SERGEI KURYOKHINSERGEI KURYOKHIN AND AVANT-GARDE MUSIC:
1980-90S
MASAMI SUZUKIFirst I must mention the difference between the 1st edition (1985) andthe 2nd edition (1994) of Frederick Starr’s Red & Hot. This work is one of
the best books about Russian Soviet jazz. The 1st edition of it describes indetail about the history of Russian jazz from its beginning to the 1980s. The
2nd edition provides a supplement in the 14th chapter “Emanci pation andPluralism, 1980-1990.” In this chapter, we can first meet Sergei Kuryokhin.
This is a good chapter for information about Russian contemporary jazz, but wecan’t see the last years of Kuryokhin in 1990-1996. Furthermore, as a matterof course, we can’t know about the relationshi p between Kuryokhin and Japan.
In 1989 I saw the stage Kuryokhin on stage for the first time, then I
met him at his hotel and had a private interview. I remember well question“What do you think about the influence of OBERIU on your work?” and his
reply with a smile “ I love it, but there is no influence of OBERIU on me. If I
talk about influence to my music, it comes from artists like Art Ensemble ofChicago, Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner.” Soon I understood that he knew contemporary
avant-garde jazz very well. He also knew noise music, free jazz, punk rock andvarious ethnic music from around the world.
In August, 1995 we met again in Tokyo. At that time Kuryokhin was
studying Yukio Mishima and old sacramental music of Japan and some bands ofnoise music in Japan. While staying here, he bought more than 200 CD titles.
When we met again in Petersburg that November, he already had listened toall of 200 CDs many times, and because he already understood their contents
and composition, he gave almost all of them away to his friends.
Thus he absorbed different genres of music, various cultures and many
people’s influence in his mind. Therefore it’s difficult to attempt to describe hisart by specific terms of one genre or one culture. That is a useless attempt. But
I will try to describe it in the context of acceptance in Japan. Maybe that’s
why I appreciate Kuryokhin.

1. RUSSIAN JAZZ IN JAPAN(1) Soviet Jazz Seen from Japanese Eyes
In the beginning of the history of Japanese jazz, the Nihonbashi MITSUKOSHI musical band was established in 1909 (Meiji 42). In 1921, Fukutaro
Hatano formed Hatano orchestra and appeared at the dance hole Kagetsuen,
which is the first dancing place in Japan, and gained popularity. And Ichiro Ida
formed the complete jazz band “Laughing Stars” first in Japan in 1923 (Taisho

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12). Jazz music was flowing all over Japan until World War II broke out inthe early stages of Showa after Taisho. Dance halls and cafes overflowed withyoung men and women, and everyone danced to jazz. Jazz as dance music was
the main culture of Japan.1
Now, it is well known, that Russian literature at this time was very often
rend in Japan, and the modern literature of Japan was affected. However,most Russian researchers of Japan don’t introduce the jazz from Russia of thistime. It should be known at least that Adam Kobach was a pioneer of Japanese
jazz, as a member of the jazz band “Cherry land jazz orchestra” which Ichiro Ida
formed in 1925 (Taisho 14).
About the history of jazz in Russia, there are the works of S. FrederickStarr, Red & Hot: The Fate of Jazz in the Soviet Union (1985), and Aleksandr
Medvedev and Olga Medvedeva (eds.), Sovetskii Dzhaz (1987).
Next, I want to describe the Russian jazz seen through Japanese eyes.
In the summer of 1922, Valentin Parnakh formed “The first eccentricorchestra in the Soviet Union: The Jazz band of Valentin Parnakh.” This jazzband of New Orleans style had a big influence on the artists of Russian avantgarde of those days. When the band of Parnakh appears on the stage of the“Trust DE” which Meyerhold directed in 1924, it was said that his jazz music
won high popularity.
In Moscow and Leningrad, and in other cities in Russia, many jazz bands
performed, and young men and women danced the Fox trot in the halls of
hotels, restaurants, and movie theaters. Jazz band led by musicians such as
Aleksandr Tsfasman, Leonid Utesov, Aleksandr Varlamov, Leopold Teplitskii, andEddie Rosner developed jazz into music beyond more dance music. Soviet Jazzin the 1930s is the height of its prosperity, and Stalin did not exclude jazz.
Conversely, jazz was used for national policy as the theater of Leonid Utesov.
Leonid Utesov (1895-1982) was introduced also in Japan. The musicalcomedy “Veselye rebiata [The Happy Guys]” (1934) directed by Gregorii Aleksandrov was shown at the Hibiya theater of Tokyo also in July, 1935 (Showa
10) and the Japanese spectators were very enthusiastic. This movie had a big
influence also on the stage musicals of Japan.
In 1941 (Showa 16), when jazz was suppressed in Japan, Russian researcher Keiji Ose who was introducing the Soviet culture to Japan energetically,
wrote an essay “Jazz song on the hill of sparrow” in his book The Russia andthe Russians.2 He reported that jazz songs were overflowing in the cities of
Moscow. In the same year, the famous journalist Masao Maruyama wrote an
essay “Moscow dances” which is one of the chapters of his book Soviet News.3
1 Kôichi Uchida, Nihon no jazu shi [The History of Japanese Jazz](Tokyo: Suingu-Jânaru sha, 1976); Masahisa Segawa, Jazu de odotte [Dance with Jazz](Tokyo:
Saimaru shuppankai, 1983).
2 Keiji Ose, Roshiya oyobi roshiya jin [The Russia and the Russians](Tokyo:
Osaka yagô shoten, 1941).
3 Masao Maruyama, Sovêto tsûshin [Soviet News](Tokyo: Hata shoten, 1941).

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SERGEI KURYOKHIN“Anytime I walk along a park, or look in a cinema hall, a department store,
or a barbershop, and certainly in a restaurant, I always hear the domestic
fashion jazz song of the Soviet Union ‘My Marsha (female name)’ ‘Natasha(similarly female name).’ The kinds of jazz bands are also abundant. Not only
the jazz of domestic Utesov, but also the Lensky jazz of Poland, the jazz ofCzechoslovakia, woman jazz, and dwarf jazz were imported one after the other.
It seemed that Moscow was getting drunk with jazz. If the broadcasting stationin Moscow which normally broadcasts were only agitation and propaganda
includes jazz in the program, the broadcasting stations far away in Caucasus or
Ukraine pour orders for jazz in to Moscow, then a scramble for jazz records
starts among them. If we traveled to the health resort in South Russia, jazz is
playing cheerfully – ‘Poka, poka [good-bye]’ – without upsetting irritated people who cannot buy a ticket in the station. Jazz heat overflows with the Soviet
Union whole country. There is planned economy also in jazz in the Soviet
Union where all advances by planned economy, but great passion is shown in
only this jazz section, and even carrying out no advertisement, the plan attains
300%, then the people’s enjoyment of jazz grows as fast as its lively tempo...”In the Soviet Union and Japan, jazz was born at the same time and wasin fashion similarly. However, contrary to jazz having been forbidden in
Japan in wartime, Soviet jazz survived as momentary amusement to encourage
the soldiers at the front and to send the message that the war would be oversoon and they would be able to return home.
After World War II ends, the situation was reversed. Although jazz inJapan revived from the U.S. camps, in Russia, the anti-United States campaign
started and jazz was thoroughly eliminated as bourgeois music. For example, thesaxophone was seized only because the Germans invented it, and a mountain ofseized sax was made. However, this jazz exclusion movement that continued till
the first half of the 50s, did not reach every district. The bureaucrats relegatedto such districts included many jazz fans, and they protected the jazzman secretly. For example, the band of Eddie Rosner was treated favorably in the Koryma
concentration camp, and the high officials there were listening to a performanceof the highest level of jazz of that time every night.
The musicians of Japan detained in Siberia were favorably treated when
they performed Russian folk songs. Matsujiro Azuma, who was the best clarinetist of prewar days, also performed in the Soviet Union army camp and became
popular as “an artist.” Yoritoyo Inoue, who was a Japanese symphony orchestra’s member, remembers in his The music life of Siberia (Nauka, 1949),4 that
there was also a jazz band under exclusive contract with a movie theater in
Vladivostok.
“The Usuri jazz band under exclusive contract with the Usuri movie
theater in Vladivostok, came to our concentration camp in the summer of 1947.
We were very glad to have the opportunity to hear a true orchestra of the Soviet
4 Yoritoyo Inoue, Shiberia no ongaku seikatsu [The Music Life of Siberia](Tokyo:
Nauka, 1949).

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Union for the first time. When the scheduled time came, in addition to a party,
18 musicians were invited to represent of the Soviet Union army officers ofconcentration camp service and us, and they passed through the gate of theconcentration camp. At 2:00 p.m. the curtain of the jazz performance in the
open-air theater of the Vladivostok concentration opened.” Though Inoue felt
the orthodox symphonic jazz was unrefined when performed with the Russianfolk song in that theme, he was considerably impressed by the performance ofthe jazzmen of Russia.
In 1962 (Showa 37), Bennie Goodman was invited to Russia as a musicalenvoy and the theaters were sold out each time, and it became a big event whichis still remembered in the history of Soviet music. In the same year, Hiroshi
Watanabe & Star Dusters from Japan performed in ten big cities of the Soviet
Union. Hiroshi Kimura, who was a famous Russia researcher, wrote about thistime in his work Soviet Frank (1963)5 : “A theater in Odessa overflowed with
spectators, and people who could not get inside surround the theater, and they
were listening for the sound when the doors opened, and it could be heard.”
In October in the same year, the first jazz festival was held in Moscow.
The Soviet jazz of these days escaped from mere dance music, and began tofollow the way of music as “official art.”(2) Acceptance of Russian New Jazz in Japan
A record of the Russian new jazz was imported to Japan in 1981 by Leo
record, and the interest in the avant-garde music of Russia began to increase
among some music fans in Japan. The attention to the music of Ganelin trio
and Kuryokhin had started all over the world. In 1987, Leonid Chizhik (piano) was invited to “Summer music festival of Tokyo.” This was the first
performance in Japan by a jazz pianist whom the Soviet Union government
authorized. In June, 1988, jazz critic Teruto Soejima was invited to the 11th
Moscow jazz festival and he learned about the existence of Russian new jazz:groups such as “Arkhangel’sk.” He showed an 8 mm film of Russian new jazzat this time in various places in Japan, and gave a lecture about the avant-garde
jazz of Russia. In December of the same year, in the magazine Chaika (No.10),
Masami Suzuki introduced three books about the jazz of Russia; Leo Feigin(ed.), Russian Jazz: New Identity (1985), S. Frederick Starr, Red & Hot (1985),
Aleksandr Medvedev and Olga Medvedeva (eds.), Sovetskii Dzhaz (Soviet Jazz)(1987).
On 5-8, April, 1989, “The opened ground level” was held in Tokyo. It wasplanned by famous musician Yuji Takahashi. Here the musicians of Russian
new jazz performed on the stage for the first time in Japan. The musiciansfrom Russia were Sergei Kuryokhin (piano), Valentina Ponomareva (vocal),Vladimir Tarasov (percussion), Vladimir Chekashin (sax), from Japan, Yuji
Takahashi (synthesizer), Ayuo Takahashi (guitar), Haruna Miyake (piano), Ka5 Hiroshi Kimura, Sobieto zakkubaran [Soviet Frank](Tokyo: Shincho sha, 1963).

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zutoki Umezu (sax), from America, John Zorn (reeds), Bill Laswell (base).
Moreover, as the same time as this concert, Sergei Kuryokhin’s “Polynesia”(VDJ-1209) was released from Victor (original recording is Melodiia. 1988
recording). This concert revolutionized recognition of the Russian new jazz inJapan. “What are you expecting from this concert” – Takahashi replied to thisquestion in this way: “Yes. In my situation now, I want to play truly energetic,
fresh music. I want to create music freely, doing something together with suchmen, without adhering to a genre called jazz.”
In the same year, “Jazz from the USSR” (MFCD-890) was released from“WAVE” (Original recording is Melodiia in 1985). Besides the standard jazz
numbers, the performance of Igor Butman (tenor sax), Leonid Chizhik (piano),etc. is also recorded. It was the first CD version anthology which introduces thecomplete Russia jazz.
The following is described in the style of a chronicle.
1991: Artemii Troitskii Back in the USSR was translated and published. (Japanese title: Does Gorbachev like rock ?: Russia rocks)
In May, 1991, the magazine Eureka: a special issue The Soviet Union
Culture Map came out. In this issue, Masami Suzuki wrote “Russian
jazz dash on the top of the world” about the short history of Russian jazz,and new jazz festival “Arkhangel’sk Jazz Days 90.”
In May, 1991, in the magazine Gendaishi-techo [Modern-poetry Notebook], Teruto Soejima wrote “The Soviet jazz appearance.”
The summer of 1991, a group “Arkhangel’sk” visited Japan and had aconcert tour in 12 cities around Japan. The live recording at this time
was released the next year as a CD. “Jazz group Arkhangel’sk: Live inJapan” (Ni ppon Crown, CRCJ-9102).
October, 1991, in the magazine Soviet Research Masami Suzuki wrote“Jazz and Rock as seen in Soviet popular music.”
In October,1991, Keizo Inoue (sax) partici pated in a Arkhangel’sk jazzfestival.
1992: In July, 1992, Sainkho Namchurak (vocal) visited Japan and she sang a
Khoomei with jazz musicians for the first time in Japan.
In October, 1992, the band “Ton-Kurami” – Masahiko Sato (piano),
Midori Takada (percussion), and Kang Tae Hwang (Sax) – partici patedin the Arkhangel’sk jazz festival and the Vilnius jazz festival.
1993: In 1993, Timothy W. Ryback Rock Around the Bloc was translated andpublished. That Japanese title is Freedom, Equality, and Rock.
In 1993, in the magazine Jazz Critique (No.78) the interview of jazzcritic Aleksei Batashev and Nikolai Dmitriev was carried. In the same
number, Masami Suzuki wrote “The jazz journalism in Russia: history,
people and tone of argument.”
In May, 1993, Ryoji Hojito (piano) partici pated in the Novosibirsk
music festival

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1994: In 1994, in the magazine MUSIC TODAY (No.20); special edition
Contemporary Music of Russia, Teruto Soejima wrote “The free jazz sceneof the old Soviet Union: Between Vilnius and Arkhangel’sk.”
In October, 1994, Ryoji Hojito partici pated in the Arkhangel’sk jazzfestival.
In 1994, Teruto Soejima’s book The Current of Present-age Jazz6 waspublished.
1995: In summer, 1995, Sergei Kuryokhin visited Japan again and participated in “the Yokohama jazz promenade” with Keshavan Maslak (sax).
In November, 1995, Shoji Hano & “Polybreath percussive band” partici pated in the Vilnius jazz festival and later they played at Chaikovskii hallin Moscow.
1996: In July, 1996, in the magazine Jazz Critique (No.88) An interview anddiscography of Sergei Kuryokhin are carried.
1997: In July, 1997, Sainkho visited Japan for the third time.
In October, big group “Sibusa-Shirazu” partici pated in the Arkhangel’sk
jazz festival.
1998: In September, 1998, Mitsumasa Nonaka (drums) partici pated in the
Memorial Concert of Sergei Kuryokhin in Moscow.
In October, 1998, “Trio Vladimir” visited Japan. The members of trio
are Vladimir Rezitskii (Sax), Vladimir Tarasov (percussion) and VladimirMiller (piano). The jazz critic and organizer Nikolai Dmitriev who visited
Japan with this trio and gave lectures about the new jazz of Russia in
Waseda University and other sites. At this time, the CD of pianist Masahiko Sato with Trio Vladimir recorded, and the next year two CDs “Sonatina” (BAJ Record, BJCD-0009) and “ 3 ” (BAJ Record and BJCD-0010)
are released.
In November, 1998, group “Vershiki da Koreshiki” and Sainkho visited
Japan for the music festival in Niigata.
1999: In October,1999, Ryoji Hojito played in Moscow and later partici patedin the Vilnius jazz festival.
2000: In July, 2000, poet D.A. Prigov performed in collaboration with jazzmusicians of Japan in Tokyo.
(3) Kuryokhin in Japan
Sergei Kuryokhin is most often introduced in acceptance of the Russian
new jazz in Japan and there are so many fans of him in Japan. In Japan,
almost all of his records and CD were imported and there are also his record
collectors. Compared with other musicians of Russia, there are more CDs of
Kuryokhin onsale by the Japanese labels, and many of his interviews have been
carried by magazines.
6 Teruto Soejima, Gendai jazu no chôryû [The Current of Present-age Jazz](Tokyo:
Maruzen, 1994).

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I will introduce some data in regards to his recordings and interviews.
a) Records: There are three CDs of Kuryokhin which were released inJapan.
1) When the concert in April, 1989, “The opened ground level” was carriedout, at the same time “Polynesia” (VDJ-1209) was released from Victor(original recording is Melodiia in 1988).
2) In the same year, the CD of the duet with Henry Kaiser “Popular Science”(RYKODISK and MSI-20001) was released.
3) In 1996, Kuryokhin’s posthumous work in a duet with Keshavan Maslak“Friends Afar” (Sound Wave and SW-01) was released.
b) The interview, introduction report, criticism
1989: The interview at the time of “The opened ground level” was carried in
Jazz Life (June, 1989). In it Kuryokhin said about the music of John
Coltrane: “I was surprised very much to discover that there was such a
new idea about music, about time. Till then, I had the image that music islike a square, and music begins another song when one song is finished, orfrom one period to another period. But in the new view, they think thatmusic and time is in the ‘Flow.’ It was very wonderful for me to catchthe idea of the music which flows continuously.”
1991: Masami Suzuki wrote “Raging nature and chaos: creation laboratory of
Kuryokhin” in the book Soviet Culture Watching (ed. by Sadayoshi Igeta).7 He also introduced the criticism of Tat’iana Didenko.
In June, 1992, Teruto Soejima saw “Pop Mekhanika” first in the Moers
jazz festival in Germany and was very impressed, then he showed the
document film of this festival and gave a lecture in various places inJapan.
1996: In July, 1996, in the magazine Jazz Critique (No.88) An interview anddiscography of Sergei Kuryokhin are carried: “Yes, I am interested in allmusic. I am interested in the music in the world of all times. It isnecessary for me to know all music and to hear it.”In September, 1996, in the magazine Eureka Masami Suzuki wrote themourning report “Eternal – incomplete: Mourning of Sergei Kuryokhin.”
Web site “Prospect Mira” in Japan introduced the report about theKuryokhin mourning live in October 1996 in Moscow. Next year thissite translated the last interview of Kuryokhin in the Magazine Medved’[Bear] and opened it to the public by their homepage.8
1998: In 1998, DJ Yoshihide Ootomo was invited to Kuryokhin mourning
festival in Moscow.
7 Sadayoshi Igeta, ed., Sobieto karuchâ wocchingu [Soviet Culture Watching](Tokyo:
Mado sha, 1991).
8 http://www.win.ne.jp/~prospect/

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1999: In February, 1999 in the magazine Eureka Masami Suzuki wrote about
the latest news concerning Kuryokhin “Sergei’s communication by thethrown bottle.”

2. THE HISTORY AND FEATURES O F RUSSIAN NEW JAZZ: FROM THE 1960ST O PRESENTThe Rock music of the Soviet Union spread rapidly in underground in
the 1960s. What way did jazz follow on the other hand? When the “FreeJazz” of Ornet Callman was released in 1960, in the Soviet Union, the jazz of
a bop style was still known only among some of the people. In the Soviet
Union, the swing style of jazz was still the height of prosperity in the first halfof the 1960s, and a jazz club and cafe were made one after another. Young men
enjoyed jazz for the dance style rather than the music. “Zvyozdnyi bilet [Thestarry ticket]” and a “Kollegi [colleagues]” of Vasilii Aksyonov describe exactly
young men’s mode of everyday-life.
In the middle of the 1960s, jazz festivals came to be held in various cities
including Moscow and Leningrad. Jazz came to into fashion across a remarkablerange of people. However, the decline of the earlier jazz craze had also started
simultaneously. The young men of the 1950s were absorbed in jazz, therefore
there was the resistance to a ready-made criterion and ready-made adult society,and a longing for European and American culture. However, when they got
married, had children and started home life, the taste for the music among
teenagers in that time moved from the socially accepted jazz to the unofficial
rock music. The 1960s were the time of the change of generation from jazz torock.
Jazz degenerated to old dance music and came to be disliked by the teenager. In the second half of the 1960s, Jazz came to be liked by the intelligent andthose over 20. The jazz of a bop style began to be performed at the festival of
Czechoslovakia in 1968. At that time, the jazz festival, which was held periodically, had spread to many cities, such as Khabarovsk, Fergana, Erevan, and Kuibyshev. Thus, the jazz which progressed in the local city became one of the factors
which produced the present avant-garde jazz. The professional Jazz group –Combo and big band – jazz bands with less than 10 members which werecommercially successful in Moscow and Leningrad, were technically excellent
and made refined music to listen to, but there was completely no newness in it.
The bud of new jazz grew up in the local city, especially, in the north –Arkhangel’sk and the east – Novosibirsk and Alma-Ata in Central Asia and thewest – Vilnius (Lithuania) and Riga (Latvia). Since other countries were close
to the border, it was possible to hear a foreign music program through radio.
Therefore, the music of a new style could be absorbed. Moreover, the jazz in thelocal city was able to become the music based on customs peculiar to the landand ethnic music. The nature of an area and its sound are inseparable.
Vladimir Rezitskii who was the leader of a group “Arkhangel’sk” becameacquainted with drummer Vladimir Tarasov in 1967. The two musicians stud-94

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ied the music of Bartok and Stravinskii and began to play experimental music
soon. V. Tarasov moved to Vilnius two years later and formed a trio withViacheslav Ganelin and Vladimir Chekashin who were performing mostly avantgarde music at that time. On the other hand, V. Rezitskii remained in
Arkhangel’sk and formed the group “Arkhangel’sk” in 1972. Because theyreceived the information from Europe early, the performance of the trio of V.
Ganelin, V. Chekashin and V. Tarasov often used an electronic sound anddeveloped an experience which was conscious of the characteristics of theatersuch as dadaism and Russian avant-garde. After that, V. Ganelin and V.
Rezitskii met at the jazz festival of Donetsk in 1973. Unfortunately, we aren’t
able to know what the group “Arkhangel’sk was actually performing in the
1970s, because their recordings were not preserved.
In 1970-80s, when rock bands were advancing rapidly, Sax player Aleksei
Kozlov, who lived in Moscow, positively included electric guitar and electronic
musical instruments in his music, and crossed over jazz and rock in his music.
He is still playing an active part in live performances and recently published his
memoirs.
The young Sergei Kuryokhin who started with rock music and jazz in
Leningrad, formed “Pop Mekhanika” in the early 1980s. And he created thelarge spectacle show developed freely from classic, jazz, rock and performance.
The music of A. Kozlov and S. Kuryokhin does not seem unrefined to an urban
audience, because of the influences on their music from Moscow and Leningrad.
As jazz investigator Efim Barban also pointed out, the features of the new
jazz of Russia consist of the following three points.9
1) The bop style of jazz which flowed in from Europe is the foundation of
new jazz.
2) The tradition of Russian avant-garde was revived. That is, it is in
carrying out a collage of sound like the photo montage of A. Rodchenko,
constructing music like the pictures of constructivism, performing like thetheater of those days, etc.
3) Reconsideration of racial traits and traditional culture. A sound developed which was conscious of folklore. From recognition that his racialroots must be reflected also in the music, a musician develops the carnival
stage which was conscious of the folklore in all parts of Russia.
By contact with foreign culture, the artists of Russian avant-garde discovered the primitiveness of Russia, and rediscovered public culture, such as painted
shop signs and lubok. However, the Soviet jazz in 1970s had little directcontact to foreign music, but many musicians collected information franticallyand the music was changed as musicians followed the primitive aspects of Russia
again.
9 Efim Barban, “Soviet Jazz: New Identity,” Leo Feigin, ed., Russian Jazz: New
Identity (London, Melbourne, NY, 1985), pp.11-22.

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For example, there is the mass entertainment called “Estrada” in Russia, of
which the prototype was made at the end of the 19th century. It is a variety
hall of the Russian style with a variety show of pleasant programs – a lightcomedy, a chat, a musical instrument performance, magic, acrobatics, a puppet play,
etc. There is also a performance of jazz. Therefore, probably, jazz was able to
make an image as public-music.10 Leonid Utesov was the first musician who
used dramatic jazz with the chief aim of entertaining the spectators. Probably,
stage performance of the new jazz of the present age including “Arkhangel’sk”
may also be referred to as having inherited the traditions of Estrada and L.
Utesov.

3. SHORT HISTORY O F KURYOKHIN
In 16 June 1954 Kuryokhin was born in Murmansk. His father was thecaptain of a submarine and his mother was a mathematics teacher.11 His family
settled in Leningrad in 1971, after changing their address to Moscow and the
Crimea. Kuryokhin began to study a piano from the time of 4 years old. He
began the Rock band with his schoolmates in 1964. He knew jazz through
VOA, and became crazy for this music. In 1969, he began to perform jazz. He
studied the classical music at the college of culture in Leningrad.12 He got
10 Yu. Saul’skii tried to define the music of “Estrada” and said as follows: “Òðóäíîñòü è â îòñóòñòâèè ñëîæèâøåéñÿ òåðìèíîëîãèè. Ýñòðàäíî-ñèìôîíè÷åñêèé
îðêåñòð, âîêàëüíî-èíñòðóìåíòàëüíûé àíñàìáëü, äæàç – ïîíÿòèÿ âïîëíå êîíêðåòíûå, íî åñëè ãîâîðèòü îá ýñòðàäíîé ìóçûêå â öåëîì, òî òî÷íîãî òåðìèíà
ïîêà íåò. Ïîíÿòèå «ìîëîäåæíàÿ ìóçûêà» íåïðàâîìî÷íî îãðàíè÷èâàåò ìóçûêàëüíûå èíòåðåñû ìîëîäåæè. Òåðìèíû «ìàññ-êóëüòóðà» è «êîíòð-êóëüòóðà»,âïîëíå çàêîíîìåðíûå â ïðèìåíåíèè ê îïðåäåëåííûì òå÷åíèÿì íà Çàïàäå, íåñëåäóåò, ïî-ìîåìó, óïîòðåáëÿòü â ñâÿçè ñ íàøèì èñêóññòâîì. Äàæå òåðìèí
«ñóáêóëüòóðà», áîëåå íåéòðàëüíûé, êàçàëîñü áû, òîæå íå î÷åíü ïðèåìëåì, òàêêàê îí ìîæåò ïðèíèçèòü çíà÷èìîñòü ìíîãèõ èíòåðåñíûõ ÿâëåíèé íàøåé ýñòðàäíîé ìóçûêè, èõ ðîëü â ðàçâèòèè ñîâåòñêîãî ìóçûêàëüíîãî èñêóññòâà â öåëîì. Ïðèõîäèòñÿ ïîëüçîâàòüñÿ àìîðôíûì òåðìèíîì «ýñòðàäíàÿ ìóçûêà».” (Ñàóëüñêèé Þ. Ýñòðàäíàÿ ìóçûêà // Ýñòðàäà: ÷òî? ãäå? çà÷åì?. Ì.: Èñêóññòâî,1988. Ñ.194.)
11 See to the following book for details. Artemii Troitskii, Tusovka: Who’s who in
the New Soviet Rock Culture (London, NY, 1990), pp.64-73.
12 Alfred Schnittke described the relationshi p between classical music and jazz, andrecognized that his work is learning a lot from jazz. “Äæàç ìíîãîìó ó÷èò. Îíîñâîáîæäàåò ìûøëåíèå ìóçûêàíòîâ îò çàêîñíåâøèõ äîãì è øàáëîíîâ. Äæàçìíîãîå îòêðûâàåò è «ðàçðåøàåò», êàê áû ïîäòàëêèâàÿ íàñ êî âñÿêîãî ðîäàïîèñêàì, èçìåíåíèÿì ïðèâû÷íîãî. Ðàíüøå ìíå êàçàëîñü: â èñêóññòâå êîìïîçèöèè âàæíî ïðåæäå âñåãî êàê ïðîèçâåäåíèå ñäåëàíî, âàæíî ñîâåðøåíñòâî âûïîëíåíèÿ õóäîæåñòâåííîãî ïëàíà. ß ïëîõî ïðåäñòàâëÿë âîçìîæíîñòè, ñêðûòûåâ ñàìîì ïðîöåññå ñîçäàíèÿ è èíòåðïðåòàöèè ìóçûêè, íåäîîöåíèâàë çíà÷åíèå
îøèáêè, îòñòóïëåíèÿ îò ïðàâèëà. Òåïåðü ÿ ïîíèìàþ, ÷òî «îøèáêà» èëè îáðàùåíèå ñ ïðàâèëîì íà ãðàíè ðèñêà è åñòü òà çîíà, ãäå âîçíèêàþò è ðàçâèâàþòñÿ

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married during enrollment in school. He partici pated in the top rock band
“Sankt-Peterburg” in Leningrad in those days, but after his father died and his
daughter was born, he had to leave the college and went into the professional pop
band. He made a provincial tour around the northern part of Russia, andearned his living expenses. Although this was a professional band, the pop musiccalled “VIA”(Vocal instrumental ensemble) which the Soviet Union government officially recognized in those days, were very outdated music. Kuryokhin
disliked this tedious, low-level music throughout his life.
Kuryokhin returned to Leningrad and partici pated in the band of Anatorii Vapirov. Anatorii Vapirov who is a multireed player and now living in
Bulgaria, was one of the leaders of free jazz, along with the Ganelin trio in thosedays. Being highly educated in his composition and performance, Kuryokhin
polished his technique further and the speed of which he played the piano became the top in the Soviet Union. In 1981, his first solo album “The Ways of
Freedom” was released from Leo records in Britain, and the name of Sergei
Kuryokhin came to be known also on the western side. And from 1981 to 84,
he partici pated in the rock group “Akvarium [Aquarium]” of Boris Grebenshchkov, and played an active part in the group’s keyboard arrangements. He
formed the performance group “Pop Mekhanika (Popular Mechanics)” andtried various experiments. Musicians of classic, rock, jazz, folk songs, and all fields
performed with “Pop Mekhanika.” The sax player Vladimir Chekashin andpercussionist Vladimir Tarasov, who were the members of Ganelin trio, Gypsy
singer Valentina Ponomaryova, Boris Grebenshchkov, legendary guitarist Victor
Tsoi, who was leader of the group “Kino,” etc... so many big stars were involvedin the music. Furthermore, Kuryokhin called street performers, clowns andeven animals, like cows and rabbits to the stage of “Pop Mekhanika,” andcreated a carnival space of chaos. Every concert of “Pop Mekhanika” was avery surprising performance and it swept over the European and Americanmusic world, and a sensation started in various places. The group also partici pated in the project of Nam June Paik at Seoul Olympic Games. In 1995,
Kuryokhin made the program “Stereo = Shostakovich” in Berlin. He was also
involved in the work of a music program on television.
Kuryokhin constructed many various projects. In recent years, he wasdealing with about 20 movie’s music. The movie in which Avirov stared “Mr.
Designer,” was shown also in Japan. Kuryokhin composed the music of therock opera style which was exactly in the wonderful image of this movie. In
1996, he prepared to compose for the opera “Doktor Zhivago” with film director
Sergei Solov’yov at Bol’shoi Theatre. Kuryokhin said, “The whole culture isgoing to change greatly now” and his projects tended to become something on aworldwide scale. But he died in 9 July 1996.
æèâîòâîðíûå ýëåìåíòû èñêóññòâà.” (Øíèòêå À. Íóæåí ïîèñê, íóæíû èçìåíåíèÿ ïðèâû÷íîãî // Ñîâåòñêèé äæàç. Ïðîáëåìû. Ñîáûòèÿ. Ìàñòåðà. Ñáîðíèê ñòàòåé. Ì.: Ñîâ. êîìïîçèòîð, 1987. Ñ.68.)

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4. ACHIEVEMENTS O F “PO P MEKHANIKA”
What did Kuryokhin think about jazz?
In the interview (Medved’, 1996, No.3), Kuryokhin talked about the jazzwhich he usually listened to in his later years: “Jazz. Lots of jazz, more andmore of it. I listen to music which has some sort of completeness in terms oftime, the one which was created, developed, gave us its classical models and,strictly speaking, died. Jazz is an absolutely confined culture, which is in mymind associated with a particular space, time and tradition. I enjoy looking at
the photographs of young jazzmen from the 1950’s. Here they stand, Coltrain,
Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson. I feel very cozy inside jazz. [...] And for me it
is a special world which has given us its classic names and then has sealed itself
off.”
Although jazz was indispensable for Kuryokhin when he began his newmusic, jazz was not all of his music. Kuryokhin immediately tried to create aexperimental band of polyphony, polystyle and polygenre – “Pop Mekhanika.”
As an example, I want to introduce the concert of Pop Mekhanika in Sweden(1988).
A concert as a large spectacle show unfolded for 2 hours. Two voices (oneis Kuryokhin) begin to sing a song imitating Khoomei (song of a throat), thena rock band performs hard rock in a lively way. Next, the band of free jazz
intrudes and noise is raised. After a while, the stage turns around and a string
quartet plays classical music. Rock starts again and a beautician begins cutting
hair on the same stage. Men and women wearing strange dress and a group
wearing operating room attire arrive and begin to dance. A tractor and construction workers cross the stage front and go. Seven ducks take a walk on
the stage before a female opera singer sings an aria solemnly. A military band
marches in and plays a brave march... There is no antici pating what will
happen next on stage. Twisted, distorted, rubbing sounds. Kuryokhin takes
in and unites the different music and the art of genres which are completely
different, includes various foreign elements on one stage, and creates the spaceof the carnival. Kuryokhin as a composer and a conductor succeeded in collecting such various formula into one universe. Other musicians have not done
this.13

13 In 1989, Tat’iana Didenko said about “Pop Mekhanika”: “Äà, ýòî äåéñòâèòåëüíî
êàðíàâàë: âûñîêîå è íèçêîå, ñåðüåçíîå è ñìåøíîå, ìóçûêàëüíîå è âíåìóçûêàëüíîå ïåðåìåøàíû çäåñü, ñëîâíî â êîòëå ñðåäíåâåêîâîãî àëõèìèêà. Íî âàðèòñÿ âýòîì êîòëå âîâñå íå çåëüå äëÿ èçãîòîâëåíèÿ «ôèëîñîôñêîãî êàìíÿ». Ïî ñóòè,«Ïîï-ìåõàíèêà» ñòàëà òâîð÷åñêîé ëàáîðàòîðèåé âíà÷àëå ëåíèíãðàäñêèõ, à ïîòîì óæå è íå òîëüêî ëåíèíãðàäñêèõ ìóçûêàíòîâ äëÿ èñïûòàíèÿ íå àïðîáèðîâàííûõ åùå ñðåäñòâ ìóçûêàëüíîãî âûðàæåíèÿ, äëÿ îñóùåñòâëåíèÿ ñîáñòâåííîé õóäîæíè÷åñêîé ñâîáîäû.” (Äèäåíêî Ò.À. Ïóòè Ñåðãåÿ Êóðåõèíà // Ðóññêèé ÿçûê çà ðóáåæîì. 1989. ¹1. Ñ.19.)

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If Kuryokhin composed “Pop Mekhanika” in Japan, he said it would be
like this: “First I arrive in Japan. On that day I rest and the next day our
only rehearsal is held from morning to evening, then we will start our performance activity from the day after: Gagaku, the string-music ensemble whichplays the European classical music, ten rock guitarists, many animals, a flower,
the small theatrical company of 5-6 persons of Japan, Kabuki...”14
He said about his way of music: “It’s like crazy, but it is not crazy. It’s
more serious.”

5. KURYOKHIN AND MOVIE’S MUSIC IN THE 1990S
From the second half of the 1980s to early the 1990s, Kuryokhin composed
movie’s music energetically. After Sergei Kuryokhin passed away, his CDs ofmovie’s music were released one after another. In 1998, Kuryokhin’s “TheRich’s Opera” (CARAVAN RECORDS CAR 023) and Pop Mekhanika’s “INSECT CULTURE” (Solyd Records SLR 0108) were released. Although “INSECT CULTURE” had come out as a record once and it is a CD re-release, thecontents are not old at all. It is wonderful music in which all sounds are united
in the pan of alchemy which took care of each noise.
After “Tragedy in rock style” (Soyuz SZCD 0670-97)(1997), sound track
CD “Two captains 2” (PMC 98001) which the label “Pop Mekhanika” that theSergei Kuryokhin Charity Foundation produces, was released. “Tragedy of arock style” is the work of the director Savva Kulish in 1988. The story of thismovie is that a healthy youth goes into a cult religious group and is soon addicted
to drugs and is ruined. In one scene of this movie, Pop Mekhanika and the rockband “Brigada S” are seen on television.
Although you might think that it does not excel musically if you hear only
the CD, when we see the movie, it is dear how Kuryokhin worked with theimage of the screen. By listening to movie’s music together with an image, it
gives the full effect. Because of this point, this movie’s music can be called
excellent.
For the same reason, we can’t evaluate “Two captains 2” only by CD. In
this movie of Director Sergei Debizhev, Kuryokhin and Grebenshchkov play thetwo captains’ roles. The movie is in monochrome and was made by the remixof an old movie film with new images. The method of this movie is similar tothat of the method of using a quotation from an old popular song and new
fusion from his work in the music of Kuryokhin. Moreover, Kuryokhin himself
explained as follows:“ ‘Two captains 2’ is art. It is a story about Mao Tse-Tung and Chiang
Kaishek not as Chinese but as Siamese twins. This movie begins from the sceneof the concert ‘The rock opposing orgasm.’ The purpose of this movie is provingthat orgasm is not the substance of life, but the origin of life.”
14 Jazz Life, June, 1989, p.38.

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6. AFTER THE DEATH O F KURYOKHIN
In 1997, Library of Almanac “Petropol’” and Sergei Kuryokhin Charity
Foundation published the collection of posthumous works of Kuryokhin Nemoi
svidetel’ [A Silent Witness]. In this 125-page small book, six documents arecontained: “An interview of myself,” the short novel “The travel to Russia”
whose Japanese girl Reiko is one of heroes, the common scenario with the Sergei
Devizhev “The Deformity and the Saint,” the opera scri pt of five curtains “Fivedays of baron Vrangel’s whole life,” the talk with Mikhail Bolotovskii “Children are our future,” the plan document of the series program of television “A
Silent Witness.” And the book cover is decorated by Kuryokhin’s captainfigure in the film “Two captains 2.”
A Silent Witness is a music program on the theme of various people; Louis
Armstrong, Yukio Mishima, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Jean-Paule Sartre, Malcolm X, Guattari, Timothy Leary, Sun Ra, John Cage, Daisetsu Suzuki, Gurdziev... Probably, it would be very surprising show, if this program were realized.
Polystyle of music and composition of a TV program in the same style –the inexhaustible idea was whirling in Kuryokhin. In “An interview of myself,” he spoke about his views on art. Kuryokhin answered the question of
his Christianity: “That’s right. I am an orthodox, although all my whole has
been offered to Kavalla mysticism. I actually found out that it was a mistake toaccept Raimundus Lullus with Great Abraham who created Golem. Because ofthis, all my efforts to create a new race led me to create the Wandering Jew. [...]The Wandering Jew was me. From that moment, I understood: There is only
one universe, and even if we study the macrocosmos as we do with space
aeronautics, we will get nowhere. We built a spaceshi p and made it cruise to
the microcosmos, i.e., the spiritual world inside man. Two hens Myshka andPyshka are steering the spaceshi p. We have the plan to launch a spiritual
satellite. We succeeded in splitting a spiritual atom in the middle of ourresearch. In this way, we came close to the creation of a spiritual atomic bomb.
[Q: the “We” – who is it?] It is me, Dionysius the Areopagite and Napoleon, andGogol’.”The speech of Kuryokhin like the music of “Pop Mekhanika,” juxtaposesvarious ideas from completely different areas and makes combinations which
could not usually exist. Therefore, it gives people a difficult impression. In the
1990s, he was playing an active part as an actor, a singer, a philosopher, a patriot
and a poet in addition to his activity as a musician.15 He was conducting “PopMekhanika” by himself. In 1983 he said about his art: “For me there is adefinite contradiction between art and creative work. Creativity is a spirit, aliberation from the burden of matter, and when the spirit leaves, what is left isa dead work of art,a museum exhibit, an object of worshi p. That’s why I think

15 See his poem: «Ïåñíÿ» // Ïåòðîïîëü 96. Ñ.213.

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that the real essence of art is to be found outside art, but is contained in creative
process. A real artist is always a nonconformist.”16

7. CONCLUSION
I still do not know the whole aspect of Kuryokhin. Probably as time goesby, information about Kuryokhin will appear on television, in movies, CDs andother media. Research on Kuryokhin and his work has just started at last.
We will continuously receive inspiration from Kuryokhin in the manner ofletters in bottles which were thrown in the sea.
The art of Kuryokhin is not jazz, neither is it rock, and it must be evaluatedin the present-day culture of all music. He said: “I am always interested in
the new idea without a precedent, about music, sound, rhythm theory and orchestration. It is not important for me what kind of music it is. Some new idea –‘It’s wonderful! It’s very fresh’ – That feeling is the most important for me.
Continuously meeting a fresh idea – It’s necessary for me.”17
We always must continue to feel music as a fresh thing. Listening to themusic of Kuryokhin is a window to a new appreciation of such freshness.

16 “The Ways of Freedom (Sergei Kuryokhin’s Interview),” Russian Jazz: New
Identity, p.111.
17 Jazz Critique, 1996. No.88, p.267.

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