Artist description This compact disc represents a smaal portion of Edward Kalendar's output of original jazz music. Kalendar's style is a unique fusion lyrical melodic lines, fast-paced dense harmonies, and lively complex rhythms which often reveal the composer's central Asian roots. Yet, having drawn life-long inspiration from such jazz greats as Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Errol Garner and Antonio Carlos Jobim, Kalendar's music lies squarely within jazz mainstream.

Music Style Jazz

Musical Influences Oscar Peterson

Artist History In 1941, Billy Strayhorn composed what was to become the Duke Elington Ban’s theme song, “Take the A Train”. Halfway around the globe that same year, Edward Kalendar, the future jazz composer and pianist was born in the former Soviet Union. Kalendar spent his early years in Lvov, Ukraine and it was there at the age of eight he heard jazz music for the first time. During the 50s, appreciation and performance of jazz in the Soviet Union was dangerous and unpatriotic activity. Despite official disapproval, Kalendar nurtured his love for the genre by memorizing jazz performances that Voice of America broadcast late at night on the radio. In 1959, he entered the piano class of Joseph Warsawsky. One year later, he was studying classical composition at Tashkent conservatory, first with Albert Malachov and later with Boris Zeidman. In 1965, Kalendar went to Moscow to supliment his composision study with Aram Khachaturian. While still a conservatory student in 1964, he had formed and conducted underground big band made up of fellow jazz enthusiasts; the band met unofficially for seven years. In 1967, he was appointed conductor of the Uzbekistan Radio Orchestra. At the same time his career as a composer began to blossom. Over the next ten years, his music was broadcast frequently on radio and television throughout Soviet Union and in Europe, and by 1975 he had achieved widespread popular acclaim as a songwriter and composer of film scores. In the late 60s the Soviet government began to relax its official policy toward jazz As a result, Kalendar participated in the first jazz festivals in the Soviet Union. Edward Kalendar has also written a large body of symphonic, choral, chamber music and over one hundred children’s songs. He and his wife reside in Great Neck, New York.

Group Members Piano: Edward Kalendar Alto saxophone: Chasy Dean

Instruments Piano, Alto Saxophone

Location Leonia, NJ - USA

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