Russian-born saxophonist Igor Butman set to perform in Bandra tomorrow

Igor Butman

The great Charlie Parker once said, "Don't play the saxophone. Let it play you." The wind instrument's complexity makes it the perfect vessel for jazz. From Coleman Hawkins to Parker and Wayne Shorter, the instrument was raised from an accompaniment to a solo standard by some prominent performers. In Igor Butman, it finds new expression with a touch of Eastern folk rhythms and style. The Russian saxophonist, claimed to be a personal favourite of former US President Bill Clinton, will take the stage in the neighbourhood of Bandra this week to perform with his quintet.

"This is my eighth visit to India, and I have enjoyed every one of them," Butman says over a phone call from Delhi, where he performed last Sunday. The Mumbai session marks another step in a long journey for the Grammy-nominated saxophonist who was initiated into the genre by his father. "My father was an amateur drummer, and he introduced me to jazz. I also had a neighbour who played the saxophone, and performed in the Russian orchestra. In that sense, I grew up around the music," he says. Having started out as a clarinetist, one of Butman's early heroes was Benny Goodman, the King of Swing. "I wanted to be like him [Goodman], before I switched to the saxophone," he reveals.

Butman (centre) performs on stage. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

It was a natural decision, he notes, because the saxophone is the perfect tool for jazz improvisation with its power and deep tones. Recalling the history of jazz in Russia, he says that the genre celebrated 100 years in the country recently. "The first official jazz performance took place in Russia back in 1922. Since then, it was quite popular with many big bands performing. Post-World War II, the genre went into decline, and was even banned till 1976," he says, adding that now the country has since witnessed an emergence of new musicians in the genre. It was during this resurgence that he found his way to the United States in 1987, and performed across some of the iconic clubs known for jazz in the country.

While Latino jazz may have rhythm and American jazz has groove, Russian jazz has passion, the soloist explains. "The standards don't change. I would say it is similar to American-made or Japanese-made cars. They would still have four wheels and steering. The engine, make and style are different - the same goes with jazz. Russians are passionate, and the music has feeling and soul," he notes. This is particularly true, he says, when adapting jazz into Russian folk instruments or Russian folk music to jazz standards.

The Mumbai event of Jus Jazz, presented by Apurva Agarwal and Prashant Gupta, will also witness a throwback to an Indo-Russian connection - Bollywood. Butman shares, "We do perform several jazz standards, along with some folk songs in jazz from Russia. But we also have a song in Hindi, by our pianist, Oleg Akkuratov. We grew up listening to Bollywood songs and watching those movies. They are quite popular, and we saw so many of them. Akkuratov can sing in many languages, including Hindi, Russian and English. So, we had to play it," he concludes.

ON December 6; 6.30 pm
AT Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Church Road, near Patwardhan Park, Bandra West.
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