A star line-up, premieres of the original compositions, an intriguing cover – this first in the last five years solo album by a world-famous saxophonist was widely discussed long before its release. The album is entitled after the first ever composition by Igor Butman The official presentation of Only Now will take place from Dec 15th to Dec 19th, 2021 at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, New York, featuring Igor Butman, Antonio Sanchez, Evgeny Pobozhiy, and Matt Brewer.
– Only Now, written in the distant 80s (by the way, the first record featuring Igor Butman is Then & Now by the legendary Grover Washington). The album features the author of the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Birdman, four-time Grammy winner, drummer Antonio Sanchez; the winner of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition, guitarist Evgeny Pobozhiy; famous pianist and vocalist, prize-winner at the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition Oleg Akkuratov. The double bass part is alternately represented by two famous American musicians – two-time Grammy winner Eddie Gomez and one of the most sought-after bassists on the New York scene, Matt Brewer. The album was recorded at Sound on Sound Studios by a five-time Grammy award-winning sound engineer James Farber in June 2019.
The album includes both previously unreleased original compositions by Igor Butman: Egyptian Nights, You’ve Got E-mail and Only Now and the compositions which have become landmarks of the Moscow Jazz Orchestra’s and Igor Butman Quintet’s repertoire: Baby, I Love You by Wynton Marsalis and Golden Sun Ray by Gennady Gladkov. The record features two versions of the composition dedicated to one of the closests friends of Mr. Burman – Wynton Marsalis – Blues For Wynton: performed by the Quartet (featuring Matt Brewer) and the Quintet (featuring Eddie Gomez and Oleg Akkuratov). The album also includes an original composition by Evgeny Pobozhiy Verdict and Falling Grace by Steve Swallow, which was performed by Igor Butman and Evgeny Pobozhiy at the All-Star Global Concert of the International Jazz Day in 2020.
Tracklist:
1. Egyptian Nights (I. Butman)
2. Verdict (E. Pobozhiy)
3. You’ve Got E-mail (I. Butman)
4. Golden Sun Ray (G. Gladkov)
5. Only Now (I. Butman)
6. Blues for Wynton (Quartet) (I. Butman)
7. Falling Grace (S. Swallow)
8. Baby I Love You (W. Marsalis/B. Mcferrin)
Bonus track: Blues for Wynton (in Quintet) (I. Butman)