Jazz pianist Kramer Daniil Borisovich: biography, creativity, personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

One of the unique figures of Russian jazz is Daniil Borisovich Kramer. His name on the poster today for many music lovers is the best recommendation of the concert. Kramer Daniil Borisovich in his work surprisingly combines the talent of a highly professional pianist, very sensitive to different styles, with the role of an experienced arranger, bright composer, teacher, TV presenter and public figure. And at the heart of all this multifaceted activity lies jazz. Kramer Daniil Borisovich in this vein is one of the main figures of Russian music.

Biography

Jazzman was born in 1960 in Ukraine, in the city of Kharkov. Daniil Kramer, whose family has nothing to do with art, began to attend music lessons in parallel with the school. However, the true abilities of the young pianist, who was given to teach solfeggio and piano only for general development, soon made themselves felt. Already at the age of fifteen, Daniil Kramer became a laureate of the republican competition, not only as a pianist who received the first prize, but also as a composer who won second place. Gradually he is morehe is drawn into the world of music and soon cannot imagine himself without it. The young man, having decided to continue his education, enters the Moscow Gnessin Academy with a specialization in Academic Pianist. And his teacher was Professor E. Lieberman himself.

In a new role

At the same time, Daniil Kramer began to study jazz music very seriously. They soon noticed him. In 1982, the young musician became the winner of the Jazz Piano Improvisers Competition in Lithuania and received the first prize.

In 1985-1986 Kramer Daniil Borisovich, being a soloist of the Moscow Concert and the State Philharmonic, takes part in almost all domestic jazz festivals. He constantly tours around Europe, giving concerts in Austria and Hungary, Germany, Italy. He is known in Spain, Poland, Finland, France, the USA and Sweden. Even in China and Australia, jazz lovers have heard of such a performer as Daniil Kramer. Concerts in Moscow and the northern capital, tours around the country - everywhere the musician collects full houses. He is shortly elected an Honorary Member of the Sydney Professional Jazz Club.

Teaching activities

After graduating from the academy in 1983, Kramer remains there to teach young people. From there he moves to the jazz department of the School. Gnesins, and then to the Stasov Moscow Music School. Here he writes his very first methodological works, which are subsequently published by the Ministry of Culture. His collections of plays and arrangements on jazz themes received greatpopularity in many music schools.

In 1994, Danneel Kramer opened a class for the first time in the history of the Moscow Conservatory. In it, he is engaged in jazz improvisation. Since that time, his active cooperation with the International Charitable Foundation, which is called "New Names", begins. Kramer becomes the curator of jazz classics.

Television activities

D. Kramer has successfully collaborated with many TV channels and radio companies, taking part in a variety of musical projects. In 1997, the ORT channel showed a series of jazz music lessons led by the then well-known musician. In the same year, his first videocassette was released. It was called Jazz Lessons with D. Kramer.

Few people know that Kramer's passion for jazz began with a close acquaintance with the work of masters Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. But the decisive event in his life was the concert of Leonid Chizhik. It was here that Kramer first heard live improvisational jazz.

Concert activities

At numerous solo concerts, the pianist performs music of various directions. It can be traditional classical jazz, various types of modern music. For some time now, a special place in his work has been occupied by the so-called “Third Current” direction. Third stream is an organic combination of jazz and contemporary classical music.

From the middleIn the nineties of the last century, Kramer began to organize concert cycles. The pianist called them "Jazz music in academic halls". They were held with great success not only in the capital, but also in other Russian cities. "Evenings with Daniil Kramer", "Classics and Jazz" - these cycles gathered huge audiences in the Great and Small Halls of the State Conservatory, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Central House of Artists, etc.

Tour activities

Today Daniil Borisovich Kramer works as an art director of Russian festivals. He is the head of the pop-jazz department of the Institute of Contemporary Art in the capital. It was he who brought to life the idea to introduce concert subscriptions in most philharmonic halls in Russian cities. This idea was appreciated by numerous jazz lovers.

Daniil Kramer has a very intensive touring activity abroad. It involves both a purely jazz concert program, including with such a famous violinist as Didier Lockwood, and joint performances with foreign symphony orchestras. Kramer takes part in festivals, collaborates with many Russian and European performers, as well as ensembles. The concert program of the famous opera singer Khibla Gerzmava with a jazz trio led by Daniil Kramer made a splash.

«Opera. Jazz. Blues"

That was the name of one of the brightest projects. It became an amazing event in the creative life of these famous artists. The concert program includedincendiary jazz improvisations, as well as quite unexpected arrangements and fantasies based on the music of classical or pop composers. Opera diva Khibla Gerzmava performed for the first time at Opera. Jazz. Blues in a rather unusual role for himself - a jazz singer, while Daniil Kramer surprised everyone with his piano talent in the classical repertoire.

Before that, the audience used to see the Honored Artist of Russia Khibla Gerzmava in operas by Donizetti and Rimsky-Korsakov, Puccini and Verdi. The idea of this amazing show program was born by the famous singer after getting acquainted with the work of the jazz trio Daniil Kramer.

In December 1999, an album called Imagine was released on the Boheme Music label in Moscow. It was recorded by Daniil Kramer together with the string quartet. Glinka.

Ranks

The pianist is still actively organizing professional jazz competitions in our country. He founded a professional youth competition, which takes place in Saratov. In March 2005 for the first time in Russia in the hall of the Center. Pavel Slobodkin hosted the First International Jazz Piano Competition. Pavel Slobodkin was the initiator and co-organizer, along with Kramer, who was chosen as the chairman of the jury.

In 1997, the pianist was awarded the title of "Honored Artist of Russia", and in 2002 - "People's Artist of Russia". Kramer is a laureate of the European Prize. G. Mahler, Moscow Prizes in the field of art. He received the last title for his solo concerts.

Marital status

The pianist is married. Daniil Kramer's wife, Nelly, is a graphic artist by profession. They met in their student years and have been together for thirty-one years. They have a daughter.