Latest news with #IgorButmanQuartet
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
From Russia with Resonance: Igor Butman Quartet's Triumph at CTIJF 2025
Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers Among the many great performances at the 2025 Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the Igor Butman Quartet carved out a space entirely their own — a realm defined by dazzling virtuosity and the profound art of musical conversation. This performance stood among the most outstanding of the festival. For Igor Butman, Russia's world-renowned tenor saxophonist, playing at this iconic gathering fulfilled a long-held dream. Speaking ahead of his set, he described the opportunity to perform at the CTICC as a 'dream come true.' That sense of awe and gratitude infused the evening — a set that transcended technical brilliance and became a living testament to music's universal spirit. At 63, Butman performed with stamina and expressive breadth that defied expectation. His saxophone tone shifted seamlessly between mischievous play, aching nostalgia, and jubilant celebration — sometimes all within a single phrase. So many dizzying ingredients, so many energetic yet tendered bursts, that one was left wondering whether Butman was not receiving his oxygen and life force from some otherworldly source. He was joined by a trio of fellow maestros: Oleg Akkuratov (piano and vocals), Nikolay Zatolochny (double bass), and Eduard Zizak (drums). Together they fashioned a music of dialogue — listening, teasing, provoking, and elevating one another's ideas with intuitive mastery. Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers The set opened with "Falling Out", a spirited, mock argument between piano and saxophone — a musical skirmish that established the night's ethos of lively, unfolding conversation. Soon after, the quartet paid tribute to Russian popular memory with a high-energy interpretation of a beloved childhood animation theme. The piece was underpinned with intricate complexity, a fast-paced, almost march-like beat merging with soaring, high-energy saxophone runs. Butman's phrasing captured both innocence and sophisticated wit, while Akkuratov's piano painted vivid flashes of nostalgia. Zizak's drumming provided the kinetic heart of the evening — explosive yet precise, elastic yet controlled. His dynamic sensitivity gave the quartet's music urgency without ever overpowering its inner lyricism. A soulful rendering of "Mississippi Dreams" revealed the group's lyrical tenderness. Akkuratov's velvet-fingered piano wove meditative, resonant lines across the soundscape, while Zatolochny's bass shaped the harmonic ground with understated authority. Blind from birth, Akkuratov's playing rose from a profound internal vision, sculpting emotion into every phrase. Midway through the performance, Akkuratov took the microphone to sing a slow Russian ballad. His voice, both fragile and resilient, carried the melody with understated sincerity. As the piece unfolded, the quartet's improvisational energy gradually transformed the texture: the ballad, initially tender and solemn, was underpinned by a reconstructive swing feel, infused with a rising pulse of high-energy rhythms and intricate interplay. This reconstruction allowed the piece to breathe and evolve, lifting it from its melancholic origins into a vibrant, shifting exploration. Later, a slow, saxophone-led piece, an original titled Nostalgia, unfolded with aching beauty. Butman's long, shimmering lines suspended time itself, floating over Akkuratov's delicate piano voicings and Zatolochny's lyrical bass murmurs. Nostalgia was followed by "I Love You Baby", another vivid showcase intercepted with magnificent solos, allowing each musician to stretch, provoke, and reflect in turn. In a moving gesture of connection to the Cape Town audience, Akkuratov also sang Malaika, the beloved Swahili love song. His careful pronunciation and heartfelt delivery created a rare moment of unguarded communion, a bridge between continents built through pure feeling. Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers The climactic moment arrived with Buratino — the Russian adaptation of Pinocchio. The quartet hurled themselves into a whirlwind of sound, Butman's saxophone darting and spiralling with gleeful abandon, Zizak's drumming erupting in controlled, volcanic bursts. The piece was frenetic, intricate, and exhilarating — a masterclass in creative abandon harnessed by sharp intellect. Throughout the evening, Zatolochny's bass grounded the ensemble's most daring flights with melodic strength and rhythmic surety, his playing the invisible architecture supporting the music's ever-changing forms. The Igor Butman Quartet achieved luminous artistry rarely encountered: transforming a concert into a living act of conversation — playful, profound, and intellectually exhilarating. Their performance stood as a radiant affirmation of jazz's highest purpose: to create living spaces where memory, imagination, culture, and spirit converge. Among the many voices and visions at the 2025 Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the Igor Butman Quartet lit up a space with world-class artistry that will not be easily forgotten. By Gillian Schutte
IOL News
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Jazzy affair: Renowned Russian saxophonist, Igor Butman, wows jazz lovers at CTIJF 2025
Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers Jazz aficionados made sure that they didn't miss out on the lively sounds of renowned Russian saxophonist, Igor Butman, as he took to the Rosies Stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) last night (Saturday, April 26). Together with his quartet, which includes Oleg Akkuratov (piano), Nikolay Zatolochny (double bass) and Eduard Zizak (drums), they delivered an electrifying performance at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Lovers of all things jazz are well acquainted with the skill needed to allow for improvisation in music performances. Jazz artists are known for having that expert ear, and musicality, as they would take a rhythm and pass it along to each other - all while keeping their performance beautifully blended. Jazz music thrives through musicianship; this level of skill was on display during Butman and his quartet's performance. Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers Many people in the audience couldn't help but tap along, and groove in their seats, as the melodic sounds rang out on the Rosies Stage, even prompting numerous instances of applause. Addressing the crowd, Butman said: 'We're thankful to Dr (iqbal) Survé for inviting us to this great Cape Town International Jazz Festival…We're very happy to be here in South Africa.' Their music programme featured hits from more than 10 of his albums, and he also told audiences that they were going to be playing some jazz standards, alongside the original material. Ahead of his performance, the globally renowned musician explained in an exclusive interview with 'Independent Media' that performing at the gathering is a 'dream come true.' 'So far, I am loving it, and I was here for the first time three months ago when I visited for a vacation and to do some sightseeing.' He believes that the event 'is a great idea to get all the music lovers to get together and to see the best musicians in the world, to share the music and to share the culture.' Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kurger/Independent Newspapers With a career as a jazz musician which extends decades, he has performed for world leaders, including former US president Bill Clinton, who referred to Butman as his favourite saxophonist. He said that performing for the likes of Clinton as well as other presidents was a 'big responsibility' but he hopes to touch the souls of all those who listen to his music. Local musician, Brathew van Schalkwyk, 27, often leaves many Capetonians impressed with his musicianship when he plays at a familiar wine bar. He was in attendance at Butman's show and was impressed by what he heard. 'I've heard of Igor Butman, but I've never heard his music, and so seeing them here tonight at the CTIJF - especially in Rosies as it has good sound… (You can see) the chops of the cats. You can tell these are highly-skilled musicians,' Van Schalkwyk said. Igor Butman Quartet on the Rosies stage during the 22nd Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Image: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers 'The sounds that Igor gets, the tone of the bassist and the pianist is just phenomenal. He has got chops for days, and he's got a really nice voice. 'It was a really long journey, but it was a journey worth taking because you get inspired by things like this, and that's kind of been the whole thing with coming to the CTIJF.' Van Schalkwyk said that they definitely need to come back to Cape Town again, to do more workshops - like they did recently - just to 'spread it even further cause we can learn from them, and they can learn from us'.
