(Kostroma, Russia)
My Baby’s Blues Band
The US takes the credit for the birth of jazz, blues and rockabilly, but a group called My Baby’s Blues Band from Kostroma, Russia hopes to take the credit for successfully intertwining the three genres. With Dan Martynov on the trumpet, Nikita Bulls on guitar, Alexander Aladyshev’s vocals, Ivan Protasov on bass guitar, Yuri Monks on the keyboard, Vitaly Piskarev on drums, Andrew Lavrenenko on the trombone, and Oleg Shtanko on the saxophone, My Baby’s Blues Band has a good chance at the title of Best Russian Version of Jazz-BluesRockabilly Fusion—not that there is a competition for that title at the moment, but if there was, it’s all theirs. The 8-piece band covers oldies by legends such as Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Bill Haley, yet adds their own contemporary twist. An eclectic mix of members and inspirations paved the way for the formation of My Baby’s Blues Band in 2009. The different experiences that brought the band together resulted in a group rich in ideas, tastes and musical talent. When asked why each became a musician, the responses varied. Dan was inspired by a big band performance when he was 8, Nikita was 10 when he fell in love with the intricate notes of a guitar, Andrew began playing the trombone at age 12, intrigued by the instrument’s uniqueness and complexity, and Ivan’s passion for music originates from growing up in a village almost completely void of music. Vitaly and Alexander’s love of music came from the energy they experienced from the audience at their first live show, and Yuri was drawn to the emotion within every note he heard. However, chances are all of the band members can relate to Oleg’s reasoning behind his passion for his craft: girls like music.