Nizhnii Novgorod 2004, public newspaper "Nizhnii Nowgorod News", Olga Sahapova

In the Kremlin Hall a concert of the famous jazzman Oleg Kireyev took place.
The Moscow musician brought a special program called “The Tatar Dance”. Kireyev is Bashkirian Tatar by origin, and the ethnic trend is observed in his creative work for long years. The elements of the cultures of different peoples Oleg integrates into the international jazz field.

The Kireyev band staff illustrates this statement: Moldavian Valery Panfilov (guitar), Ukrainian Bictor Matjukhin (bass), Kasan Tatar man Ildar Naphigov (drums), and even man from Senegal Jaga Sambe (percussion). In the program presented there were also session musicians – the soloists of the vocal theatre Renata Ibragimova, Gulshesek Galyamova (vocals) and Talgad Khasenov (flute).

The ethnic appearance of performers (turban hats, long colored frock coats) tuned the emotion of the audience in an exotic way. Gulshesek Galyamova enforced the impression, spoken to the audience in Tatar. This rough language with distinctive muffled “stumbling”, when sounds seem to cave into throat, firstly looks unsuitable for singing. But this delusion disappears right after the flexible chatoyant tunes bring up the free music of lyrics.

That was the feeling when Gulshesek started to sing. Her tender and flighty voice was soloing sometimes being supported by blues harmony, sometimes by exquisite accompaniment weaved by guitar strings rustling, maracas murmur and musicians whispering. Sometimes this fragile music tissue was interrupted by rude sax motives and expressively harsh, even drumming keyboards. In moments like that on the stage empowered the ultimate jazz, so aggressive and a bit importunate.

Besides, ethnic culture was represented by another manner of singing – so called guttural. Oleg Kireyev and Talgad Khasenov uttered with their vocal-cords the most low-pitched sounds of their compass. Their voice timbres wereу merging, producing the sound much alike some hollow growling and squeaking. Khasenov’s playing the Kubyz impressed much (ethnic reed instrument). Nevertheless, all folk effects were not more than an enticement forestalling the next unrestrained jazz flow sweeping away all the amenities of ethno music.