Andrey Razin’s The Second Approach Trio
Narrator – Mikhail Mitropolsky
Ethnic Jazz Experiments or Search for Exotic Languages

For most people, jazz is American music. Indeed, American jazz was a symbol of the past century, but over recent decades, the situation has changed. The traditional jazz inspired the development of another free music, which intertwines diverse musical and cultural layers including ethnic music from a variety of countries, epochs and cultures. Jazz music has been expanding its horizons so actively for over half of the century. Interestingly, the music based on improvisation often includes elements of the ethnic language. This kind of music is commonly referred to as the “imaginary folklore”.

In our country too, there are musicians representing globally improvisational jazz, which is deeply rooted in the Russian culture: Vyacheslav Gaivoronsky, Vladimir Volkov, Arkady Shilkloper, Sergey Starostin and Andrey Razin’s The Second Approach Trio.

The narrator, Mikhail Mitropolsky, is Russia’s the most famous and oldest jazz critic, and a member of the international Jazz Journalists Association (JJA). Mitropolsky has been studying jazz and beyond for nearly 50 years now! He is a radio presenter, writer, and lecturer.

The Second Approach Trio was established in 1998. Over its history, it has been evolving, yet following the initial concept. Musicians create an integral piece based on the improvisational synthesis of the diverse cultures in line with polystylism of the new jazz. The trio is headed by experienced composer, improvisator and pianist Andrey Razin and includes singer Tatiana Komova (Merited Artist of the Russian Federation) and of Russia’s leading bass player Igor Ivanushkin. The trio invites guest musicians to participate in its projects, including Russian legendary saxophonist Alexey Kozlov, German drummer Klaus Kugel, American trombonist Roswell Rudd and others. The trio’s extensive discography consists of 15 CDs, including those released by the British record label Leo Records.