Saint Petersburg Music Label Rainy Days Records Strives to Showcase Russian Jazz Musicians to the United States and Beyond
XJAZZ Online Speical – Rainy Days Records (Featuring Sasha Mashin, Makar Kashitsyn, Makar Novikov)
Hot Culture in the City: Makar Novikov Trio (Live @ Smena)
Rainy Days Records is a Saint Petersburg-based record label that is changing the global perception of modern Russian music in the global music landscape. Founded in 2018, the label has released myriad albums that demonstrate the stellar musicianship and vibrancy of today’s Russian jazz scene. Acting as a platform for Russian and international musicians, Rainy Days facilitates the creation and presentation of innovative new works and fosters unique collaborations of the finest musicians that Russia has to offer.
So far this year, the label have released several albums. In May 2020, drummer and Rainy Days Co-founder Sasha Mashin released his sophomore album Happy Synapse. A follow-up to Outsidethebox (“Mashin is off to a terrific start here”- Troy Dostert, All About Jazz ⋆⋆⋆⋆), Happy Synapse introduced fans to Mashin’s exciting new group, featuring the drummer alongside Josh Evans on trumpet, Rosario Giuliani on alto saxophone, Dmitry Mospan on tenor saxophone, Benito Gonzalez on piano and Makar Novikov on bass. Comprising eight original tracks, each penned by either Evans, Giuliani, Mospan or Gonzalez, Happy Synapse serves as a monumental, defining release for Mashin, not only in his professional career but his own personal development. Full press release is available to read here.
On June 19, 2020 Azat Bayazitov released his sophomore album The Doors Are Open. A follow-up to the saxophonist’s debut album If You Still Trust, Bayazitov’s latest release presents the powerful musical vision of this NYC-based virtuoso, in the company of a multi-generational, world class quintet: veteran jazz masters David Kikoski on piano, Adam Rogers on guitar, and Boris Kozlov on bass, propelled by on-the-rise 24-year-old Russian drummer Samvel Sarkisyan. Recorded in May 2019 in New York City, The Doors Are Open comprises eight programmatic originals that spur Bayazitov to tell vivid, impassioned stories with unfettered imagination, no-limits technique, and heroic sound. Full press release is available to read here.