Soviet Jazz with Pyotr Vostokov

On May 28, Pyotr Vostokov’s Big Jazz Orchestra presented the “Soviet Jazz” program at the Moscow Conservatory, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of renowned Russian saxophonist and composer Georgy Garanyan. The concert featured Garanyan’s own compositions, including “Ballad,” “Moonlight,” “Talisman,” “Whirlpool” and “Festival Blues,” as well as famous works by other composers in Garanyan’s arrangements, such as “August” by Jan Frenkel and “Spring Is Coming” by Isaak Dunayevsky. The festive anniversary concert was a musical tribute to the legendary jazz musician, who became a true idol for several generations both in his homeland and around the world.

Pyotr Vostokov is one of the most talented musicians of the younger generation, who has rapidly risen to prominence on the music scene. He became interested in jazz at the age of 16, joining Vladimir Segal’s youth big band at the Central House of Culture of Railway Workers. In 2009, he graduated from the pop and jazz department of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, where he studied ensemble performance with A.V. Oseichuk and orchestral performance with A.O. Kroll. In 2006, he graduated from the Open World Russian-American educational program, as part of which he performed at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in the United States.