iTunes imix: Avishai Kohen, Brad Mehldau,Masha Stepina, Esbjorn Svensson,

iTunes imix: Avishai Kohen, Brad Mehldau,Masha Stepina, Esbjorn Svensson

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Thin Tree by Masha Stepina ( from the contemporary dance show "ContemporaryOrthodox'')

Solo piano composition "Thin Tree" is a part of the experimental contemporary dance show "ContemporaryOrthodox: Russian folklore traditions through a prism of contemporary art." This project was produced by MuziekLab Brabant( The Netherlands).
Played and composed by Masha Stepina - jazz pianist/composer
Song is also part of new released CD entilted "The Place we're longing for" by Masha Stepina Trio featured Wim Essed(bass) and Hans van Oosterhout( drums).
CD is aviable on iTunes. www.mashastepina.com

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Softly as a morning sunrise - Hiromi Uehara Sonicbloom

Softly as a morning sunrise - Hiromi Uehara Sonicbloom.
Very interesting and unexpected)) arrangment of one of my favorite jazz standarts.


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Hiromi Uehara - The Tom and Jerry Show

This is just the best piano player I've ever heard. Incredible technic,energie,swing,super fast straight piano and much more...
Hiromi Uehara - The Tom and Jerry Show! Enjoy it!



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iTunes iMix "Jazz piano: Female pianists. Hiromi,Masha Stepina,Amina Figarova, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Diana Krall.

iTunes iMix "Jazz piano: Female pianists. Hiromi,Masha Stepina,Amina Figarova, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Diana Krall.

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Brad Mehldau plays "She's leaving home" by Beatles

Brad Mehldau plays "She's leaving home" by Beatles.
Brad Mehldau -piano
Larry Grenadier - bass
Jeff Ballard - drums



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Philip Glass playing Mad Rush

Philip Glass playing Mad Rush - from the television production Two Moon July (1986)





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iTunes iMix Jazz Piano: FemalePianists

iTunes iMix Jazz Piano: Female Pianists: Carla Bley, Hiromi, Diana Krall, Masha Stepina, Marian McPartland,Toshiko Akiyoshi.

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iTunes iMix -Jazz Piano from Holland( Karel Boehlee, Rob van Bavel, Harmen Fraanje, Johan Clement, Masha Stepina, Randal Corsen)

Enjoy jazz paino music from Holland!

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Nagoya Marimbas - Steve Reich

Chris Osborne and Matt DeVore are performing Nagoya Marimbas by Steve Reich. Cool combination of minimal music and African rhythms. and those guys are playing so groovy!

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Philip Glass: "The hours"

Philip Glass: "The hours".
Piano by Branka Parlic
5th of July 2005. synagogue.
Such a beautiful and simple harmony, I also like development of the main theme.


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Tord Gustavsen Trio "where breathing starts"

Tord Gustavsen Trio - Where breathing starts.
Simply Wonderful music, brings beautiful memories and gives peaceful feeling!



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Avishai Cohen Trio Live - Remembering

Avishai Cohen Trio Live - Remembering


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Repin and Lugansky plays Fratres(Arvo Pärt)

Vadim Repin and Nikolai Lugansky plays Pärt's Fratres. 2004, in Tokyo


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iTunes iMix( Brad Mehldau, Avishai Cohen, Masha Stepina,Esbjorn Svensson)

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Bert v/d Brink Trio @ Paradox( Hans van Oosterhout,Hein van de Geyn)

Bert van den Brink Trio Paradox Tilburg (Boy Edgar Tournee 2007) (30 nov. 2007) Bert van den Brink (piano) Hans van Oosterhout (drums) Hein van de Geyn (bass)




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iTunes iMix( Brad Mehldau, John Taylor, Masha Stepina,Bobo Stenson)

Enjoy iTunes iMix featured Brad Mehldau, John Taylor, Masha Stepina,Bobo Stenson, Marcin Wasilewski.

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Hans van Oosterhout

Here I would like to introduce drummer who played on my new CD album " The Place we're longing for"
I am very happy and thankful for his great input!

Hans van Oosterhout was born in the Netherlands in 1965. He starts playing drums at the age of seven. After graduating
from high school he immediately is admitted to the Jazz Department of the Rotterdam Conservatory.
Even before finishing his studies, he is offered a position as a drum teacher at the Rotterdam
Conservatory, a position today he still holds.

Over the years Hans has established himself as one of the much sought after drummers in Europe.
He has been performing with Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine, Ralph Moore, Mark Murphy, Spike Robinson,
Nat Adderley, Bob Malach, Victor Lazlo, Lee Konitz, Rick Margitza, Denise Jannah, Dee Dee Bridgewater,
Madeline Bell, Kenny Wheeler, Marlena Shaw, Benny Golson, Magic Malik, Red Holaway, James Moody,
Bobby Watson, David Sanches, Nelson Veras, Harmen Fraanje, Benny Golson, Jesse van Ruller, Deborah Brown,
Dee Daniels, The Metropole Orchestra, Kenny Werner, Pete King, Peter Hertmans, Chico Freeman,
Von Freeman, Anne Ducros, David Sanchez, Johnny Griffin, Randy Brecker, John Scofield, Gino Vannelli
and many others.

Now performing regularly with:
Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine-4, Hein van de Geyn's Baseline, Enrico Pieranunzi-3, Cor Bakker,
Bert van den Brink-3, Vaya Con Dios , Mona Lisa Overdrive, Gino Vannelli and Dee Dee Bridgewater.
With these groups he travels all over Europe and performs in the USA, Japan, Canada, Krea and Europe.
Next to his stage activities, Hans has been recording quite a lot over the last years. His music is heard
on more than 70 Cd's.Both critics and fellow musicians appreciate Hans for his great flexibility and
ability to adapt himself to almost any musical situation. Always offering musicality and sensitivity
as well as enthusiasm and an open mind to music. In 1998 The Belgian Jazz Magazine voted Hans
'Best European Jazz Drummer'.

( from Hans van Oosterhout website)

Here you can listen and buy digital CD" The Place we're longing for" featured Hans van Oosterhout, Wim Essed and Masha Stepina.


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Arvo Pärt : Fur Alina played by Alexei Lubimov

Simple, clean, magic, melancholic, timeless.




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New Cd "The Place we're longing for" has been released on iTunes!

I am happy to announce that my first CD album entilted " The Place we're longing for" has been released on iTunes, Amazon and other music stores.
Here is the liner notes:
Masha Stepina - piano
Wim Essed - double bass
Hans van Oosterhout - drums


"It may be therefore no big surprise that on this first recording under her own name all the material came from Masha's pen.When listening to her compositions one will experience a wealth of musical legacy as well as glimpses of things yet to come.
Besides the obvious jazz and pop connections there is a clear classic heritage;one can detect influences from Bach to the great late-romantic Russian composers like Skriabin and Rachmaninov.Just as well one could point at the unusual structures and sometimes special,but clear forms of the pieces;the impressionistic and expressionistic ways of musical developement and improvisations, or the multi-layered and counterpointed way of interpretation.

Double bassist Wim Essed and drummer Hans van Oosterhout are both seasoned performers and educators;after all ,Masha met them at the Rotterdam Conservatory,where they have been working for many years.They bring along a great deal of empathy and imaginatory playing,which adds to the atmospheric peculiarity of the music,but respecting the intrinsic flavour of the compositions.               

Anyhow,the music has quite a bit of describing and colourful aspects to it and as such sometimes feels like the soundtrack for an until now unmade movie. A movie that would clearly need some wide landscapeshots and longing or dramatic scenes to fit to the music of Masha Stepina ..."
Written by Wim Essed

You are welcome to listen samples, write review and buy music on iTunes.



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Brad Mehldau plays "Martha my Dear" by The Beatles

Brad Mehldau performing his version of The Beatles' Martha my dear on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.


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Listen to Masha Stepina Trio MP3 Music Downloads on Napster

"It is the spot we would love to be in,but we don't know where it is,what it looks like, or how long the journey to get there might be.
It is the part of our imagination one can not reach,not now,not ever,the elusive utopian ideal.
One always wishes to be in a better world,but will one recognize and be aware if it would actually happen?"

The Place We're Longing for

Philip Glass: Glassworks

Wonderful performance of Glassworks by Branka Parlic!




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Tarkovsky's Mirror Set to Arvo Pärt's Mirror in the Mirror(Spiegel im Spiegel)

A Brilliant piece by Estonian composer Arvo Part and scenes from "Mirror" by Andrei Tarkovsky.

Listen to the music, watch an incredible and enjoy a lot of emotions like melancholy, sadness, love and joy!








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Radiohead cover from Brad Mehldau(Exit Music)

One of my favorite piano players.

Incredible sense of rhythm, improvising, communication.






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Ketil Bjornstad Prelude 13

As I promised ) I keep you update with interesting staff.
Here is a beautiful Prelude 13 from Ketil Bjornstad - jazz pianist and composer.
This outstanding jazz and the same time contemporary piece gives really timeless feeling.
Please enjoy it!




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Single JANUARY just released!

My first single " January" was just released in iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody, E-music, Amie Street and others.

When I have been composing this tune I was inspired by winter and I felt a melancholy and homesickness. I was trying to show my emotions through my playing and improvising too.

Here is the liner notes:

The landscape is white and empty.

Days,still short, can be sunny,skies an absolute blue.

Also the wind may be absent at times.

Promises of a different and greener time to come...

Be aware though that under the horizon the next furious snowy tempest is just creeping closer...

( Written by Wim Essed)

Feel free to listen, leave comments and reviews or buy music.

"January" is Available on



Masha

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Who is your favorite jazz piano player?

I am interested about what kind of music people like in our days?

Is everybody likes pop, rock, hip-hop and R&B? 

Are there people who like jazz? Probably there are some folks who into traditional jazz and cats.

But are people really familiar with modern jazz? 

I am really curious about that. OK, people heard playing of Brad Mehldau and Keith Jarrett (I believe).

What about others? 

I am as one of thousand jazz piano players and composers would like to hear from you about that.

At least I'll try to show how beautiful, emotional, sensitive, colorful and exiting could be jazz piano music. So, if you are interested to get know about jazz piano music please welcome to my blog! I'll show you the best!

Here is the first video with one of my favorite piano player Tord Gustavsen( Norway).

He has made and amazing and outstanding composition "Being There". Enjoy the melancholic melody and such a great performing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGyv-hxm20

One musician - Two Pianos!!!

Hey Guys, I found something cool on YouTube. I wish I can play and compose one day the same staff. 

This is an amazing composition of Steve Reich

Peter Aidu  plays with a left hand on one piano and the right hand on the second one!

He just performs the score for two pianists.

Check this out!

My First JAZZ Post!

Here is my first blog, first post.

Exiting! 

What should I write? 

Better first introduce myself.

I am Russian jazz pianist/composer currently living and working in The Netherlands in a beautiful  modern city Rotterdam.

I compose jazz and contemporary music and really would love to share it with the world. 

Was quite busy with finding out some staff here, layout, template, gadgets, widgets, links..... Actually a lot of staff to do ))))))(if you don't know how).

But I manage a bit, and hope I can find some friends and fans here and people who would understand and support my music, my playing, my improvising.

Ciao and see you later,

Masha