Alexander Tsfasman Biography

His artistic personality was very multifaceted: a pianist, composer, conductor, arranger. His concerts gathered full halls, and gramplasts with wonderful dance melodies and songs were passed down from generation to generation. The music of the Tsfasman is still popular. And today we continue to admire his impeccable taste, inexhaustible fantasy, a cascade of amazing, life -affirming melodies.

Alexander Tsfasman was born on December 14, the take -off of the musical career of the young wunderkind was swift. At the age of 12, he received the first award at the regional competition in Nizhny Novgorod for the execution of the most complex Rapsodia of the sheet, at the age of 17 he became the head of the musical part of the Moscow Dramystudiy named after Griboedova, and at the age of 20, organized the first professional jazz team in the country-AMA-Dzhaz Association of Moscow Authors.

Its repertoire consisted mainly of American dance hits that sounded in the processing of the CFASMAN, but also from its own compositions, especially popular among which were the Jimmy Foxtrot, Eccentric Dance and Sky Trite. The performances took place in restaurants, a foyer of cinemas, on pops and even in the Hermitage garden, which was very honorable for a young orchestra.

It is important to note that the Tsfasman led the jazz team, being a student of the Moscow Conservatory, as they say, without interruption from production, which did not prevent him from Alexander Tsfasman became the first jazz professional musician to receive a conservative education. At that time, a similar path to jazz was a rarity. At the beginning of the X Tsfasman, he worked as an accompanist at the Choreographic School of the Bolshoi Theater, where he met young Igor Moiseev.

At his request from the Tsfasman, several choreographic numbers were written for A. Salambo's Ballet, Salambo. And for Asaph Messerer, his neighbor in the apartment on Sretenka, a wonderful number “Football player” was written, which the famous dancer performed for three decades. In the city, it was for the first time that he was recorded in the USSR in the USSR “Hallelujah” - “Seminol” and the first radio broadcast dedicated to Jazz was released.

Tsfasman was married twice. His first wife was an American Gertrude Grandel, a graduate of the Leningrad Conservatory. In his orchestra, she played on Marimbe - an instrument reminiscent of a xylophone. The popularity of Tsfasman was truly popular. Of the reproducers, his delightful tango “you are not here”, “random meeting”, “on a long journey” performed by the orchestra sounded everywhere.

And the magnificent Foxtrot “unsuccessful date” dedicated to Gertrude sang the whole country: “So, it means, tomorrow - in the same place, at the same hour! But this marriage was, unfortunately, short and tragic for the whole family. The war began, and Gertrude decided to leave for America. Tsfasman was forced to divorce his wife, but little Robert and his mother were not released. Having married an American diplomat who worked in Moscow, Gertrude left for her homeland.

The boy was raised by the second wife of Tsfasman, Ksenia Kitin, dancer Music Hall. Tsfasman devoted her a wonderful song “My Love”. From the city of the American newspaper Variety, a review of one of the concerts of this team appeared, which said: “If we take into account that the Russians study only by gramophone records, we must admit that they make miracles in the event of this orchestra to the homeland of Jazz Broadway would be enriched with the best performers of familiar music.” It should be noted that Tsfasman had the opportunity to go to America, the ex -wife offered him “to the homeland of jazz”, but he could not decide on this in the fall of daily musical programs on the air.

In winter, in unheated studios, the musicians played gloves, without removing warm clothes. For four months, more than a hundred concerts were given in military units. It happened that they fell under bombing and artillery shots. In the breaks between the battles, dressed in the camouflage, the musicians played right in the trenches. Tsfasman performed playing on the accordion.

A lot of talented musicians gathered in the orchestra of Tsfasman. Many of them came after him from the old trains of the orchestra. The best Soviet vocalists sang with the orchestra: V. Nechaev, B. Bunchikov, G. Abramov, I. Shmelev, V. Krasovitskaya, R. And when the orchestra returned to Moscow, I. Kozlovsky and C. Tsfasman participated in the recording of music for films. Under his accompaniment, the famous song of N.

The Theological and V. Agatov “The Dark Night” in the film “Two Fighters” sings Mark Bernes. Tsfasman creates one of his best works - “Intermaczo for Clarnet with the Orchestra” - and sends the score of Benny Gudmn, the American “King of the swing”, to whom he was dedicated. Immediately after the war, Soviet jazz began difficult times. Leonid Utyosov called this "the era of administrative extension of saxophones." They said about those who worked in this genre: "Today he plays jazz, and tomorrow he will sell his homeland." In JuneThe memo addressed to the chairman of the radio committee said: “The release of Tsfasman will lead to the improvement of the orchestra, to the fact that we will finally free the orchestra from the hobby of Western jazz, without which the Tsfasman was not banned, rumba, and foxtrots, which were considered“ overseas music ”.

Alexander Tsfasman and his son Robert had almost disappeared from the stage by the end of X jazz. The composers had to look for ways to continue to sound. Tsfasman wrote excellent music for the performance - parodies for American militants "under the rustle of your eyelashes", which for 10 years has been in the theater of dolls Sergey Obraztsov. In the beginning of x, after the death of the “leader of the peoples”, repressed musicians began to return from the camps.

Fortunately, Tsfasman managed to avoid orx fate. Jazz Orchestra formed again. Alexander Tsfasman is becoming the first jazz instrumentalist to whom in the incoming era the “rehabilitation of saxophones” was now awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Republic. He again leads the Hermitage Theater and collects a small instrumental ensemble for new tour and records.

He then wrote a great many romances and popular songs, several piano concerts. His cheerful compositions “Funny evening”, “joyful day”, “dancing fingers”, etc. appear. Maybe it was fatigue or creative crisis, and perhaps he began to feel that the framework of the genre has grown out. ” According to his son, by that time his father was tired of fighting the system that was constantly “crushing” on him, was disappointed in modern composers.

Left alone, he increasingly sat down at the instrument and played Rachmaninov. Tsfasman acquired the cottage that served him as “outlet”, and at every opportunity went to where he played tennis in the bosom of nature and bred his favorite roses. He was talented in everything. Come in, look at the beauties! Somewhere after G. how mushrooms after the rain arose vocal and instrumental ensembles.

The world "fell ill" with rock music. In his favorite business, Tsfasman could no longer be in demand in full force. The departure from the “King of Jazz” by Alexander Tsfasman was too early. He was only 64 years old, he died in Moscow on February 20, the native heart could not stand it, he was strong -willed, strict, extremely demanding in his work.

Jazz knew thoroughly. They could do in it absolutely everything without the owner, unable to withstand his death, they quickly faded. There were only memories and the unique music of Tsfasman, which now delights people. The old site of our newspaper with purchases and subscriptions that you made on it can find here:.