Krai Arkady Shilkloper & Vadim Neselovskyi

• 1 Spring Song 09:14
• 2 Krai 07:33
• 3 Alpine Sketch 04:23
• 4 Alperiduo 1 02:11
• 5 Prelude for Vibes 06:34
• 6 Alperiduo 2 01:02
• 7 Last Snow 08:01
• 8 Late Night Sunrise 07:38
• 9 Blackmail 02:41
• 10 Alpine Trail 02:24
• 11 Russian Song 03:59
• Total Runtime 55:40

Info for Krai

„The vast expanse is felt in this music, a deep breath and a long wind, the delight in contemplative walking tours and in daring tonal excursions, an aspiration to new freedoms and simultaneously also a fine sense for that which is worth preserving, valuable, and fragile. The dialogue partners, both world-class performers on their instruments, reveal an inwardness that at the same time reflects upon the how and where. “Krai” has the same meaning in Ukrainian and in Russian. The word refers to a region, a place, a topos; and it can just as well indicate a border or an endpoint.

Both proved to be essential for the biographical experiences of Vadim Neselovskyi, who grew up in Ukraine, moved to Germany at the age of seventeen, and joined Gary Burton’s band while at the Berklee College of Music, as well as those of Arkady Shilkloper, who was born in Moscow, studied at the renowned Gnessin Institute, played in the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater, and since the early 1990s has caused an international furor with the “Moscow Art Trio.” Both musicians have made their mark in the world, and yet are rooted in the folklore of their native countries. Intimately familiar with Classical music, they have allowed their experiences with jazz to mature into improvisations that leave the borders behind – in the geographical as well as the musical sense. This binds them together, as does the love of endlessly wide landscapes with Ukrainian, Russian, and Jewish sources of life. In this duo’s playing, “Krai” becomes a kind of spiritual home that sheds the provincial and opens itself to new influences, becomes a place of memory and artistic imagination. In the boundless flight of musical fantasy, in an original and, at the same time, fresh spirit inspired by Romanticism, the two musicians paint luminous sounds of hope and freedom on an overcast sky.”

'It’s engrossing from the very first track, ‘Spring Song’, Neselovskyi’s vision utilising an assertive expansiveness that channels flow and rhythmic adventure in the more open passages. (...) More uniformly an all-pervasive, and persuasive chamber music work, that heady atmosphere prevails to work its undoubted charms' (Stephen Graham, Marlbank)

'Krai transcends the traditional and moves with a lyrical intensity that creates a unique hybrid of Ukranian, Russian and Jewish influences. A highly imaginative journey down the harmonic path of least resistance. Stunning!' (Brent Black, Criticaljazz.com)

Vadim Neselovskyi, piano
Arkady Shilkloper, French horn, alphorn

Arkady Shilkloper
was born in 1956, in Moscow, Russia. He began to study playing alto horn at the age of six and switched to French horn in 1967. At the age of eleven he entered the Moscow Military Music School. One of most unusual Russian musicians, Arkady plays French horn, flugelhorn, alphorn and many more wind instruments that are unusual. From 1978 to 1985 he was a member of the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre. With this world-famous orchestra and as a member of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 to 1989, he undertook numerous worldwide concert tours.

Since 1990 he has been a member of the Moscow Art Trio along with Misha Alperin and Sergey Starostin, occasionally playing in other formations as well.

Shilkloper played with Lionel Hampton, Elvin Jones, Lew Soloff and Herb Ellis. He also has worked with Pierre Favre, Louis Sclavis, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Jon Christensen, Bob Stewart. Since 1997, Arkady is part of two Russian trios: one with St. Petersburg’s best jazzmen– acoustic bassist Vladimir Volkov and piano player Andrei Kondakov, and the other with Vladimir Volkov and Sergei Starostin. In 2000, Arkady put together the Mauve Trio with Brazilian guitar player Alegre Correa and Austrian bassist Georg Breinschmid. Their debut album ‘Mauve’ (Quinton, 2002) was awarded the prestigious Hans Koller Prize of Austria as the ‘CD Of The Year’. Arkady Shilkloper gives concerts and master-classes around the world ( approx. 100 a year) in: Russia, Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Panama, China, Korea, and Australia.

Vadim Neselovskyi
Critics have praised NY-based pianist/composer Vadim Neselovskyi for “extraordinary playing” (Los Angeles Times), “exceptional composition skills” (musicweb-international.com) and “feathery touch” (New York Times). While mostly known as one of the key members of multiple GRAMMY® winner Gary Burton’s Quintet, and as a featured pianist and composer on Burton’s Concord Records release “Next Generation,” Vadim is rapidly gaining reputation as a band leader, creating a “thrilling blend of classical and jazz” (jazzreview.com)

Vadim grew up in Odessa, Ukraine, where he was the youngest student to be accepted into the famous Odessa Conservatory, and then moved to Dortmund, Germany when he was 17 years old. Shortly after arriving in Germany, he established himself on the local jazz scene, taking part in the Dusseldorf Jazz Rally and Leipzig Jazz Days. After a few years he moved to the USA to further his studies at Berklee College of Music, where he was discovered by Gary Burton.

Before graduating from Berklee Vadim was asked to play and compose for a Berklee’s promotional recording produced by Pat Metheny. Four weeks after graduation he was playing with Gary Burton at the Blue Note in New York. Since June 2004 Vadim has been consistently touring the US, Europe and Japan in Gary Burton’s quintet.

Besides working actively as a sideman, Vadim is developing a name for himself as a solo artist. His CD “Spring Song,” that features two charismatic singers Vera Westera(NL) and Amanda Baisinger (US), received enthusiastic reviews.

“The four musicians around Neselovskyi, Brazilian Pedro Ito (drums,percussion), Russian Oleg Osenkov on bass, American Eric Bloom (trumpet) and heart-breaking voice of Amanda Baisinger (also USA) offer a skillful, multifaceted – accessible, challenging yet entertaining mixture of jazz, classical and world music. This is jazz, how it should be – sometimes neck-breaking angular, sometimes wonderfully melodic and always supported by the grooving bass…the feminine voice of Amanda Baisinger often reaches whirling heights and speeds. Everything fits to the sparkling piano sound of Neselovskyi.” (www.cdkritik.de)

Vadim’s work has been recognized with a number of recent awards. Most recently, in September 2010 he was named a Grand Prize Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition. Vadim performed the winning composition, Grust (Sadness) with his trio at the Kennedy Center on Ocotober 4, 2010 as part of the Gala Concert, also featuring Herbie Hancock, Kurt Elling and Dianne Reeves. President Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama served as Honorary Chairs of the event.

“Garnering the $10,000 prize for his composition "Grust," which means ‘sadness' in Russian, Neselovskyi impressed with both the depth of his composition and a heartrending performance that stood out as an unquestionable highlight of the night.” (All About Jazz)

Just two weeks after the Prize Award Ceremony in Washington DC Vadim received another Award – Second Grand Prix (7.000 Euro) at the 5th Martial Solal International Jazz Piano Competition in Paris, France. Starting from 2011 he serves as an Assistant Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA.

Booklet for Krai