Alexander Vinitsky: biography, jazz music and guitar playing

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Alexander Vinitsky is a popular domestic composer and guitarist. He is famous for his unique style of performance and original repertoire. Experts call his style jazz played on the guitar. Vinnitsky is considered a representative of the classical music school, while he combines it with the possession of a wide variety of jazz styles. One of his key creative features is the ability to keep jazz details in his compositions throughout their sound. At the same time, the viewer has a strong feeling that not one guitar is playing, but two, besides, they are accompanied by a double bass. In this article, we will talk about his biography and creative career.

Childhood and youth

Alexander Vinitsky was born in 1950. He was born in Omsk. His parents loved music, they instilled this passion in their son. Already a teenager, being under the strong influence of his older brother Victor, the hero of our articlestarted playing the saxophone. Interested in jazz music, he learned to play the trumpet at a music school.

An important moment for Alexander Vinitsky was the day when he picked up his father's guitar. Somehow he tried to play a familiar melody on it, after which he could no longer part with it.

At first, Sasha learned to play the guitar on his own, having mastered the basic techniques of handling a classical guitar with nylon strings. Then he joined a dance group, where he began performing with an electric guitar.

At the beginning of the creative path

From childhood, Alexander knew that he would devote his life to creativity. He listened to music constantly, did not miss a single significant concert in the city. He studied from tape recordings, trying to reproduce the improvisations he liked, the themes, chords that famous musicians took. His "teachers" at a distance were Benson and Pass, Montgomery and Hall.

Also Alexander Vinitsky was inspired by jazz pianists - Peterson, Brubeck, Garner, Evans, saxophonists - Goetz, Desmond, Mulligan.

After school, the hero of our article decides to enter the Polytechnic Institute. However, he does not leave music lessons. Moreover, in the student years they become even more intense. Constantly playing the classical guitar, Alexander Vinitsky performs with dance and jazz pieces.

At the Polytechnic Institute, he leads the institute's ensemble, which includes a vocal and instrumental quartet. writes himselfarrangements, trying to remake jazz melodies for classical guitar. Together with his older brother, who plays the saxophone, he performs at major jazz festivals in Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk.

With the guitar without parting

In 1974, Alexander Iosifovich Vinitsky was called up to serve in the Soviet armed forces. Here he continues to develop his skills.

The hero of our article plays in a military band. He specializes in classical and bass guitar.

Returning to civilian life, he enters a music school in Sverdlovsk. Alexander is now studying classical guitar. In his student years, he not only does not interrupt his concert activity, but begins to perform even more often than before. He creates a jazz and guitar club in the city, his music is constantly heard on the local radio station and TV channels.

Theatrical career

In 1980, guitarist Alexander Vinitsky was invited to work at the Omsk Drama Theater as a music director. He spends the next five years of his career creating sound effects and musical scores for plays.

During this time he manages to compose music for 7 performances, in total he works on more than 30 productions. The ability to master the widest possible range of musical styles, as well as the constantly changing nature of his work, make him a versatile musician.

Moving to Moscow

The acquaintance with Elena Kamburova, which happened in 1985, becomes important in his career. She invites him to come to the capital, to start collaborating with her group as an arranger and guitarist. Vinitsky decides not to miss this chance.

It is important that he not only works in Moscow, but also continues to improve his musical education. To do this, in 1986 he entered the Gnessin Academy. Studying at the Faculty of Variety Art.

During this period, he pays special attention to the history of jazz, jazz arrangements and harmony. At the same time, he continues to hone his performance on the guitar of classical works.

In collaboration with Elena Kamburova, she writes arrangements for many of her songs. Some of them are included in the singer's album "Let Silence Fall", which was released by the Soviet recording company Melodiya in 1987.

While working with Kamburova, Alexander Vinitsky's notes for guitar are in demand in many works of that period. He also writes concert compositions in a jazz style on the themes of Gershwin, Jobim, Zavinula, Rogers. As a result, he develops his own author's program, which includes music from a variety of jazz styles.

Author's program

In 1988, the hero of our article for the first time presents it to the public at the classical guitar festival, which takes place in Lublin, Poland. It was then that foreign listeners became aware of the name Alexander Vinitsky.

In the same periodof his work, the hero of our article pays great attention to arranging the guitar. An important feature of his work is the use of rhythmic structures, which he uses throughout the composition along with melodic lines. Vinitsky is also recognized by the characteristic "walking" bass of his works. At the same time, his thumb performs the function of a double bass, and the rest replace the musicians of the whole orchestra.

In his author's works on the guitar, Alexander Vinitsky always strives to maintain a constant pulsation, as well as melodic lines. As a result, his guitar melodies sound like a whole trio of musicians.

He develops his own unique style. Experts note that its implementation requires a serious classical music school, a large amount of knowledge of jazz music, and exceptional mastery of the instrument. Vinitsky regularly performs at jazz festivals, delighting the audience with his solo performances. People get acquainted with his work at major competitions in Yekaterinburg, Petrozavodsk, Kyiv, Donetsk, Voronezh.

Solo album

In 1991, the notes of Alexander Vinitsky form the basis of his solo album "Green Quiet Light", which is released by the recording studio "Melody". It includes such well-known works of his as "I'm waiting for the news", "Time Travel", "Metamorphoses", the composition "Green Quiet Light",which gave the title to the album. In addition, the disc featured his arrangements of melodies by Bonff, Jobim, Almeida's piece.

In 1993, Vinitsky left the country for a while. At first he lives in Szczecin, Poland, where he works at the local Youth Cultural Center. Then he moves to Krakow. In Poland, the hero of our article is actively teaching, performing and composing.

Records his solo concert on local television, which is then repeatedly broadcast. After performing at one of the foreign festivals, Vinitsky comes to the attention of the French music publishing house LEMOINE, with which Alexander signs a personal contract. In 1995, two of his albums were released in France at once. Their names can be translated into Russian as "On the way to jazz" and "Lonely voice".

Work in Krakow

In 1996, two of his solo audio cassettes were released in Krakow. On them he performs compositions of his own composition of recent years. A little later, another Krakow publishing house published four more of his works. Among them are "Christmas songs for two and three guitars" and "Arrangements for guitar of works by Strauss, Schubert and Beethoven".

In this Polish city, Alexander regularly performs at the local popular jazz club called "U Muniak", where he soon becomes a real star. He regularly gives master classes and solo concerts, takes a place on the jury of the prestigious musical Krakowfestival.

Return to Russia

After spending several years abroad, Vinitsky returned to Moscow in 1996. He continues to perform at festivals, gives solo concerts, writes his own music.

In the same year, an important event in his musical career takes place. The Belgian publishing house publishes his jazz suite for children "Carousel".

In 1997, Alexander's solo disc was born in France with compositions that he performs exclusively on the guitar. This album includes not only his author's works, but also arrangements of works by Bonff, Jobim, Baird, Gilberto. At the same time, his album "Yellow Camel" was released in Israel, which was re-released in Moscow three years later.

Followed by his joint album with saxophonist Oleg Kireev, music collections "Jazz Preludes and Blues" and "Jazz Exercises and Etudes". The collection "Children's Jazz Album" is released, which becomes an important part of his seminars on playing jazz music on the guitar. Vinitsky lectures on this topic in Russia and abroad.

Among the subsequent albums of the musician should be noted the records "5 compositions on Jewish themes", "Jazz Aria", "Suite in Jazz Style".

Teaching activities

In recent years, Vinitsky concentrated on teaching. He lectures at the Gnessin Academy in the class of classical guitar.

Taught in Estonian Tartu for a whilearranging skill. His annual master classes and seminars regularly attract a large number of listeners.

Moreover, he has several proprietary programs that have been used by numerous students around the world for many years.