Allegro - In This World / Аллегро - В этом мире, 1982
Orchestral fusion of the highest quality flavoured with electronics and multi-rhythmical jazz-not-jazz structures. Allegro during the 1980s were one of the best things Soviet jazz could offer to the world. The Soviet reply to Azymuth and Roy Ayers, it was no wonder the band was unofficially considered number one jazz act in the country. Bandleader Nikolai Levinovsky emigrated to US shortly before the collapse of USSR in 1990 and was living an playing in New York since then, rarely coming back to Russia. He has released four albums with Allegro.

Vagif Mustafa-zade - Jazz Compositions / Вагиф Мустафа-заде - Джазовые композиции, 1974
Vagif Mustafa-zade was one the most talanted and outstanding musicians to emerge from the Soviet jazz scene. He was one of the first to fuse post-bop sounds with traditional music of Caucases region and especially the Azerbajdjanian mugham folk sounds. A true genius, he passed away when he was just 39, but his legacy is amazing - he was so far ahead of his time.

Sato - Esfane / САТО - Эсфане, 1986 + 2018
SATO was a band from the city of Ferghana in Uzbekistan, which at the time this album was recorded, was probably the multi-cultural capital of Central Asia. It had a very cosmopolitan vibe and many different nations living together in this ancient land. Esfane ('legend' in Uzbek) which was originally released in 1986, is probably one of the most beautiful pieces of oriental jazz fusion made in the former USSR. Luckily enough the leader of the SATO Leonid Atabekov bought out the original master tapes of their two albums directly from the studio in the last days of Soviet Union, and in 2018 Legend was re-issued by Soviet Grail label, making this gem available for a new audience.

The Tõnu Naissoo Trio - The Turning Point / Трио Тыну Найссоо Поворотный пункт, 1981
Another essential Estonian jazz record. Tõnu Naissoo is the son of composer and musician Uno Naissoo, considered to be the father of Estonian jazz and the founder of the famous Tallinn Jazz Festival. Deep, abstract and mesmerising sounds, with Naissoo on piano and Rhodes, Taivo Sillar on double bass and Peep Ojavere on percussion and drums. Every track here is amazing, most of them written by Naissoo. Don’t forget the spooky and breathtaking version of Ornette Coleman’s 'Lonely Woman'.

Arkadiy Shilkloper & Mihkail Karetnikov - Movement / Аркадий Шилклопер и Михаил Каретников - Движение, 1987
Today Arkadiy Shilkloper is a true veteran, and perhaps one of the most globally well-known Russian jazz musicians. He is heard here playing french horn, flugelhorn, jagdhorn and other instruments uncommon in traditional jazz. Movement, his duo project with bassist Mikhail Karetnikov, was his debut album. Beautiful ambience, exotic moods and enchanting romanticism - this one is definitely a must-have.

Boomerang Jazz - Ensemble / Джаз-ансамбль - Бумеранг, 1983
Boomerang was an international band formed by Tahir Ibragimov in the 1970s in the city of Alma Ata, the then-capital of Kazhah Soviet Republic. Ibragimov’s band has accompanied the pop vocalist Roza Rymbayeva for a number of years, and playing jazz at the same time under the name of Boomerang. This is their first and most in demand record, which came out in 1983.

V/A - Groove Of ESSR, 2019
Funk, disco, jazz from Soviet Estonia, a great compilation made by Funk Embassy Records from Tallinn. From Collage’s obscure folk-funk 'Forest in Between The Maidens' and mellow jazz-disco cover of Demis Roussos 'Midnight Is The Time' by Els Himma to classic jazz-rock hits by Tõnis Mägi or Gunnar Graps & Magnetic Band, this album also has some previously unreleased archive recordings by Estonian TV & Radio Orchestra. Essential.

Raubishko Jazz Trio - Images Of Ancient Egypt / Джазовое трио п - у Раймондса Раубишко, 1984
An incredible free jazz LP by Latvia’s Raimondas Raubishko and his trio, this record is called Images Of Ancient Egypt, but actually the music has nothing to do with the Pyramids or the Great Sphinx. There were four original pieces written by Raubishko and the editor suggested they be named after the ancient Egyptian monuments, giving it a 'mystic jazz' feeling. However, it’s a great example of modal jazz made in USSR.

Alexander Rjabov & Syntesis - Dialogues / Александр Рябов и ансамбль Синтезис - Диалоги, 1982
Another record from Tallinn. Alexander Rjabov was in important figure on the Estonian jazz scene building it’s strong connection with Moscow and Leningrad music communities. Played by Rjabov and a band of amazing performers, this is a fusion of jazz, chamber music and folk. This is a very special album; numbers such as 'Expectation' and 'Phoenix' are all-time classics.

Sasha Mashin - Outsidethebox, 2018
Although this one is obviously not from the Soviet era, Outsidethebox by Sasha Mashin demonstrates perfectly where the Russian jazz scene is at the moment. This is the first LP released by the Rainy Days label from St. Petersburg as well as the solo debut of drummer, Sasha Mashin. Rainy Days have started 2021 with an amazing compilation Hot Culture, featuring live recordings made shortly after the 2020 lockdown and have released albums by Evgeny Ponomarev, Arseny Rykov and Benito Gonzalez.

Charles Stepney

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