And all that jazz …
The events in Bishkek of April 7th, 2010, had a number of unfortunate consequences.
Of course, the chief of these was the untimely deaths of over eighty people … most seem to have been in the thirties, but some were noticeably older, and not necessarily the typical image of “rent-a-mob” … and the injuries suffered by the one and half thousand other causalities.
Then there was the damage suffered by the shops and businesses which were raided and looted as the evening progressed.
Apart from that, most of the attention seems to have been centered on the political consequences: the fall of yet another post-Soviet government and the flight into exile of yet another former President. How would the new interim government face up to the challenges of taking power, authority and responsibility? What decisions would they take to bring stability, political, economic and social stability, to the country?
Working in Tourism, for example, I was particularly concerned with the effect that the events might have on the Tourist season. It sometimes seems that, for almost the whole of the first decode of the twenty first century, Kyrgyz tourism has faced uncertainty and difficulty arising out of one issue or another: the Batken events of 1999 and 2000, the downturn in foreign travel following 9/11, especially in 2002; various health scares such as SARS (in 2003), Bird Flu (in 2005) and Swine Flu (in 2009); the Tulip Revolution of 2005; the global economic crisis of 2009 … now the Easter Revolution. Of course we expect the number of arrivals to the country to fall this year. After all, no-one wants to visit a country which occasionally erupts into violence leaving over 80 dead and something like 1500 casualties.
I’m sure it will also make it more difficult to get investors or contractors interested in any project in the country. All that hard work that went into improving the investment environment and the country’s ranking in the World Bank’s “Doing Business” Survey will have been undone. There is a saying that I often quote to my staff when looking at the balance sheet and cashflow, “Cash is King”, but there is also another saying: “Cash is coward”. Just like tourists that have the world at their feet, investors can pick and choose their projects and something like social, economic or political unrest is sure to chase tourists, investors and businessmen away.
One of the other unforeseen, unfortunate, effects of the revolution was the cancellation of one of the new high spots on the cultural calendar: the annual Bishkek Jazz festival.
Now, I am not exactly a great aficionado of Jazz, Although it is usually easy to identify Classical, Rap and Heavy Metal, I often have difficulty trying to place artists, in the musical genre into which they belong – Jazz, Blues, R&B, Rock, Pop, and so on. I do “know what I like”, however, and I enjoy listening to a wide variety of music, either as a sort of background music or attending a live concert.
When I was growing up, I didn’t have a very impression of Jazz … I associated it with “beatnicks” and I found the improvisations difficult to cope with.
However, my brother once brought home a new addition to his record collection … an album by Dave Brubeck, which struck me as odd when I listened to it because it didn’t quite fit in with the rest of his collection, but then he also had quite a wide range taste of music which combined Motown and the Rolling Stones. I was quite taken with the Brubeck album and it was only later in life that I realized I was listening to Jazz.
Over the years I have been surprised how many artists that I like listening listening to are classified as Jazz musicians … and I have been to several venues here where I have been quite impressed with the performances of both cover versions and original music.
For the Record: The Bishkek Jazz Festival has been operating since 2006 and has demonstrated that there is a wide interest in jazz in Kyrgyzstan.The three day event is held in Spring, (during April) and in previous years has brought together Jazz musicians from as far afield as France, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, the United States and Uzbekistan – as well as some of the more well known jazz ensembles from Kyrgyzstan.Supported by the Swiss Cooperation Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, (part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC – which has been supporting cultural events in Kyrgyzstan since 1998 – especially through their “Music without Borders” program); and also the embassies of France, Germany and Hungary; the Goethe Institute Almaty and the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Kyrgyz Republic Indeed, visitors to Bishkek’s cafes and restaurants are often surprised by the live entertainment which is sometimes provided – especially at weekends. The type of music on offer varies depending on the location, but Jazz is often a common feature. One reason for this may well be that in Soviet times there was a specialist Jazz school in the city – which nurtured interest and the development of talent.
Bishkek Jazz Festival
Despite this, the journalist Mark Sabbatini in his search to find jazz musicians in the world’s most unlikely places, found there was little awareness of Jazz during his visit to Bishkek. A little surprised by this, he commented “It’s not like Kyrgyzstan people need to learn jazz fundamentals”. Techniques of the country’s traditional music, such as changing rhythms and versatility, are embraced by masters such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Chick Corea, according to the Kyrgyz instrumentalist Kurmangazi Azykbaev. (You can find his account of his visit at: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=23984)
He eventually found what he was looking for at Doka Pizza in Bishkek – where there are regular performances by the resident quintet – and occasional visiting bands. There are some other venues that, apparently, he didn’t come across: Tequila Blues (Sunday is “Jazz and Blues” night), Doka Pizza, the Cafe “Classic” and the 191 bar at the Hyatt.
The local group “Salt Peanuts” performs in many of the Bishkek venues and, according to one commentator, is “The best jazz band in Central Asia”.
As I said, I was quite looking forward to the event this year, which was due to feature artists from Europe, (from Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland) and Central Asia, (from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). The programme included both concerts and more informal “jam” sessions and was supported by a host of international organizations, as well as a wide range of local ones.
Unfortunately, it was planned for the weekend of April 9th, 10th and 11th, and because of the events in the week leading up to this, the borders were closed and most of the performers were not able to enter the country.
So, although we are going to have to wait a year until the next festival, at least we know that there are plenty of other opportunities and venues to enjoy an evening of Jazz in the meantime.
Edlar Djangirov's website
Kyrgyzstan has a number of jazz musicians who have received acclaim on the world stage. One is the pianist Edlar Djangirov who emigrated to Kansas City in the US when he was nine and now lives in New York.
When He was 5 years old, Eldar began studying music with his mother, Tatiana, who taught music history at a college in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and once tried to play Mozart in different chords.
He grew up in his early years in a home which was filled with the sounds of jazz. His father, Emil, was a professor of mechanical engineering at a university in Kyrgyzstan for almost 30 years, was a jazz enthusiast who brought home every jazz record he could find when he was traveling in the former Soviet Union. One day he played a few notes of a simple jazz tune, “C-Jam Blues” and was astonished when his son repeated the tune, note for note.
As Eldar studied jazz and got better and better, people began to take note. It was while playing at the Novosibirsk jazz festival in Russia in the summer of 1996 that Eldar met an American jazz enthusiast from New York whose friendship would result in opportunities for Eldar. Charles McWhorter, a retired lawyer, heard Eldar play and offered a scholarship to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. Eldar spent the summers of 1998 and 1999 studying at Interlochen.
At the 1999 camp session, he performed his own jazz composition entitled “Meetings and Partings”. The piece was well received, but it was a bittersweet moment for him because McWhorter had recently died and Eldar dedicated the piece to his memory.
He quickly gained a reputation and was featured on the National Public Radio (NPR) Piano Jazz radio show at the age of 11. He released two albums independently (Eldar and Handprints) and then landed a contract with a major label (Sony Classical) with whom he has released another 3 albums and he had received a Grammy nomination – for the album Re-Imagination – all before he was old enough to have a drink.
He has worked with a number of famous musicians such as John Patitucci, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove and Chris Botti.Appearing at many festivals, on national TV shows and touring throughout North America and Asia, (with appearances at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and many notable jazz venues around the world), he has received a number of glowing reviews.Eldar currently lives in New York City. You can find more information and listen to some of his music at his website
Bishkek