Oleg V. Ivanov - The Art of Solo Guitar
13.10.2020
Oleg Ivanov (more precisely, Oleg V. Ivanov) positions his
debut album The Art of Solo Guitar as the first
album of solo guitar music in the history of Russian jazz. I must admit
that at first I didn't really believe this high-profile
definition. In the next few moments, I went through the memory of prominent
Russian jazz guitarists from the time of Alexey Kuznetsov and
Nikolai Gromin to the present day: indeed, they did not have
guitar solos! I didn't go to the reference books: it seems
that you can't catch Oleg on the subject of unfair advertising, he's right!
Who is this man who opened a new page for Russian jazz
?
Oleg is a native of Rostov-on-Don, a city with almost the most
powerful jazz education system in Russia. However,
he did not immediately become interested in jazz, although he began playing guitar at the age
of ten. Oleg's musical tastes changed in approximately the same
sequence: first Bon Jovi, Metallica, Sting, then Joe
Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, and finally McLaughlin, Gambale, Holdsworth... After receiving his musical
education in his homeland, Oleg in 2008 went to improve his skills in the United States, where he lives
to this day. First, he studied at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, received a degree from the University
of Los Angeles at the Faculty of Afro-Latin music, worked with many famous musicians,
studied the art of solo guitar playing in parallel, and in April 2020 recorded and released
his first album in August.
Oleg himself produced this project, made the cover of The Art of Solo Guitar himself, and, of course,
only he plays here. The album is not small: more than seventy minutes of sound, and the author tried to make his
program extremely diverse. Here you will find classical jazz standards (Stella by Starlight
by Victor Young, Oh, Lady Be Good by Gershwin, Autumn Leaves by Kosma), pieces by luminaries who laid the foundations
of modern jazz (Lazy Bird by Coltrane, Solar by Miles Davis), and finally samples of popular
academic music (Sonata C Najor K. 545 by Mozart, Nocturne, Op.9 Chopin, "Flight of the Bumblebee"
by Rimskokorsakov). And all this in arrangements for solo guitar, made by Oleg. Connoisseurs and guitar "pros"
will surely appreciate the depth of the artist's skill and the breadth of his technical arsenal, and just
jazz lovers will get a lot of pleasure from beautiful music in excellent performance. As the author himself says,
"The Art of Solo Guitar is my dedication to this beautiful instrument, and also my desire
to take it to a new level. The musical world I created in this CD using jazz
standards and classical music is full of beautiful melodies. I hope that The Art of Solo Guitar will find
a response in everyone's heart." I think Oleg V. Ivanov's hopes will come true. Good work and beautiful
(exactly beautiful, not pretty-sweet) music.
© & (p) 2020 Open Strings Publishing
15 tks / 71 mins
(Oleg V. Ivanov – g;)
Link provided by Oleg V. Ivanov
Leonid AUSKERN
13.10.2020
Oleg Ivanov (more precisely, Oleg V. Ivanov) positions his
debut album The Art of Solo Guitar as the first
album of solo guitar music in the history of Russian jazz. I must admit
that at first I didn't really believe this high-profile
definition. In the next few moments, I went through the memory of prominent
Russian jazz guitarists from the time of Alexey Kuznetsov and
Nikolai Gromin to the present day: indeed, they did not have
guitar solos! I didn't go to the reference books: it seems
that you can't catch Oleg on the subject of unfair advertising, he's right!
Who is this man who opened a new page for Russian jazz
?
Oleg is a native of Rostov-on-Don, a city with almost the most
powerful jazz education system in Russia. However,
he did not immediately become interested in jazz, although he began playing guitar at the age
of ten. Oleg's musical tastes changed in approximately the same
sequence: first Bon Jovi, Metallica, Sting, then Joe
Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, and finally McLaughlin, Gambale, Holdsworth... After receiving his musical
education in his homeland, Oleg in 2008 went to improve his skills in the United States, where he lives
to this day. First, he studied at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, received a degree from the University
of Los Angeles at the Faculty of Afro-Latin music, worked with many famous musicians,
studied the art of solo guitar playing in parallel, and in April 2020 recorded and released
his first album in August.
Oleg himself produced this project, made the cover of The Art of Solo Guitar himself, and, of course,
only he plays here. The album is not small: more than seventy minutes of sound, and the author tried to make his
program extremely diverse. Here you will find classical jazz standards (Stella by Starlight
by Victor Young, Oh, Lady Be Good by Gershwin, Autumn Leaves by Kosma), pieces by luminaries who laid the foundations
of modern jazz (Lazy Bird by Coltrane, Solar by Miles Davis), and finally samples of popular
academic music (Sonata C Najor K. 545 by Mozart, Nocturne, Op.9 Chopin, "Flight of the Bumblebee"
by Rimskokorsakov). And all this in arrangements for solo guitar, made by Oleg. Connoisseurs and guitar "pros"
will surely appreciate the depth of the artist's skill and the breadth of his technical arsenal, and just
jazz lovers will get a lot of pleasure from beautiful music in excellent performance. As the author himself says,
"The Art of Solo Guitar is my dedication to this beautiful instrument, and also my desire
to take it to a new level. The musical world I created in this CD using jazz
standards and classical music is full of beautiful melodies. I hope that The Art of Solo Guitar will find
a response in everyone's heart." I think Oleg V. Ivanov's hopes will come true. Good work and beautiful
(exactly beautiful, not pretty-sweet) music.
© & (p) 2020 Open Strings Publishing
15 tks / 71 mins
(Oleg V. Ivanov – g;)
Link provided by Oleg V. Ivanov
Leonid AUSKERN
