A Bit Of Moscow Music

Our Rifftides Russian correspondent, Svetlana Ilicheva, writes that one of her favorite listening spots in Moscow is the Zhurfac café. Not far from the Kropotkinskaya metro stop on Gogol Boulevard, the Zhurfac is in a neighborhood of major cultural interest because of the State Art Museum named for writer and national icon Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). Nearby on the bank of the Moskva River is the massive Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The district is a few blocks southwest of the Kremlin.

Now that you have your bearings, let’s visit the Zhurfac café. Its owner is Suren Gabriel, a journalism graduate of Moscow State University who lives in two countries, Russia and Israel. Svetlana received Mr. Gabriel’s permission for Rifftides to show you a video he made recently of a performance at his establishment. Guitarist Georgy Yashagashvily is warming as as we pass the greeter, Mr. Dobson. Mr. Dobson’s stern gaze is despite, or perhaps because of, his being made of rubber.

Svetlana (pictured right) tells us about the band.

The musicians are quite well known in our Jazz community. Anatoly Tekuchyov is considered to be the best vibist in Moscow. Igor Ivanushkin is a very popular bassist, energetic and enthusiastic, who always creates a festive atmosphere wherever he plays. Georgy Yashagashvily is a fine guitarist, head of the Jazz-manush community in Moscow (the followers of Django Reinhard). Every time I have the opportunity to hear this trio, I take it. Zhurfac café is a nice place for that purpose. Here, they play “You Don’t Know What Love Is.”