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It all started in a Russian Conservatory for Music in St. Petersburg...
Classically trained from the early age of five, Ruslan has been exposed to and fascinated by music from the beginning. Worlds away from the birthplace of the jazz art form, at seventeen he discovered the great recordings of Count Basie, Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald and, later, such greats as Jimmy Blanton, Charlie Parker, Oscar Pettiford, Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, Monk and Bud Powell. Ruslan decided to take up the acoustic bass not long after discovering this intriguing genre of music, while attending the Mussorgsky College of Music. At twenty-four he formed his own group and began performing around the St. Petersburg area. Soonafter, he joined Gennady Goldstein's band. The excitement of performing live further intensified his drive, and the allure of the faraway jazz epicenter known to him only through old records and movies became impossible to resist.
In 1999 with bass in hand, Ruslan made his way to New York City and was performing in clubs around town within a week of his arrival. Well-received at clubs such as Smalls, Fat Cat, Smoke, Kavehaz, and Swing 46 (where he worked with the Kent Glenn Big Band and Trio), Ruslan has been keeping busy.
He performs regularly with the Valery Ponomarev Quintet and Big Band and has also had opportunity to sit in with such greats as Jimmy Cobb, Hank Jones, Frank Wess and Louis Hayes. Ruslan has also had the honor of recording with the great Clark Terry.
Augmenting the role of the sideman with his keen ear for composing, Ruslan's truest musical talent is made richly apparent--his melodic and swinging compositions speak for themselves, as well as his natural gift for writing arrangements.
The results of these efforts are available for listening here onthis site.
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