

Andrei Kondakov / Igor Butman / Eddie Gomez / Lenny White: Blues for 4

Read "Blues for 4" reviewed by Greg Simmons


Russian music has a mile-wide streak of tragedy and sorrow running through it. If Americans hadn't invented it first, the blues could have been born on the banks of the Volga River, instead of the Mississippi. But it wasn't, so the closest thing to seeing how that might have turned out is Blues for 4, featuring a pair of Russian musicians, saxophonist Igor Butman with pianist Adrei Kondakov, along with American veterans, drummer Lenny White and the great bassist, Eddie ...

244
Album Review

Igor Butman: Magic Land

Read "Magic Land" reviewed by Terrell Kent Holmes


Russian sax man Igor Butman uses music from Russian cartoons and movies as the inspiration for Magic Land, where he has the support of a Hall of Fame band--Randy Brecker (trumpet), Stefon Harris (vibes), Chick Corea (piano), John Patitucci (bass) and drummer Jack DeJohnette, who doubles as producer. “Bu-ra-ti-no embodies the music's spirit. Butman's soprano is joyful and the band takes fine advantage of the song's open spaces. He places the ballad “Amazing Far initially in the ...

327
Album Review

Igor Butman Big Band: The Eternal Triangle

Read "The Eternal Triangle" reviewed by Jack Bowers


As an admirer of big bands all over the world, I've waited years to hear a well-endowed, swinging ensemble from Russia, and here at last it is, charging boldly into the labyrinthine Eternal Triangle behind its charismatic leader, tenor saxophonist Igor Butman.

Butman is a jazz superstar in his native country, and his band is so highly regarded that it was invited by none other than Wynton Marsalis to share the stage with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra to open ...

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3

Event

Post-Soviet Jazz: Celebrating 100 Years Of Russian Jazz In 2022

Post-Soviet Jazz: Celebrating 100 Years Of Russian Jazz In 2022

Source: That Jazz Girl

One fine day in 1921, Russian dancer, poet and performer Valentin Parnakh was in jny: Paris, France when he first heard jazz music. Immediately beguiled, he decided to bring it back to his native Russia, and started planning the first-ever jazz concert performed by Russian artists. Traveling from Paris to jny: Moscow via jny: Berlin, where he acquired the instruments required for this historic performance, he finally presented his brand new group on October 1, 1922, at the Theatre Institute. ...

2

Performance / Tour

Igor Butman: Russian Jazz at Dizzy’s

Igor Butman: Russian Jazz at Dizzy’s

Source: All About Jazz

Jazz internationalization has widened in the last few decades to include musicians from practically every country imaginable. At Jazz @ Lincoln Center the programming has reflected this phenomenon and patrons have been given generous helpings of foreign artistry. The club has become a veritable hub for this music and thus enhanced Gotham's reputation as the world's Jazz capitol. On December 19th the latest international leader saxophonist Igor Butman took the stage at Dizzy's celebrating the release of his new recording ...

385

Performance / Tour

Igor Butman and Yuri Bashmet Team up for "Crossover Concerto"

Igor Butman and  Yuri Bashmet Team up for "Crossover Concerto"

Source: Now Forward Music

Igor Butman, Russia’s “Most Celebrated Jazz Man” (JazzTimes), and Yuri Bashmet, the “Most Formidable” (New York Times) Violist Today Team Up for Crossover Concerto Eight-City U.S. Tour Kicks Off on February 20 in Seattle and Ends on March 1 in Chicago, with stops in LA, SF, Cleveland, North Bethesda (MD), Boston, and NYC Igor Butman’s Latest CD Magic Land Garners Rave Reviews New York, NY - Three years ago, saxophone virtuoso Igor Butman and viola maestro Yuri Bashmet teamed up ...

"The Igor Butman Big Band, an outfit of virtuosos, offered a 90-minute set that displayed their mastery of post-Dizzy Gillespie jazz orchestra language, rendering both bright numbers and ballads with the precision, flair and swing of the Atomic-era Basie Band on steroids and a “We will crush you” attitude reminiscent of the better editions of the Buddy Rich Orchestra. Butman’s own extravagant tonal personality on tenor saxophone came through on a vibrato- laden tour de force entitled “Samba de Igor” and on “Nostalgia,” on which he showcased his wide dynamic range on a creative intro solo based on “Miles’ Mode,” then stated a refrain that evoked the cool blueness of Benny Carter and Benny Golson, uncorking a long, build-to-climax statement," by Downbeat.

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Only Now

Self Produced
2022

buy

The Latin Side of...

Savant Records
2020

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Igor Butman and...

Butman Music Records
2014

buy

Special Opinion

Butman Music Records
2013

buy

Blues for 4

Butman Music Records
2011

buy

Igor Butman Orchestra...

Butman Music Records
2011

buy

Videos

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