The odds of young talent succeeding at any task are greatly enhanced by the presence of an effective support system. And that’s precisely what 19-year-old tenor saxophonist Makar Kashitsyn has at his disposal on his debut recording, Jazz Animals. Because of Kashitsyn’s willingness to defer to his highly skilled accompanists on a regular basis, rather
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A transplanted New Yorker originally from Moscow, Kashitsyn is clearly important to the folks behind St. Petersburg-based Rainy Days Records, for whom giving Russian jazz artists an international platform is a primary mission. As such, they’ve surrounded him with five strong comrades: drummer/producer Sasha Mashin; arranger and composer (of the tricky, beguiling “Song for Chad”) Nikita Mochalin; commanding bassist Makar Novikov; quick-fingered pianist/keyboardist Alexey Podymkin; and the spectacularly gifted guitarist Alexey Polubabkin, who grabs the spotlight and doesn’t let go on his three tracks, especially “Our Song,” in which his solo is sexy and swaggering.
But just as key are tenor saxophonist and literal Kashitsyn tutor Chad Lefkowitz-Brown and flamboyant trumpet/flugelhorn pro Josh Evans, both of Christian McBride’s New Jawn Quartet; and Dutch singer Hiske Oosterwijk, whose atmospheric yet swinging vocalizations add immeasurably to the final three cuts.
And Kashitsyn? His songwriting chops show genuine promise, with the joyful, propulsive “Going to Ekaterinburg” and “Phone Call,” marked by some tricky dynamic shifts, earning top honors. His playing, meanwhile, is intuitive and persuasive, as on “Confession,” when he responds to showy features by Evans and Lefkowitz-Brown with a passionate expression of his own. Consider it a harbinger. — Michael Roberts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu2kMhx6d_s