He is called the best acoustic guitarist Russia, and probably not in vain. Behind his creative shoulders, this musician has a solid experience of performing both in a group and solo, extraordinary touring activity and composing music for films. A note about him has been brewing for a long time, and today we welcome the fusion guitar virtuoso - Ivan Smirnov, father of 8 children, son of a physicist and concurrently an excellent musician. Today I will talk about it...
Ivan Smirnov's first guitar was a seven-string for 7.5 rubles, bought by his mother after returning from a pioneer camp. Since then, the formation of Ivan as a guitarist began. A professional guitar has already been bought for him by his elder brother, priest Dmitry Smirnov, for $1,500. He personally consecrated her and wished younger brother success. Ivan still remembers this support, because at that time he himself would not have pulled the purchase of such a guitar. Music critics they call Smirnov's music itself primordially correctly Russian, with notes of nobility and Orthodoxy of the Russian aristocracy.
Serious creative way Ivana began in the Second Wind groups, the ensemble electronic music"Boomerang" and VIA "Blue Guitars". Then there was the ensemble "Arsenal". These were groups of different styles, and from that moment, probably, various motives began to form in Smirnov's music. "Second Wind" was exclusively a fusion band, while "Boomerang" played experimental electronic music, and "Arsenal" was a jazz rock band. After Ivan came to Arsenal, he admitted to Alexei Kozlov that he couldn’t play jazz, to which he replied: “Play what you can ...” Yes, and joining Arsenal was a forced measure, an escape from ideology, from the conservation of the Blue guitars" who at the time were told what to play, where to play and how to play. At Arsenal, you could freely experiment and learn how to play as your imagination allows.
After the collapse of Arsenal, Ivan experimented for some time, replayed the classics, until he decided to create his own group in 1990 - the Ivan Smirnov Quartet. On this moment in the quartet, along with Ivan himself, his two sons play. Maybe that's why in their music there is a complete mutual understanding and a perfect family playing technique. By the way, Ivan has 8 children! And in his words, it was they who, in difficult times for a rock musician, stimulated him to play, play and play again. However, no matter how hard times were, Ivan always kept his mark and did not stoop to playing in restaurants and cabarets, as many polishing musicians did at that time.
Interesting fact: Ivan Smirnov looks very similar to the famous leader of the group " Rolling Stones"Mick Jagger, in connection with which Ivan is often mistaken for Mick himself. As Smirnov himself says:" We were repeatedly confused with him. But I didn't do anything intentionally - it's all nature. Once we were on tour in Los Angeles, and I went to a shoe store to buy shoes for my son. I go in and see that the sellers suddenly whispered. I thought they figured out the “scoop” in me, and they come up to me: “Dear Mr. Jagger! When I realized what was the matter, I began to explain: “Guys, I'm not Mick Jagger! I'm Russian! They were very disappointed ... The same was at the exhibition of musical instruments, where Stevie Wonder and Joe Satriani easily go. There, these world celebrities will drink - and well, with hugs: "Hello, Mick!". I had a great time with them!"
Well, aren't they similar?
Today the world recognizes Ivan Smirnov as one of the guitar geniuses, and Ivan himself serves as an inspiration for many aspiring guitarists. Since the international jury of guitarists (Alan Holdsworth, Steve Lukather, Scott Henderson) named Ivan the best in the youth competition, he has carved his niche and has been developing it. Japanese guitar manufacturer Takamine has chosen Smirnov as the face of its products.
But it should be noted that for more than 20 years solo career Ivan released only three studio albums, although in total his guitar sounded on more than 30 compilations and albums by other artists. For 8 films he wrote music ...
Ivan Smirnov's music intertwines different styles: from fusion to rock, from Celtic guitar to flamenco style. At the same time, Ivan is inherent in both filigree academic performance and free improvisation. At a time when Russian music was said to be incapable of synthesizing the new, Smirnov argued the opposite and proved well.
Now listeners go to the concerts of the quartet en masse, regardless of who concert program has not changed for several years. At the same time, the same concert can last either 1.5 hours or 3.5 hours, because not a single composition by Ivan remains constant.
While watching the video performances of the Smirnov quartet, there was a feeling of calmness, reliability and notes of some ancient motives. As Ivan himself says, this embodiment of generations of ancestors found a response in his music. Listen and discover this extraordinarily versatile and talented guitarist.
On November 15, in Moscow, one of the most peculiar and original musicians Russia - guitarist. He was 63 years old.
Ivan Nikolaevich was born in Moscow on September 9, 1955. His father is a nuclear physicist, but in general the family has long belonged to the clergy: great-grandfather, Fr. Vasily Smirnov, was the rector of one of the Moscow churches, was shot during the years of terror, in modern times he was ranked among the New Martyrs of Russia. Ivan's older brother also followed this path: Fr. Dimitri Smirnov is the rector of eight Moscow churches and a well-known church and public figure. But Ivan Smirnov chose a different path for himself. He did not complete the course music school, although the piano was taught by Vladimir Dashkevich himself. At the age of 14, he was fascinated by the guitar, and all his future life associated with this instrument.
Smirnov is one of the few whose music sounds in its own way, recognizably, unmistakably original. Remaining distinctively Russian, Ivan Smirnov's music absorbed everything: academic tradition, elements of free improvisation, mutual interweaving of Slavic, Asian, Celtic, Spanish folklore - with the obvious influence of rock music and jazz. A brilliant instrumentalist and no less brilliant composer and arranger, Ivan Smirnov has rightly been considered one of the main "perfectionists" in the last 20 years. Russian culture, whose uncompromising approach to both the material itself and the quality of its sound has won the well-deserved recognition of a huge audience.
Ivan Smirnov came to big stage as a jazz-rock performer: from 1975 to 1979 he was a member of the legendary Moscow fusion group "Second wind". The next four years significantly expanded the guitarist's creative range: he worked in the Boomerang experimental electronic music ensemble, which was led by the composer Eduard Artemiev.
From 1984 to 1990 Ivan Smirnov was a member of the jazz-rock ensemble "Arsenal" saxophonist Alexey Kozlov, and this work brought him to wide fame.
Since 1990, Smirnov has focused on two main areas: on the one hand, on solo concert and studio work with his own ensembles - and on the other, on work as a studio guitarist: Ivan's guitar sounds in dozens of recordings of Russian pop and rock music. But only acoustic guitar. After finishing work at Arsenal, Ivan Nikolayevich no longer played the electric guitar, focusing on acoustic instrument both in session work and solo projects.
VIDEO: last performance Ivan Smirnov. November 13, 2018, Moscow Music Hall
The highest level of Ivan Smirnov's playing was emphasized by the fact that a well-known Japanese company - a manufacturer of electro-acoustic guitars Takamine chose him as the “ambassador” of her products in Russia.
...those who heard Smirnov only in Arsenal in the late 80s, or in general only as a session guitarist with Russian pop stars, did not hear him at all. He is a very deep musician, owning a huge stylistic range and a wide range of techniques, which allows him to mix elements of jazz, flamenco, fusion, Celtic and Russian folk into a completely organic unity within one composition - and all this in a very accurate ensemble game…
Smirnov was a bright personality. It was not easy to work with him, as the well-known "Russian disease" constantly made unsolicited adjustments to his concert and tour schedule. But he was also the brightest musician of his generation, like no one else, no one looking back. Chief Editor"Jazz.Ru" Kirill Moshkov told how in 2012 in Voronezh the legendary American saxophonist Ernie Watts accidentally heard Ivan Smirnov's album in the car in which the overseas guest was taken after the concert for dinner. After listening for a few minutes, the saxophonist asked what it sounded like, and was very surprised that it was a recording Russian musician. "I fell in love with this music - where can I buy the album?" The driver immediately took the disc out of the player and presented it to the guest.
LISTENING: Ivan Smirnov "The Country Where the Sun Sleeps" (2011 reissue, ArtBeat Music)
Today we will talk about who Smirnov Ivan is - a composer. His biography will be discussed in detail below. Our hero is an electro-acoustic guitarist who plays ethno-fusion music.
Introduction to art
Smirnov Ivan is a composer who first took up the guitar while in a pioneer camp. Then he was twelve years old. He was delighted with this musical instrument. Our hero recalls that once he had a chance to visit a special room of the House of Culture of Moscow State University. There were kept musical instruments. In this room one could find valves, pipes, clarinets. He was fascinated. He asked his mother to buy him a guitar, and she granted his wish. Soon came the era of the Beatles. By this time, our hero had nine guitars, which he made with his own hand.
Technology
Smirnov Ivan himself created instruments. The basis for them were guitars that have outlived their time. From such instruments, the heel was sawn off, the neck was unscrewed. Next, a stool was taken and the shape was cut out. Pickups were created from telephone microphones. Ivan played on school evenings. Soon he went underground - "underground".
"Second wind"
Smirnov Ivan calls this group a powerful team. When the young man was in the 9th grade, the team performed at an evening at school. The musicians played professionally, the repertoire of Jimi Hendrix sounded. The group included three people: bassist, guitarist and drummer. Their names were Igor Dekterev, Kolya Shiryaev and Maxim Kapitanovsky. The first one played the guitar. Moreover, his instrument was a proprietary reprint of the Stratocaster. The performance of this group made an indelible impression on our hero. After the team broke up.
After a while, other people recreated the group, but they chose a different direction - instrumental. The participants contacted our hero and invited him to work together. The musicians were several years older than him. The team began to play music in the jazz-rock direction. In particular, their repertoire included the work of Billy Kappam. One day, he came to the group's performance. He noted that it was impossible to play studio music at concerts. But the young men enjoyed their work.
Then came the time for a variety of Soviet VIA. As a result, the whole underground came to naught. It was a correct calculation from an ideological point of view. The people began to get used to the then Russian-speaking stage. Our hero wondered how you can sing rock in Russian. Soon the concerts stopped altogether. However, the musician had already had three children at that moment, and he needed a job. As a result, he became a member of the Blue Guitars group. He worked in this composition for about a year and cherished the hope of becoming a member of the Arsenal group. The musician's dream came true.
"Arsenal"
Smirnov Ivan came out of the underground to the general public. Kozlov's music was complex. The notes have become solid geometry. Everything was calculated to the smallest detail. Many played exclusively by notes. It was impossible to remember this. Activities at Arsenal have become a significant professional practice for our hero. Kozlov helped the musician, perhaps against his will, decide on the option for further development.
One day he asked to prepare a work for acoustic guitar. Our hero admits that he has gravitated towards acoustics all his life. However, he continued to play by inertia on the electric guitar. As a result, the work was created. He was played in a group, but it gradually broke up. As a result, our hero began to perform it alone, which became the basis for the future solo project.
At first he worked with Andrey Vinogradov. He played keyboards at the Arsenal, and the musicians for a long time discussed the possibility of creating own project. The result was a breakthrough. At that moment, our hero decided not to reinvent the wheel, but to find his own space and cultivate it. He traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Fringe Festival. The music there is presented at an incredibly high level.
Grade
Smirnov Ivan hit the chart best performers world World/Folk. Experts note bright technique, unique style, as well as own language communication with the instrument. His music is filled with the mysterious Russian soul. The musician has a pronounced inner freedom. He is outside of time. He mastered pop, rock and jazz, and then tried to forget the previous experience and took up the study of guitar with clean slate. He tried to find his own sound, intonation and path. He did it. Our hero has found a connection between modern life And folklore forms. The composer uses the guitar as a kind of cultural bridge. Him classical music, Spanish flamenco, rock and roll moves, zeppelin-like chords are delicately blended with Russian creative foundations, symphonic feel and folk motives. Now you know who Smirnov Ivan (composer) is. Photos of him are attached to this material.
