Take Five With Ark Ovrutski

AAJ Staff

Contributor since 1995

Various staff members.

Recent articles (1,149 total)

Published: December 7, 2010

Meet Ark Ovrutski:
Ark started building his career in Kiev,Ukraine. By the time he graduated Kiev music college and moved to Moscow where he graduated Russian Academy of music in 1992. In the mid-1990s, Ark left Moscow and relocated to Poland, where he became highly-regarded through performances in multiple groups. From then, Ark's performance and recording credits include Zbiegniew Namyslowski, Piotr Baron,Piotr Wojtasik, Joachim Mencel, Adam Pieronczyk, Kazimerz Jonkisz In 2002, Ark independently released New Age, his debut recording as a solo artist that was comprised of performances by the Moscow local musicians on a collection of original compositions.

In 2003 he graduated Berklee Summer Program in Italy, and the Advanced Performance Program at The Drummers Collective, NYC in 2005. Since then, Ark has had a busy career freelancing with many of the great jazz musicians from many generations, including Curtis Fuller Curtis Fuller
b.1934
trombone , Carmen Lundy Carmen Lundy
b.1954
vocal , Mark Soskin Mark Soskin
b.1953
piano , Steve Williams Steve Williams
b.1956
drums , Larry Willis Larry Willis
b.1942
piano , Javon Jackson Javon Jackson
b.1965
saxophone , Steve Slagle Steve Slagle
b.1951
sax, alto , JD Walter JD Walter

vocal , Duduka Da Fonseca Duduka Da Fonseca

drums , Patience Higgins Patience Higgins
, Gerald Hayes, Michiel Borstlap Michiel Borstlap

piano , Tecora Rogers Tecora Rogers

vocal , Cynthia Scott Cynthia Scott

vocal , Jim Rotondi Jim Rotondi

trumpet ,Will Boulware, Donald Edwards Donald Edwards
, and James Spaulding James Spaulding
b.1937
sax, alto .

Ark has been living in New York since 2005, but as a lifelong component of the Russia, Ukraine and NYC music community, Ark has always returned to his roots, regardless of where his musical endeavors have taken him abroad, and his most recent venture is a recording project by the Ark Ovrutski Band, called Sounds of Brazil,featuring Grammy Award-winning drummer Duduka Da Fonseca, pianist Helio Alves Helio Alves

piano and two great flute and sax players, Craig Handy Craig Handy
b.1962
saxophone and Jorge Continetino, performing a unique blend of different styles of jazz, Brazilian grooves, original melodies and contemporary arrangements.

Besides his busy performance schedule, Ark has been running the International Kiev Jazz Academy, intensive performance project, since 2006. Guest artists of that clinic have included Steve Slagle, Kim Plainfield Kim Plainfield
, Frank Lacy Frank Lacy
, Gregory Porter Gregory Porter
b.1971
vocal , Mark Soskin, Joe Ford Joe Ford
b.1947
saxophone , James Spaulding, Ryan Kohan, Cynthia Scott and others. In May 2010 Ark received his Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at Rutgers University, NJ (double-bass major under Pr. Mike Richmond Mike Richmond
b.1948 , and composition minor under Pr. Stanley Cowell Stanley Cowell
b.1941
piano ).

Home: Brooklyn, NY.

Instrument(s):
Bass.

Teachers and/or influences?
Mike Richmond, Bob Cranshaw Bob Cranshaw
b.1932
bass , Victor Lewis Victor Lewis
b.1950
drums , Stanley Cowell, Larry Gray Larry Gray
.