Friday, March 16   9:00 p.m.
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  Oleg Kireyev and Exotic Band - East
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OLEG KIREYEV
tenor and soprano saxophone, keyboard, composer, leader
BIOGRAPHY
It's hard to amaze in contemporary music, even more in jazz. Nevertheless, Russian saxophonist Oleg Kireyev can.

Western press calls Oleg "revolutionary reedman from the Urals" He introduces novelties into known styles; easily combines existing jazz standards with exotic folklore; shows irreproachable professionalism and improvisation technique; he enriches jazz with his personal, emotional and very sincere perception.

Oleg started his musical career in Ufa, where he studied piano where he experienced his first enchantment with jazz. Afterwards, Oleg applied to the piano department of local Arts College but was rejected. Thankfully, a professor of popular music offered him a chance to master the saxophone. Oleg was not trained but agreed to try.

That's how it all started - playing music with friends, mastering jazz improvisation techniques, studying Chick Corea and John Coltrane and writing.

Founded by Oleg in 1985, The band Orlan quickly became phenomenon of Russian jazz scene. Fascinated by Bashkir folklore, he was the first in Russia to practice an ethno-approach in jazz. Working with with folk singers, he mastered guttural singing technique, introduced such folk instruments as "kurai" (Bashkir wind instrument) and "kubyz" (Jew's-harp) into his band and included folk arrangements in his adaptation.

In 1989, Melodia Records issued the "Bashkir legends" LP and Orlan toured actively around the country and abroad. The World music movement was spreading widely around the globe and Orlan was widely accepted with great enthusiasm.


In the early nineties, Oleg Kireyev began his solo career. He tried the mainstream but he preferred being independent and maintaining relations with Gnesin musical college.

Oleg spent three years in Poland, famous for its open borders and high caliber jazz scene in which one could play at one stage with world jazz stars at the International Festival. During this time, Oleg performed in the "Jazz Jambore" festival in Warsaw and worked as art-director of Ogrudek club in Krakow. A highlight was playing along side the Miles Davis rhythm section.


In 1994, Kireyev won a scholarship to study with at Bud Shank's school in America. The invitation came after Bud listened to Oleg's solo album "Romantic", released in 1994. In the school Kireyev was the soloist in the All Stars Students Band. With the Bud Shank Band, Oleg with such musicians as Hell Galaher (Phil Woods pianist), Steve Ellington, etc. in addition to performing in several concerts and festivals in Washington.

In 1996 Oleg Kireyev quartet was invited to the Montreaux Festival, where he was awarded "outstanding performance". In 1997, Kireyev performed at the Berminham festival,the Earling Jazz Festival and was offered a subsequent tour of England where he frequently plays today.

In 2000 Oleg issued "Love Letters". Audience responded to beautiful and romantic music, quickly selling 70,000 copies. Independent appreciation was even more eloquent, jazzreview.com gave five stars to his disc "Song for Sonny". Songs from this album can be found in different foreign labels representing Fausto Pappeti, Grover Washington and other respected performers.

Returning to ethnic jazz, Kireyev created a project which would incorporate worldwide folklore, "Feng shui jazz theatre". Traditional swing, Bashkir guttural singing, Moldavian tunes, African rhythms and French poetry all interlace in his "jazz theatre". It is sort of esplanade or open area, where every musician present can perform. And not exclusively musicians - artists paint, audiences dance, everybody is involved in positive energy flux, coming from the stage. Thereby transforming themselves into an meditatitative experience of the eternal harmony doctrine. In a word - it is a full "feng shui"! "Tea Art" (2003) and "Mandala" (2004) were issued as a result of his explorations in World music.

Oleg Kireyev is now well known: regularly performing at prestigious festivals and the best clubs in Europe with the likes of Jean Toisson, Courtney Pine, Dick Pierce, Denise Perrier, Ray Alexander, Scott Hamilton, Steve Ellington, Adam Nusbaum, etc.