Reviews "Moscow Windows"
CD review taken from the journal: "Swinging Hamburg" 4thQuarter 2008, by: Klaus Neumeister:
On February 16th/17th, 2008, an most interesting CD was produced in a music studio in Osnabrück. I would like to recommend this impressive recording for several reasons: It is not only the concept behind this release, or the music itself that invites the listener to tune in and relax, but also the three excellent musicians and a superb audio quality of the recording. The trio transformed the concept behind this production in an extraordinary way.
For a long time, Juri Artamonov, has been bearing the wish to reinterpret the famous melody of his Russian home country - the music of his youth - in Swing style. Together with the two musicians, Martin Gehrmann on bass and Jochen Metze on the drums, this realization of his dream became a great success.
For an even long time, I hadn’t heard a CD as laid back and enthusiastic. Rarely has a CD production persuaded me like this one. Moscow Windows was made for music-lovers. Ones who like swing, for sometimes soft, often sparkling and well sophisticated versions of famous „classics“ of Russian Jazz, should lend an ear to this extraordinary CD. The music, performed in an Oscar Peterson tradition will surely inspire you. Contrary to the robotic / mechanical music without soul that is currently en vogue, this CD is a highly recommended production.
CD review, taken from the journal "Jazz Podium" in September 2008 by: Rainer Bratfisch:
Despite of some recent book releases, "Soviet-Jazz" is still an under-investigated field of international Jazz history. Possible developments are demonstrated by the trio of the Muscovite pianist, Juri Artamonov. Together with Martin Gehrmann - bass and Jochen Metze -drums, they present their first CD with compositions from the early Soviet “talkies” of the thirties to the fifties by composers such as Alexander Zfasman, Isaak Dunaewskij, Tichon Chrennikow, Wassilij Solowjew-Sedoj and others.
Not all of the songs were originally performed in a distinctive Swing-rhythm. Neither were the compositions devoted to the Jazz repertoire, had not Artamonov, a Moscow pianist student of Igor Brill and Jevgenij Gretschischev, revived these partly forgotten melodies for Swing.
Some of the songs are real Evergreens even today, such as "Moscow Windows ", which was translated into many languages. For example: "Waltz Boston" by Alexander Rosenbaum, a contemporary chanson-like title presented by the composer himself as a “Chansonnier” provokes real enthusiasm within the audience when he occasionally performs.
Artamonov’s selection stimulates curiosity and gives an idea about the potential, still latent in Soviet Music, if freshly performed and slightly polished fits perfectly into contemporary Jazz.
