The musician David Goloshchekin is known for playing seven musical instruments, playing jazz for more than 55 years, playing with many great jazz musicians. And while almost nothing is known about his personal life, he carefully protects his privacy, which has already become part of his legend.
Musical childhood
On June 10, 1944, the future musician David Goloshchekin was born in Moscow. After 6 months, his family moved to Leningrad, which had just been freed from the blockade. This city was dear and beloved for Semyon Goloshchekin, father of David. He worked at Lenfilm, had many acquaintances in the bohemian environment of the Northern capital, and was distinguished by great charm and sociability. There were always a lot of interesting people around him. David’s mother studied at the ballet school, but the injury did not allow her to professionally engage in this art. The boy grew up in a cheerful atmosphere of Leningrad bohemia, he loved music very much, often sang songs from famous films. But at the age of five his life changed.
The hard way to music
During his work, the father of little David once met with the rector of the Leningrad Conservatory Pavel Serebryakov and told him that his son was always singing different songs from the movies. He advised him to take the boy to audition in the famous music school of ten. Mom took her son to school, he was played a melody on the piano, the rhythmic composition was tapped, the boy repeated everything exactly - he had an absolute ear. So Goloshchekin David Semenovich got into the violin class of Tatyana Zakharyina. Previously, he had only seen the violin in the window of a music store while walking near the Passage with his grandmother. David Goloshchekin did not realize that the tool would become his flour for many years. He was taken to the zero class, and for hours he was forced to learn scales, while his peers screamed playing football in the yard. It took years for David to love the violin. There is a legend in the family about how mother once broke a bow on his back, motivating him to study. In the second grade, he began to attend piano lessons, and then fell in love with his music school. At the age of 15, for the special successes of Goloshchekin, he was immediately transferred to the third year of music school in the viola class, which was given to him quite easily, he also attended the piano class. In 1961 he graduated from the College of Music. N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
Passion for jazz
At the age of 12, David became interested in pop music. His father bought him a radio, and for a teenager the best thing was finding a musical wave. So he recognized in absentia many prominent musicians of the time: Willis Conover, Nikolai Minkh, Yuri Shakhnov. Also, David had a great influence on the parties in the parental house, which sounded the most fashionable music. At school, his serious passion for jazz began. He met saxophonist Sasha Zverev, who saw great abilities in David. They began to make friends and listen to the most advanced music: B. Webster, I. Jacket, K. Hawkins. So David Goloshchekin, whose jazz became fate, found his new vocation. At the age of 16, he began to dance, but continued to communicate with Sasha Zverev's company, which included several fierce jazz fans.
The beginning of adulthood
When David was 16 years old, his parents divorced, and his mother left for Moscow. Father was busy with his new life, and the young man began to live independently. In the late 50s, he met pianist Yuri Vikharev, the organizer of the first Leningrad jazz club, a great connoisseur of jazz music and the owner of an excellent music library. David heard the best jazz works from him. In 1961, Vikharev decided to assemble a jazz ensemble and suggested that Goloshchekin master the double bass and enter the collective. David wiped all his fingers in the blood, but learned to play the double bass in a matter of days. And a new life began for him.
First stage experiences
On April 20, 1961, after several months of rehearsal, David Goloshchekin first appeared on the stage at the Tallinn Jazz Festival. In addition to David, the Vikharev team included saxophonist M. Dvoryanchikov and drummer S. Streltsov. They did not play together for long, but this experience became very significant for David.
Professional musician career
After graduating from college, David Goloshchekin became a pianist and violinist in the Concert Association. Since 1962, he begins to work in a team in the revue of Alla Kim and Shalva Lauri. It was impossible to earn jazz at that time, so for several years Goloshchekin had to combine his favorite business with compulsory work in official groups. After the ensemble of Yu. Vikharev, David comes to the octet of I. Petrenko, where he acts as a pianist. He did not have a large pianistic school, but at the school he managed to get the basic skills of playing the piano. In the octet, he develops a new technique, in this he is greatly helped by Arkady Memhes. He became a mentor to Goloshchekin, not only in mastering the piano, but also in the development of musical taste, it was he who instilled in David a sense of swing. In the octet, David begins to make his first arrangements, they perform a lot, work on television. Goloshchekin has many acquaintances. And when, after a year, the octet disintegrated, it is already quite easily finding new uses for itself. He plays in several groups, acts as a soloist and as a musician of ensembles, the orchestra in the Palace of Culture named after him becomes the official place of work for some time. S. Kirov. He also begins to teach at the first jazz school at the invitation of a friend of his father, Pavel Nisman.
In 1964, David auditioned for the orchestra of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but he failed to work there: he went on tour and the story remained unfinished. At the invitation of G. Holstein, he came to the Joseph Weinstein Orchestra, which at that time was very famous. Here Goloshchekin found a teacher and believed in himself. Later, he will call work in this orchestra the happiest period of his life. After a while, a whole group of this collective, including David, was invited to the newly opened orchestra under the direction of E. Rosner. These were very busy times, there were a lot of performances, Goloshchekin participated in many festivals, concerts, for some time he even directed the orchestra. In 1967, he went to Odessa for several months, where he leads the Gambrinus-67 team, where he plays wind instruments and violin. When he returned to Leningrad, the public for a long time could not get used to the fact that David Goloshchekin, whose photo has often appeared in the press - is a multi-instrumentalist, everyone is used to seeing him as a pianist. By this time, David already had an excellent jazz reputation, even fame, and he increasingly felt the need for his band.
Jazz music ensemble
At the end of 1968 at the House of Culture. F. Dzerzhinsky officially appeared ensemble of jazz music under the direction of D. Goloshchekin. It was based on a team that had existed together for some time, playing in the Square jazz club. The team consisted of five people, David in it played the weather vane. In DK, they regularly played the program “Two hours of jazz”, and also gave concerts in other rooms. In 1972, the ensemble managed to record a record at Melody. Later, the director of this recording company V. Sukhorado decided that it would be nice to show such an excellent team abroad, and set about organizing the tour of the ensemble. Thanks to him, Goloshchekin and the company performed at the Havana Youth Festival. This trip brought Goloshchekin a laureate diploma and many interesting acquaintances. Since 1982, David Goloshchekin and his ensemble have been working in the Moscow bar and begin to tour intensively. The team continues to work today, but David Semenovich performs a lot in other teams and solo.
Concert activity
Giving the first concert in 1961, Goloshchekin continues to go on stage today. In 1971, Goloshchekin was awarded the greatest honor and played in a Duke Ellington concert in Leningrad. From 1982 to 1989, David and his ensemble collaborated with the Lenconcert company, which allowed them to establish a systematic touring activity. They played their program in many parts of the USSR and abroad, performances invariably took place with full houses. The program consisted of two sections: in the first, the ensemble performed many famous instrumental works, and in the second, the main role was given to the soloist - Elvira Trafova. This structure of the concert program was unique to the Russian scene. In 1989, the only jazz philharmonic in Russia was opened in Leningrad , in which the "home" performer is the David group, which happened to take part in the concerts of many famous jazz musicians. And today, David Semenovich works at the Philharmonic, holds the annual Autumn Marathon contest for beginners and the White Night Swing festival there. In 1989, for the first time, Goloshchekin toured with stunning success in the USA - the birthplace of jazz. At the end of the 90s, the Old Jazz Trio team formed in Novosibirsk, with which Goloshchekin gives concerts when he is in the capital of Siberia, and it happens at least once a year. At the beginning of the 21st century, another regular form of performance appeared: double concerts. David Goloshchekin and Nikolai Sizov, two prominent pianists, play jazz in the four hands program in a duet. Such concerts require a special sense of ensemble and coherence of the duet.
Discography
Goloshchekin recorded his first disk with an ensemble in 1972. Then, almost every year, solo and prefabricated records are released, in which the musician takes part. In total, he has about 30 discs. The “Favorites” CD of 2004 became a real bestseller of such an artist as David Goloshchekin. "When the Gypsy Violin Cries" is a work that literally all fans of Russian jazz know. In addition to working with his ensemble, the jazzman repeatedly participated in recordings with other groups: The Old Jazz Trio, the Weinstein Orchestra, and the band of G. Goldstein. Several discs with jazz performance by Goloshchekin came out in the West.
Composer work
David Goloshchekin, whose biography has been associated with jazz for more than 60 years, could not help but try to write music. He creates the first arrangements back in the 60s of the 20th century. Later in the programs of his ensemble, his interpretations of great compositions often sound. As the author of his own music, Goloshchekin is most often in demand in theater and cinema. In 1987, he writes music for the play "Suicide" theater named after A. Pushkin. In 1999, director S. Spivak invited David to participate in the play “Two on a Swing”, where the musician appeared in three guises: a composer, saxophonist and actor. His music sounds in four films, he also played small roles in four films, although, according to him, he does not like to act at all.
Work on the radio
David Goloshchekin began broadcasting the Jazz Kaleidoscope at Radio Petersburg station in 1995 and continues to broadcast it weekly. Since 2011, he has been running the program “All This Jazz” at the Radio Hermitage station. For several years he was broadcasting the same name on Radio Rocks. In all programs, Goloshchekin makes notes from his richest music library and talks about the great jazzmen, many of whom he knew personally.
Personal life
Jazzman David Goloshchekin, whose personal life interests many people, is one of the most mysterious musicians. He categorically refuses to talk about his family, about the details of his private life, his interests and hobbies. He is often credited with family relations with the soloist of the ensemble, which he leads, Elvira Trafova. And Goloshchekin himself categorically refutes this fact. This is a rare case when he speaks with certainty about his personal life. Only close friends knew who the jazzman’s wife was. But it is definitely known that Goloshchekin had a family. But not so long ago he was widowed.