Дискография Валентины Пономаревой

Leo Records LR 136 (GB) 1985 Made in England Front cover photo by E.Malinin Back cover photo by A.Zabrin Design by Chris Gray Special thanks to R.D. Produced by Leo Feigin

FORTUNE-TELLER

Ain't misbehavin' Waller, Brooks, Razaf V.Chekasin - reeds O.Molokoedov - piano G.Laurinavichus - drums L.Shinkarenko - bass Recorder in Leningrad September 1983 7.42 2 Michelle Lennon - McCartney Recorder in Novosibirsk 3 October, 1984 4.42 3 Sheptalki Sofia Gubaydulina Symphony Orchestra Recorder in Moscow, 1985 10.00 4 Invocation of spirit A.Vapirov A.Vapirov - tenor sax S.Kuryokhin - piano, perc I. Galenieks - bass Recorder in Novosibirsk October 1983 8.50 5 Spontaneous composition Kuryokhin, Belichenko, Panasenko, Ponomareva S.Kuryokhin - piano S.Belichenko - drums S.Panasenko - bass, tuba 16.40

     It is difficult to find in Soviet jazz a personality which is more unique and musically universal than the vocalist Valentina Ponomareva. She developed an original style of producing sounds and unique technique of jazz vocal improvising. Smoothness and phonic diversity of her musical language can be compared only with wide aesthetic range of her music, which includes avant-garde styles, traditional jazz scat singing and intonations of Russian and gypsy singing. Valentina Ponomareva is a Russian gypsy. She lives in Moscow, and she has devoted her life to new jazz. Her musical career covers three long periods, and each period has left its mark on her vocal art. The first period is her work with big bands and Leningrad music-hall. Her repertoire consisted mainly of popular jazz standards. 
     The second period during the 70s involved working with a very popular gypsy trio "Romen". The trio gave virtuoso performances of old and contemporary gypsy songs under the accompaniment of guitars. "Romen" travelled widely in Europe and America. Towards the end of the 70s Ponomareva began working with the Soviet musicians of free jazz. Her appearanse on Yaroslavl Jazz Festival in 1980, where she performed with the Vladimir Chekasin Ensemble, created a sensation. Apart from Chekasin the singer works with many Russian avant-gardists, such as Anatoly Vapirov and Sergey Kuryokhin. But non-jazz composers of Russian avant-garde also write music for Valentina Ponomareva. One of the great contemporary Soviet composers Sofia Gubaydulina invited Ponomareva to take part in the premiere of her vocal-instrumental composition "A man and a woman" at the Moscow Phiiharmonie. Masterly technique of jazz scat singing and intensive swing combine in Ponomareva's singing with striking emotional intensity. In her improvisations she uses a variety of ideas and aesthetically diverse musical styles. A musical portrait of Valentina Ponomareva presented here by Leo Records will take a prominent place in the gallery of contemporary vocal art.