Oleksandr Olesnevych

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it is probably the only music genre which is still evolving. I was first exposed to jazz... long time ago :). I met John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, to name a few, who autographed albums, photos and/or tickets for me after concerts. I've attended many very good jazz performances, and it's not easy for me to say which ones I liked best. Here are some shows definitely worth mentioning: Grover Washington, Jr. at Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC, 1998; George Benson in 2015 and Jamie Cullum in 2018, both at Leopolis (Alfa) Jazz Fest. The first jazz record I bought was a long play of Louis Armstrong. My advice to new listeners: always listen to quality music on quality equipment. The choice for Ukraine on your web site is limited to Kyiv and Odessa only. You definitely need to add Lviv to this short list. It is the city I come from :). Most importantly, it is the venue of Leopolis Jazz Fest (until recently, Alpha Jazz Fest), one of the best jazz festivals in Europe. This year the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary. Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 epidemic, it has been postponed until 2021. The first headliner announced for the next year is Seal.