Embassy of the United States

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Jazz Duo from New York Performs in Kazakhstan

Rory Stuart and Ari Hoenig at the Almaty Jazz Festival, April 25, 2008.

American jazz guitarist and composer Rory Stuart, and drummer Ari Hoenig, were invited to participate in the Almaty Jazz Festival organized by Tagir Zaripov, director of the Almaty Youth Jazz School. On April 25, they performed at the Children’s Palace in Almaty. Prior to their performance, they also conducted master classes for local young jazz musicians.
  On April 26, the American musicians gave a concert at the National Academy of Music in Astana. Their inspiring performance was enthusiastically received by the audience. The concert concluded with a composition named “Cannon” for jazz band written by Rory Stuart and performed by Stuart, Hoeing, and a student big band from the National Academy of Music’s Jazz Department.
At the master class at the Academy of Music, the American musicians shared technical and rhythmic exercises with students who had many questions and were eager to learn. “Our students are hungry for any information about jazz. It is wonderful to have the U.S. Embassy organize such visits,” said the Jazz Department head, Guldana Zholymbetova. Jazz band conductor Alexander Ablayev shared, “Our students received a lot of new information, but the main thing is that they made some very important conclusions. For example, rhythm is not just banging on drums but is a music itself. Even the silence or a rest is an important part of music”.      View photogallery