Alexander Vinitsky is a popular domestic composer and guitarist. He is famous for his unique manner of performance and original repertoire. Experts call his style jazz performed on a guitar. Vinnitsky is considered a representative of the classical music school, while he combines it with possession of a wide variety of jazz styles. One of his key creative features is the ability to preserve jazz details in his compositions throughout their sound. At the same time, the viewer creates a persistent feeling that not one guitar is playing, but two, moreover, they are accompanied by double bass. In this article, we will talk about his biography and creative career.
Childhood and youth
Alexander Vinitsky was born in 1950. He was born in Omsk. His parents loved music, they instilled this passion into their son. As a teenager, under the strong influence of his older brother Victor, the hero of our article began to play the saxophone. Interested in jazz music, learned to play the trumpet in a music school.
An important moment for Alexander Vinitsky was the day when he picked up his father’s guitar. Once he tried to play a familiar melody on it, after which he could no longer part with it.
At first, Sasha learned to play the guitar on his own, having mastered the initial techniques of handling a classical guitar with nylon strings. Then he came to the dance ensemble, where he began to perform with an electric guitar.
At the beginning of the career
From childhood, Alexander knew that he would devote his life to creativity. He listened to music constantly, did not miss a single significant concert in the city. He studied from tape recordings, trying to reproduce his improvisations, themes, chords, which were taken by famous musicians. His “teachers” in the distance were Benson and Pass, Montgomery and Hall.
Also, Alexander Vinitsky was inspired by jazz pianists - Peterson, Brubeck, Garner, Evans, saxophonists - Getz, Desmond, Mulligan.
After school, the hero of our article decides to enter the Polytechnic Institute. However, he does not leave music lessons. Moreover, in their student years they take on an even more intense character. Constantly playing the classical guitar, Alexander Vinitsky performs with dance and jazz works.
At the Polytechnic Institute, he leads the institute ensemble, which includes a vocal and instrumental quartet. He writes the arrangements himself, trying to remake jazz tunes for a classical guitar. Together with his elder brother, who plays the saxophone, performs at major jazz festivals in Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk.
With a guitar without parting
In 1974, Alexander Iosifovich Vinitsky was called up for service in the Soviet armed forces. Here he continues to develop his skills.
The hero of our article plays in a military band. He specializes in classical and bass.
Returning to civilian, he enters the music school in Sverdlovsk. Alexander is now studying in the classical guitar class. In his student years, he not only does not interrupt concert activity, but begins to perform even more often than before. He creates a jazz and guitar club in the city, his music is constantly heard on local radio stations and television channels.
Theatrical career
In 1980, guitarist Alexander Vinitsky was invited to work at the Omsk Drama Theater as a music director. The next five years of his career, he spends creating sound effects and music for performances.
During this time, he manages to compose music for 7 performances, in total he works on more than 30 productions. The ability to master the widest range of musical styles, as well as the ever-changing nature of activity, make him a universal musician.
Moving to Moscow
Important in his career is becoming acquainted with Elena Kamburova, which happened in 1985. She offers him to come to the capital, to start working with her group as an arranger and guitarist. Vinitsky decides not to miss such a chance.
It is important that in Moscow he not only works, but also continues to improve his musical education. To do this, in 1986 he entered the Gnesins Academy. Studying at the faculty of pop art.
Particular attention in this period is given to the history of jazz, jazz arrangements and harmony. At the same time, he continues to hone the performance of classical pieces on the guitar.
In collaboration with Elena Kamburova, she writes arrangements for many of her songs. Some of them are included in the singer’s album “Silence Comes Over”, which was released by the Soviet recording company Melody in 1987.
While working with Kamburova, notes for Alexander Vinitsky’s guitar are in demand in many works of that period. He also writes concert compositions in jazz style on the themes of Gershwin, Jobim, Zavinuly, Rogers. As a result, he develops his own author’s program, which includes music from a variety of jazz styles.
Author program
In 1988, the hero of our article first presents it to the public at the festival of classical guitar, which takes place in Polish Lublin. It was then that foreign listeners became aware of the name Alexander Vinitsky.
In the same period of his work, the hero of our article pays great attention to the arrangement of the guitar. An important feature of his work is the use of rhythmic structures, which he uses throughout the composition along with melodic lines. Vinitsky is also recognized by the characteristic “walking” bass of his works. At the same time, his thumb serves as a double bass, and the rest replace the musicians of the whole orchestra.
In his copyrighted guitar works, Alexander Vinitsky always strives to maintain a constant ripple, as well as melodic lines. As a result, his melodies performed on a guitar sound as if he plays a whole trio of musicians.
He develops his own unique style. Experts note that for its implementation a serious classical music school, a large amount of knowledge on jazz music, and exceptional command of the instrument are required. Vinitsky regularly performs at jazz festivals, enthralling the audience with his solo performances. They get acquainted with his work at major competitions in Yekaterinburg, Petrozavodsk, Kiev, Donetsk, Voronezh.
Solo album
In 1991, the notes of Alexander Vinitsky form the basis of his solo album Green Quiet Light, which is released by the recording studio Melody. It included such well-known works as "Waiting for News", "Time Travel", "Metamorphoses", the composition "Green Quiet Light", which gave the name to the album. In addition, on the disc, his arrangements of the melodies of Bonf, Jobim, and the play of Almeida were presented.
In 1993, Vinitsky temporarily leaves the country. First, he lives in Szczecin, Poland, where he works at the local Youth Culture Center. Then he moves to Krakow. In Poland, the hero of our article is an active teacher, concert and composer.
He records his solo concert on local television, which is then repeatedly broadcast. After speaking at one of the foreign festivals, Vinitsky comes into the view of the French music publishing house LEMOINE, with whom Alexander signs a personal contract. In 1995, two of his albums were released in France at once. Their names can be translated into Russian as "On the Road to Jazz" and "Lonely Voice".
Work in Krakow
In 1996, two of his solo audio tapes were released in Krakow. On them he performs compositions of his own composition of recent years. A little later, another four of his works were published in another Krakow publishing house. Among them are "Christmas songs for two and three guitars" and "Arrangements for guitar works by Strauss, Schubert and Beethoven."
In this Polish city, Alexander regularly performs at a local popular jazz club called "At Muniac", where he soon turns into a real star. He regularly gives master classes and recitals, takes a place in the jury of the prestigious Krakow Music Festival.
Return to Russia
After spending several years abroad, Vinitsky returned to Moscow in 1996. He continues to perform at festivals, gives solo concerts, writes his own music.
In the same year, an important event took place in his musical career. In the Belgian publishing house comes his jazz suite for children "Carousel".
In 1997, in France, a solo disc of Alexander with the compositions that he performs exclusively on the guitar was born. This album includes not only his works of authorship, but also arrangements of the works of Bonf, Jobim, Byrd, Gilberto. At the same time, his disc "Yellow Camel" is released in Israel, which will be reprinted in Moscow in three years.
Next come his joint album with saxophonist Oleg Kireev, music collections "Jazz Preludes and Blues" and "Jazz Exercises and Etudes." The collection "Children's Jazz Album" is released, which becomes an important part of his seminars on the performance of jazz music on a guitar. With lectures on this topic, Vinitsky speaks in Russia and abroad.
Among the musician’s subsequent album, the albums “5 compositions on Jewish themes”, “Jazz Aria”, and “Suite in a jazz style” should be noted.
Teaching activities
In recent years, Vinitsky has concentrated on pedagogical work. He gives lectures at the Gnesins Academy on the class of classical guitar.
For some time he taught mastery of arrangement in Tartu, Estonia. His annual workshops and seminars regularly attract a large number of students.
Moreover, he has several copyright programs, for which many students around the world have been studying for many years.