Two Siberians

Last night at the Little Theatre, the Russian duo known as Two Siberians gave a rousing second set that left the audience craving more. Fortunately, the
musicians will be able to oblige with two more sets this evening, this time at Montage.
Despite seemingly limited instrumentation, Two Siberianscomprised
of guitarist Yury Matveev and violinist Artyom Yakushenkopossess
a remarkably
full soundand
a varied one at that. Blues, Russian folk, rock, and even the influence Indian sitar music can all be heard at various times in the group’s
instrumental tunes, which brim with immediacy and crackle with energy.
The basic sonic construct of the music centers around a fullbodied
rhythmic guitar providing both harmonic locomotion and percussive elements as the
robust, freespirited
violin blisses out soloistically. The group’s live performance is highly unpredictable. The cinematic song “Bottle” was a prime example
of this, as a slowburning
but nonetheless searing ambiance from the reverbladen
violin eventually gave way to a driving hard rock groove. On top of this
groove, Yakushenko laid down a solo that could hold its own in any heavy metal shredding session.
Particularly with regard to the violin, Two Siberians liberally used various effects to manipulate the sound, from a slight echo here to shades of electric
distortion there. Yakushenko’s performance was full of exuberant virtuosity and deftness of articulation throughout, but it was always rooted in Matveev’s
firm guitar ostinati.
The group presented the listeners with an intriguing dichotomymusic
that could be unrelenting or dender depending on the song. It is on this sonic
terrain that blistering folk music finds a home alongside ruminative fingerpicking.
If there is any criticism of Two Siberians, it is that its charming schtick and passion for performance veer ever slightly into kitsch. This was the case
particularly at the end of songs, which at times seemed to last a few seconds too long and frequently ended in an awkward, almost indecisive manner. In
“Mr. Jimi,” the tribute to Hendrix that closed the set, what was taut and concise suddenly became unpolished, silly, and selfindulgent.
That said, if this is
merely a byproduct of the musicians giving in to the joy of performance, it’s an acceptable tradeoff.
You can hear Two Siberians play tonight at Montage, 50 Chestnut Plaza, at both 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. To get more information about these and other Jazz
Festival performances, visit the official website of the 2014 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival (http://www.rochesterjazz.com). For more updates
throughout the festival, follow @danieljkushner (https://twitter.com/danieljkushner) on Twitter.
Daniel J. Kushner is a freelance journalist who covers music for the Democrat & Chronicle. His writings have been featured in such publications as I Care
If You Listen, The Huffington Post, Opera News, and NewMusicBox. He is also an opera librettist whose work includes "The Fox and the Pomegranate,"
cowritten
with composer Matt Frey. Daniel is an active musician as well, playing in the local bands 23 Psaegz and Bogs Visionary Orchestra -

on 19 may in the concert hall of Tchaikovsky will take place the concert of the legendary neoclassical duet Two Siberians, also known in Russia under the name "White Fort", and American musicians - vocalist Matt Alber and Quartet cello Cello Street. The show was called "From Siberia to San Francisco. Music without borders". The performance will be held with the support of the USA Embassy in Russia. The program will include works of authorship Two Siberians of albums in different years: "love Theme", "Adela", "Waiting", "Version", "Baikal", "Christmas", "Mandoline", "lullaby", "Mr. Jimi", and fantasy on the themes of the songs of group The Beatles, Queen, Apocalyptica, Coldplay, Muse and others.

"Now the musicians Cello Street prepare arrangements for our joint performances, - said the participant of Two Siberians Yury Matveev. - While it is very difficult to answer the question, what will it be a concert in our programs percentage of impromptu always very high. For example, at a recent set of Iraqi-American contractor Ude Rahim AlHaj, our meeting was at rehearsals, which lasted only five minutes and immediately on the scene.

Official site of Two Siberians: www.twosiberians.net/ru

Two Siberians on Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosiberians

Two Siberians VKontakte: vk.com/twosiberians

Start: 19.00
Source: : News NEWS.rin.ru -

Two Siberians
Out of Nowhere
Heads Up
By Lucy Tauss

There aren't too many acts that can thank meteorites for making their debut album become a reality, but the Siberian guitar-violin duo of Yuri Matveyev and Artyom Yakushenko can. Acclaimed in Siberia and throughout Russia, the duo-who call themselves Two Siberians-longed for success in America. They made several trips to the U.S., where they played clubs, festivals, the streets of Times Square, you name it, impressing listeners with their explosive blend of jazz, rock and folk music filtered through a Russian sensibility, and they sold hundreds of copies of a homemade demo CD. One early champion of the group was a meteorite dealer named Darryl Pitts who also worked in the music industry. He promised that they'd get a label deal soon, but when a deal didn't materialize, he decided that they should record their debut album themselves, and he sold his meteorites to finance it. The result is Out of Nowhere (Heads Up), and if not for those meteorites, we might have been bereft of an outstanding album. Every track is a gem-from the vibrant "Allergic to Gravity," featuring a soaring performance by saxophonist Michael Brecker, to the seductive, Latin-inflected "Natasha, Havana" to the infectiously catchy "Vodka Diaries," which finds the duo playing at breathtaking speed while Don Byron's clarinet swoops and glides around them. Out of Nowhere is an astounding introduction to a unique act and should not be missed.

200504_083_span9 -

Nowhere Men
22 MAR 10 JOHN C. BRUENING

Out Of Nowhere, the 2005 release from the duo known as Two Siberians, could not be more aptly titled. Violinist Artyom Yakushenko and guitarist Yuri Matveyev hail from an obscure little town called Irkutsk, a couple hours north of Mongolia.

After a chance meeting with an American record producer at a photography exhibit in Moscow in the late-'90s, followed by a series of unannounced, blind-faith trips to the States several years later to secure a record deal with said producer (who barely remembered them when they called from the airport), the wheels started turning, albeit slowly. A demo was recorded, some East Coast club and festival gigs generated a favorable buzz, meteorites were bought and sold (don't ask), and the duo landed a deal with Heads Up.

A few of the 15 tracks feature just Yakushenko and Matveyev, but more often than not, the Siberians are backed by various combinations of a highly talented crew that includes bassist Richard Bona, saxophonist Michael Brecker, percussionist Mino Cinelu and others. All add layers of depth and texture to a duo that already covers a lot of territory with just a guitar and a violin.

The music is best described as Eastern European jazz laced with elements of classical, pop and folk. The pace is usually lively and upbeat, as in "Allergic To Gravity," "New Russian" or "Indigo Breeze." But even the mid-tempo and slower numbers like "Amoroso" -- a ballad featuring Bona on vocals as well as bass -- and the introspective "On the Tundra" exhibit a smoldering energy of their own.

To date, this is the sole release from Two Siberians. Nevertheless, they've proven in a single recording that interesting music can emerge from the most unlikely places -- sometimes out of nowhere. - JOHN C. BRUENING