Although he was born and raised in the former Soviet Union, Igor Butman’s life was destined to have an American flavor to it.
His father was, of all things, a drummer in a Dixieland jazz band, the best in all of Leningrad. The opportunities to listen to and play jazz were few, but the young Butman found them.
He studied the clarinet, then the saxophone, growing up to become perhaps the most famous jazz musician in all of Russia. He is often called the Russian Wynton Marsalis and was a favorite of President Clinton.
Butman, 47, is a true celebrity in Russia, a one-person entertainment enterprise. He is a cultural ambassador, bandleader, owner of a jazz club, television host and celebrity in his homeland. He is the face of jazz in Russia.
His father was, of all things, a drummer in a Dixieland jazz band, the best in all of Leningrad. The opportunities to listen to and play jazz were few, but the young Butman found them.
He studied the clarinet, then the saxophone, growing up to become perhaps the most famous jazz musician in all of Russia. He is often called the Russian Wynton Marsalis and was a favorite of President Clinton.
Butman, 47, is a true celebrity in Russia, a one-person entertainment enterprise. He is a cultural ambassador, bandleader, owner of a jazz club, television host and celebrity in his homeland. He is the face of jazz in Russia.
