Simon Nabatov

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Simon Nabatov in Freiburg, 2014

Simon Nabatov (born January 11, 1959 in Moscow as Semjon Leonidowitsch Nabatow ) is an American pianist of Russian origin who primarily plays jazz.

Live and act

Nabatov, who grew up in a family of musicians, began taking violin lessons at the age of three and then piano lessons at the age of four. He is said to have written his first compositions at the age of six. As a child, his father took him to concerts by Duke Ellington (1971) and the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra (1972). After a classical education at the Moscow Conservatory in 1976, Nabatov emigrated with his parents to New York City via Vienna and Rome . Since 1989 he has also lived in Europe, primarily in Cologne .

Parallel to his studies at the Juilliard School of Music from 1980 to 1984, Nabatov worked as a jazz musician. There were recordings and concerts with many renowned musicians such as B. Paul Motian , Tony Scott , Paul Horn , Barry Altschul , Billy Hart , David Murray , Mark Feldman , Chet Baker , Kenny Wheeler , Arto Tunçboyacıyan and Ed Schuller .

For several years Nabatov was a member of the quartets of Perry Robinson , Ray Anderson , Arthur Blythe and Alfred Harth as well as the Klaus König Orchestra and Eckard Koltermanns Collage 11 . He appeared regularly in a duo with Han Bennink , with Tom Rainey and with Nils Wogram (with Wogram also in a quartet). In the trio he played with Ernst Reijseger and Michael Vatcher on the one hand, but also with Wolfgang Schlüter and Charly Antolini on the other . His own projects (from solo performances to octets) are also documented on CD. His engagement with the literature of Mikhail Bulgakov and especially with Joseph Brodsky and Daniil Kharms , in which the texts are congenially interpreted by Phil Minton , is particularly striking .

Nabatov also led to him written chamber works on such as the Piano Concerto for "Baba" by Kenny Werner . He has also recorded George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Rolf Liebermann's Concerto for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra .

As an improviser and composer, Nabatov amazes with his confident handling of the material from the world of jazz and classical piano literature: the playful use of it, constant transformation and reshaping, the alternation between seriousness and irony give this eclectic music as much openness as it is artistry. Highly virtuoso nested piano runs and brutally rhythmic clusters alternate with quiet sound studies à la Morton Feldman , without completely denying the tradition of a Bud Powell .

He taught at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen (1989–1991), the International Jazz and Rock Academy in Remscheid (1991–93) and from 1998 to 2001 at the Lucerne School of Music .

Prizes and awards

As a pianist he has won numerous awards: In 1984 he won the Keyboard Magazine and Berklee College of Music competition and in 1985 the International Great Jazz Pianist Competition in Jacksonville . In 1987 he received the National Endowment for the Arts award and in 1989 he was a winner of the French Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition .

Discographic notes

Lexical entry

Web links

Commons : Simon Nabatov  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Nabatov, Simon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nabatow, Semjon Leonidowitsch
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American pianist (jazz)
DATE OF BIRTH January 11, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Moscow