[2] Leonid & Friends have recorded three Chicago tribute albums, titled Chicagovich. The band is predominantly Russian, but Kashirin is Moldovan and Tiagniryadno is Ukrainian. And while Chicago has always been an all-male band, Leonid & Friends includes a talented female singer, Buzina Kseniya Yurievna, 29, who boasts supermodel looks and has a degree in international economics. Valery studied under Vadim Eilenkrig and Alexander Vishnepolsky. ", Valery Martynov trumpet on "So Very Hard to Go" (also touring substitute 2022present), Dmitry Gorevoy baritone saxophone on "So Very Hard to Go", This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 01:58. - YouTube My dear friends! Stuff I loved at one point or another but then outgrew. For his 60th birthday, Vorobyev recorded a cover version of Chicagos 1975 song, Brand New Love Affair (Parts I & II).. // ]]>. Since the invasion began, Russian President Vladimir Putin branded Ukrainian leaders as a band of drug addicts and neo-Nazis. He also baselessly claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys government seized control of Kyiv and holds Ukrainians hostage against their will. But now Im here, its a magic, thank you my God, and I very glad to be part of Leonid & Friends. She joined Leonid & Friends in September 2016 with the debut of the song Wishing You Were Here and has become an integral part of the bands vocal landscape both in the studio and live performances. He started by learning well-known melodies and played them for friends and family long before learning to read music.When he was eight years old, he enrolled in the local School of Music to study the accordion. It did so well that Vorobyev and his musical pals recorded and filmed their versions of other songs by Chicago and posted them as well. Ilya Prokudin is a graduate of the Moscow Music Institute of Gnesin. The Russian-Ukrainian band Leonid & Friends, was started by Leonid Vorobyev. In 2017 he was excited to audition for Leonid & Friends because hes loved the music of Chicago since childhood. Leonid & Friends performs with such spunk and and precision, at least on its recordings, that the band has been hailed by some fans for "playing the music of Chicago better than Chicago.". Singer from Chicago tribute band weathers, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Singer from Chicago tribute band weathers Ukraine invasion in Kyiv, 4 dead in Mojave Desert community after shooting report, El Chapo sons send Mexico cartels cheap fentanyl into US, The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded. In Russia, musicians have grown to a higher level because weve always looked to Americas best bands as the gods whose level we want to strive towards. His "friends" are a mix of talented musicians and singers who have collaborated with Leonid on his project. Make that Russia's most popular Russian Chicago cover band, except in the group's native Russia. The elder Vorobyev's band is now embarked on an extensive U.S. summer tour, to be followed by more dates in this country in the fall. Russia's top Chicago tribute band, Leonid & Friends, back in the USA Sergey said, When I saw Leonid & Friends on YouTube, I thought myself maybe one day I would play in a band like this. Review: Chicagovich and Chicagovich II by Leonid & Friends The inflections in each performance would make you believe he listened to some of the songs over and over. Later, he became a laureate and a winner of multiple jazz festivals. Leonid & Friends' website includes their video performances of the brassy 1969 Blood, Sweat & Tears' hit, "Spinning Wheel," and Earth, Wind & Fire's 1978 hit, "September Song." Then again, as a child in Siberia in the 1960s, the only time Vorobyev saw The Beatles perform on Soviet TV was in a Russian government-produced propaganda film denouncing the dangers of western cultural decadence. Youre all mashed together in tight spaces with others still growing into their minds, just like you. Along the way, she picked up awards from the Los Angeles Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists. He may not sound exactly like Lamm, but he has the delivery down perfectly. Culture. To say the result is astonishing doesnt do it justice. Tiagnyriadno said he was doing as much as I can to convince people that we need to stop this war., In Russia, people consume disastrous propaganda about whats happening in Ukraine, he said. Leonid and Friends is better known for their spot on tributes of Chicago, Earth Wind and Fire, Blood Sweat and Tears and others. Born in the Transbaikal region of Siberia, in the city of Chita, Ksenia Buzina is credited as being the first Russian singer understood by over a billion people on earth. In 2019, the band finally went on its first tour in the U.S., hosting three sold-out shows in Los Angeles where original Chicago drummer Seraphine performed with them and founding member Robert Lamm visited with them during a soundcheck. Sergey Kashirin - guitar, vocal; Andrey Zyl - trumpet, flugelhorn; Maxim Likhachev - trombone; Alexandr . If you listened to a horn band it all, it was Earth Wind & Fire or maybe Tower of Power. Many Russian bands and singers have passed through his hands and ears. Because it has 11 members as opposed to the seven musicians who comprised Chicago in the Illinois-bred ensemble's creative heyday in the1960s and '70s Leonid & Friends has an even fuller sound than the group it pays homage to nightly on stage. He learned to play the euphonium and its variants as well as various percussion instruments, but his heart centered on the trombone of which he is known for. And he says he is ready to fight if his country needs him. Chicago tribute band from Russia exceeds skill of original group Sergey Kashirin; Related news. As a guitarist of over 45 years myself, I greatly admire Sergey's musical talents! Dear Friends, We are very sad to - Leonid & Friends | Facebook What is the allure for Vorobyev, who because of the difficulty of obtaining American albums in Siberia as a teenager only heard Chicago's 1969 debut album three years later in Moscow on a cassette tape bootleg? Well, its a great story. Sergey Kashirin He may be as Russian as borscht but this cat can play his ass off. Valery began playing with Leonid & Friends in April of 2022 and is happy to welcome listeners and lovers of this amazing music. Leonid & Friends brought the universal language of music to the USA. I shortly took up guitar and Terry Kath was a big favorite. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In May 2005, he became the guitarist of Kalinov Most, considered the countrys first folk-rock band. He had never even seen the band play. You are using an out of date browser. It happens to be that I am no longer a member of the Leonid and Friends band.I want to. Video of their New York performance will be available on video on their website. Together, they performed Chicago's 1972 hit, "Saturday in the Park.". Sergey Kashirin Former Member Vlad Senchillo Former Member Vladimir Popov Former Member Alexander Michurin Former Member Alexey Batychenko Former Member Konstantin Gorshkov Former Member Dmitry Maximov Former Member Special Guest Arturo Sandoval Trumpet Special Guest Arkady Shilkloper French Horn Special Guest Igor Butman Saxophone There is no faking it in this group, no Auto-Tune, no simplistic workarounds of melody and harmony and rhythm. Leonid & Friends | Rock Music Wiki | Fandom In fact, Leonid & Friends's video cover of Chicago's " 25 or 6 to 4 " has more YouTube views than Chicago's own most recent live version of its own song . Leonid & Friends Backstage Interview Jan 2019 Leonid & Friends 271K subscribers Subscribe 66K views 3 years ago We felt like astronauts going into Space - we didn't know what to expect yet.. Leonid and Friends is a Chicago tribute band based in Moscow. "I thought the opposite would happen and that we probably would not be well-received by by the American audience.". It was a nightmare, and I hated them all!" https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BMMNYRNWRRJL4&source=urlhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/leonid-friends/1190819756http. So he contacted some fellow musicians, and they recorded Vorobyevs favorite song, Chicagos Brand New Love Affair.. "Blood, Sweat & Tears and Tower of Power were great, but they only had one (lead) vocalist," he replied. But you still have the jazz and rock musicians who strive to develop their skills, who are exploring both the new and bringing back the old. These retailers will take them, Kings eliminated from playoffs after Game 6 loss to Oilers, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Sandoval began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but it didnt take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world.He has since evolved into one of the worlds most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer. Sergey, being a founding member, performs regularly in both studio and live performances. Theres a feeling of freedom here.. PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Brooklyn Its an all-American story that could only be carried out by residents of Moscow, Russia, in New York, by way of Chicago and L.A. Leonid and Friends: The Speck of Dust - freerepublic.com Warning - once you start watching their videos, you wont be able to stop! All he had was his own keen ear. Serge Tiagnyriadno, Ukrainian musician with Leonid and Friends, played at the. While studying his musical plans abruptly changed the day he was invited to play in a rock band. Chicago was a land of jazz, rock and pop music, all together.". I love Pop, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Indie, electronic, anything is fine with me.Oleg went on to work with many artists and played for years with the popular group Bravo which was established in 1983, a year before he was born. After that, we cannot stop, because our fans dont let us stop it.. If called, he will serve, he says. But Kashirin was as surprised as anyone at the response: After this first wave of admiration from the [online] audience, mostly in America but around the globe as well, people saying how much they loved the reproduction of sound and to watch the videos, we said: OK, we should do more.. The bandmates were eager for more. Vorobyev, a former choir director, has long worked as a producer, arranger and session musician at a Moscow recording studio. You will be blown away. Guitarist Sergey Kashirin somehow channels Terry in his playing style, and sound. It happens to be that I am no longer a member of the Leonid and Friends bandI want to thank you all - the fans and friends of the band- from the bottom of my heart! Knowing how intense the propaganda is in Russia, as well as pressure from leaders to support the invasion, Tiagnyriadno said, he avoids any discussions about the war with the rest of the band. "Chicago was unique in that they had three (lead) vocalists. Their followers remark that they are strong musicians who look like theyre having an incredibly good time. Meanwhile, the Russian parliament voted in support of the law criminalizing the speaking of news the Kremlin regards as fake. Many Russians believe their army is freeing the mythical Russian population in Ukraine and everything goes as planned., While some Russians understand what the Ukrainians are going through, he said, they represent only a fraction., Many Russians believe, he said, that Western countries united to destroy and exterminate Russians and that Russians are being terrorized. Terrys'Gear/Songs - Searchin for Terry Kath SFTK What happened when the song was released surprised everyone and was the start of the new project Leonid & Friends. Valery eventually heard a recording of Maynard Ferguson, and he realized that the trumpet would be his vocation. We'd love to see you there! Yeah, whens the last time you listened to them? Mere months ago, the band for which he provides vocals was enjoying acclaim won online and solidified in person. Sadly, Sergey Kashirin, their amazing Guitarist has chosen to leave the band to concentrate on Songwriting and his young children. The song opens up with very haunting Siberian Tuvan Throat Singing. "In the early 1970s in the USSR, electric guitars, amplifiers, and drums were rare to find so at school we were playing self-made instruments," Vorobyev explained. Also in 2018, current U.S. ambassador to Russia (and former 2016 GOP presidential candidate) Jon Huntsman sat in on keyboards with Leonid & Friends at the 1,000-capacity Yota Arena in Moscow. Tiagnyriadno, 40, is abiding by the rules of martial law in his homeland all men between the ages of 18 and 60 are required to remain in the country so they are available to be drafted into the military if needed. In 2009 Igor launched his own label called Butman Music and he has performed at every Olympic Games starting with Athens in 2004. Best wishes for success to come to these guys. He has collaborated with musicians in Russia and from various foreign countries. In addition, he was the winner of "The Highest Test" competition and last year, under the stage name BURANOV, represented Russia at the international competition "New Wave." The expecting mother will need diapers and bottles, but she will also need comfy maternity clothes to wear throughout her pregnancy or a maternity pillow. Their virtuoso lead guitarist Terry Kath had been neutered as the band was slowly being body-snatched by Peter Ceteras sappy balladry. Alexander is a graduate of Moscow Music Institute of Gnesin, and Moscow State University Photo: YouTube. In 2014, Vorobyev decided to indulge his love for the band by gathering a few fellow musicians in a studio to record a video of them playing his favorite Chicago tune, Brand New Love Affair. Leonid & Friends embarked on its first U.S. tour in January. The band are called Leonid and Friends (L&F) and their bandmembers can play. The Moscow-based Leonid & Friends has, against considerable odds, become Russia's most popular Chicago tribute band in the United States. At the young age of fourteen, he earned admission to the College of Music, where he began seriously studying the accordion and piano.Sergey did so well that at 18, he was awarded admission to the Kyrgyzstan National Conservatory of Music in Bishkek to continue studying the piano, his long time dream. They started as a YouTube band and now also tours. He is now focusing on new ventures with TV and movie scores, along with other projects that will also allow him to stay close to the family (as you know he has 2 little boys). He has been a member of the Russian hard rock band Monomakh, where he won praise from former Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio. Leonid & Friends Singer Serge Tiagniryadno To Release New Album Tomorrow Rock History Music 106K subscribers 35K views 1 year ago Interview Clip #01 Russian Supergroup Leonid & Friends Singer. The video of that performance was subsequently posted online. His love for music began early as a student where he focused on wind instruments. Vasily has won several international music competitions. He had been working in various bands as a bass player and a singer when in 1989 he chose studio operations as his main interest and began a career as a record-mix engineer and sound producer. Chicago has never been in Russia, and none of us have attended their concerts," said Leonid Vorobyev, a multi-instrumentalist who is the bands leader. Sergey Kashirin - Facebook Its all apparent in the video, from the disparate voices of Kashirin, Serge Tiagniryadno, Vasilii Akimov and the drop-dead-gorgeous Ksenia Buzina to the popping, rock-steady drumming of Igor Javad-Zade to the peppery trumpet of Andrey Zyl and all the filling horns that make that massive wall of sound. Ukrainian musician, now defending Kyiv, has ties to Sweetwater Many friends of the band favor Maxim and his Magic Trombone, and theyre sure there is plenty of magic left in his playing. Leonid is a 64-year-old accomplished musician and sound engineer who knew a lot of Moscow's best players through various projects - one of them that singer/guitarist I mentioned, 37-year-old. "We don't know where it will go," he said, "but we want to keep going on this adventure. Imitation, after all, is the sincerest form of flattery, they say. The result was a YouTube video that quickly went viral. Leonid & Friends Backstage Interview Jan 2019 - YouTube I watched this with my audio engineer/producer son a couple of days ago. 1957 in Moscow, Russia). "I loved so much the brilliant mixture of rock guitars, drums, and jazz horns with bright vocal harmonies," he said. (Photo courtesy of Leonid & Friends). Leonid & Friends: How the whim of a Moscow music producer - pennlive JavaScript is disabled. Leonid & Friends | Official USA Tour Schedule TOUR DATES Last updated: 04/22/2023 Our thanks to everyone who made our 2022 tour so special. Tiagniryadno has been to New York before, but, like all of the rest of the 11-member group and their handful of technical staff, hed never been here as part of Leonid & Friends. Since then, Sergey has worked and performed with many top musical acts and together with his wife, an excellent singer in her own right, have organized concerts.In 2020, Sergey, his wife, their three sons, and Lucky, their dog, received an early Christmas present. Founding Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine contacted them early on to say how much he enjoyed their recordings and videos. See for yourself here on Chicago's Anthem, 25 or 6 to 4: 25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago (Leonid & Friends over) Watch on It all began four years ago when Vorobyev was turning 60, the age at which people in his native Russia are generally expected to retire. Hes combined those talents with his smooth vocals as a member of numerous bands throughout the area such as Seven Seas, and Ocheretyaniy Kit. He later became the first trumpet of many Big Bands in Moscow and the first trumpet and accompanist of some of the best jazz orchestras. Truly memorable concert. And they were writing us from all over the planet. Dimitry is a graduate of the Moscow Music Institute of Gnesin and has worked with many of Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He has worked with many of Russias top bands. He is a 10 time Grammy Award Winner, Emmy Award Recipient, 6 Time Billboard Award Winner, the 2015 Hispanic Heritage Award Recipient, the 2016 Honorary Doctorate recipient in Fine Arts from The University of Notre Dame, and the recipient of the United States of America, Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Most of the brass instrument guys at the time were the ones who played at funerals! It may sound confusing at first, but, in short, its the story of how the worlds most famous band that covers hit songs by the legendary rock/jazz/pop group Chicago chose to come to the U.S. for the first time, and to launch their tour in New York City. See all your opportunities to see them live below! His talents gained notoriety in the music community, and as a result, he is credited on numerous albums as a studio guitarist and arranger. Now a resident of Moscow, Ksenia began singing as a child in various school events and competitions. Four singers, one a guitarist who could turn all of Kaths tricks, another a young woman with movie-star looks.