Kolibri (band)

Last updated
Kolibri
Colibri (band).jpg
Kolibri on stage the Place Club in Saint Petersburg. 10 October 2010
Background information
Origin Flag of Russia.svg Saint Petersburg
Genres experimental rock
avant-pop
baroque pop
Years active1988–present
LabelsFeeLee Records
Real Records
Gala Records
Triary Records
MembersYelena Yudanova
Irina Sharovatova
Inna Volkova
Past membersNatasha Pivovarova
Olga Feshchenko
Oleg Emirov
Andrey Gradovich
Website http://www.kolibri.spb.ru/

Kolibri is a Soviet and Russian experimental pop/rock group formed in 1988 in Saint-Petersburg playing an eclectic brand of baroque pop blended with elements of post-punk, cabaret, chanson and dominated by vocal harmony. In their heyday Kolibri, according to rock historian Andrey Burlaka, combined ironic high posturing with touchingly humane attitude, writing and performing songs that were described variously as exquisite, depressive, extravagant, romantic, naive, sophisticated and decadent. [1] The band released six studio albums which were well received by critics both in Europe and in Russia but never had any commercial success. [2] [3]

Contents

Natasha Pivovarova, Kolibri's founding member, left in 1998 to form her own band Sous (The Sauce). She died in a car crash in Crimea, Ukraine, in September 2007. [4]

Band history

Kolibri were formed in 1988, originally as a side project for Natalya Pivovarova  [ ru ] (born 17 July 1963 in Novgorod), [5] then a member of Sergey Kuryokhin's Populyarnaya Mekhanika. She invited six other girls, who were associated with the Leningrad Rock Club but hadn't had any stage experience, to join, and suggested they form a kind of musical theater and perform covers in a cabaret/avant-garde/post-rock fashion. On 8 March 1988 the septet premiered their Vacation of Love set (its title referring to the Japanese film) at the Leningrad Rock Club. According to critic Andrey Burlaka the concert caused furore and the girls became an overnight sensation in the city's cultural scene. [1] By their next gig, Kolibri had five members: Pivovarova, Yelena Yudanova, Irina Sharovatova, Olga Feshchenko, and Inna Volkova. Soon the band members started writing their own material. [3]

Debut

In November 1989, Kolibri went into Aquarium's portable studio to record their Американская жена (American Wife) demo and next month started working on their debut album in the Titanic Studio with producer Alexandr Titov (ex-Aquarium). Among those taking part in the recording were Oleg Sakmarov (flute, oboe), Piotr Akimov (cello), Alexey Ratzen (drums) and two Televizor's guitarists, Alexandr Beliaev and Maxim Kuznetzov. In 1990 the debut album Манера поведения (Manie′ra Povede′niya, Manner of Conduct) was released, first unofficially, then a year later on FeeLee Records in Russia. Two years later it was released in the USA. [3]

The band went on tour using the instrumental studio backing track and asserting (according to Allmusic) "their nonconformity with theatrical stage antics and costuming, in their case identical black ballet outfits and colored gloves." [3]

The 'classic' years

1991 saw Kolibri performing at the Rock Club's 10th Anniversary concert and at the Interdelo Festival in Novosibirsk, alongside N.O.M., Orkestr A and The Shamen among others. They took part in Nantes' Leningrad Days (Lеs Allumees fest) and later played in Germany, Finland and Sweden. In 1992 Videofilm company made a musical film Колибри в Париже и Дома (Kolibri in Paris and at Home). Demonstrated occasionally in Petersburg theaters throughout 1990s, it has never been released on video. By this time Olga Feshchenko has left the group and settled in Paris. [1]

Kolibri's second album Маленькие трагедии (Ma′lenkie Trage′dii, Little Tragedies) was recorded in 1992, with the session musician and arranger Yuri Sobolev and guitarist Aleksandr Gnatyuk. A song from the album, "Zholty List Osenni" (Yellow Leaf of Autumn), written and sung by Elena Udanova, became Russian radio hit. [3]

On 8 March 1993, the group celebrated their fifth anniversary by playing in Slava Polunin's show. In 1994 Kolbri recorded Найди десять отличий (Find Ten Differences). Produced by Andrei Muratov of DDT fame and released by Triary Records, it is regarded as their best. This time they were supported in the studio by bassist Vyacheslav Koshelev, ex-Auktyon drummer Igor Cheridnik, various members of Prepinaki (the latter's frontman Alex Lushin was Natasha Pivovarova's husband at the time) and Aleksandr Belyaev of Nautilus Pompilius. [6]

The experimental Бес Сахара (Bes Sahara, a pun which could mean both 'Without Sugar' or 'Sugar Demon', its working title having been - 'Princesses Don't Poo'), recorded with Tequilajazzz was released by Gala Records. The members of Tequilajazzz joined the girls on stage to become for a while Kolibri's backing band. [1]

In 1998 Kolibri starred in Aleksandr Bashirov's film Zheleznaya Pyata Oligarkhyi (The Iron Heel of Oligarchy). [3] [7] In May of that year the band joined the line-up of Sergey Kuryokhin's 2nd annual S.K.I.F. Festival organized in New York City by David Gross, the good friend of the latter. [1]

Pivovarova's departure

In December 1998 Natasha Pivovarova left the band to pursue a solo career. She went on to work as a producer for Molochny Shake (another all-girl group which some critics labeled "the teenage Kolibri") and sang duets with Alexandr Lushin and his band. In January 2000 she formed a new group (or "the association" as they preferred to call themselves) named Соус (Sous, The Sauce). [3]

In less than a year Kolibri re-emerged with the two new members, Oleg Emirov (keyboards and arrangements; ex-Golye) and Andrey Gradovich (guitar). After a year of touring Europe the reformed Kolibri made their first Saint Petersburg appearance; their 24 December 2000 concert in Teatr Estrady garnered fine reviews. [1]

The album, Любовь и её конечности (Lyubov I yeyo konechnosti, Love and its Limbs) recorded in the Signal Studios with producer Sergey Rusanov (ex-Ulitzy, Televizor) was shelved to be released a year later by Real Records, almost simultaneously with their next work, Troi, a collaboration with the Volkovtrio members, Vladimir Volkov and Svyatoslav Kurashov. [1]

In the course of the next two years Kolibri played several festivals (including S.K.I.F.) and appeared in studio compilations (like the two Aquarium members tribute — first Dyusha Romanov's, then Boris Grebenshchikov). The band's 15th anniversary concerts in Moscow and Petersburg saw Natasha Pivovarova joining her ex-colleagues on stage. By this time Emirov has left and Kolibri joined forces with Soundscript 33, an instrumental trio led by saxophonist and composer Dmitry Fyodorov. [1]

Natasha Pivovarova, Kolibri's founding member, died in a car crash in Crimea, Ukraine, in September 2007.

In 2009 Yudanova, Volkova and Sharovatova along with Soundscript 33 recorded Железные звезды (Zheleznye zvyozdy, Iron Stars), which later made its way into Vzglyad newspaper's list of 12 best World albums of that year. [8] In 2013 Апокрифы (Apocrypha), the collection of rarities, was released online. [6]

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquarium (band)</span> Russian musical group

Aquarium or Akvarium is a Russian rock group formed in Leningrad in 1972. The band is considered one of the founders of Russian rock. Aquarium has had many line-up changes over its history, and lead singer and founder Boris Grebenshchikov is the only remaining original member. Former band members include Anatoly Gunitsky, Mikhail Feinstein, Andrei "Dyusha" Romanov, Vsevolod Gakkel, and Sergey Kuryokhin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mashina Vremeni</span> Russian rock band

Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and bard's song. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrei Makarevich, Alexander Kutikov, and Evgeny Margulis (guitarist/songwriter).

Kino is a Soviet rock band formed in Leningrad in 1981. The band was co-founded and headed by Viktor Tsoi, who wrote the music and lyrics for almost all of the band's songs, until his death in 1990. Over the course of eight years, Kino released over 90 songs spanning over seven studio albums, as well as releasing a few compilations and live albums. The band's music was also widely circulated in the form of bootleg recordings through the underground magnitizdat distribution scene. Viktor Tsoi died in a car accident in 1990. Shortly after his death, the band broke up after releasing their final album, consisting of songs that Tsoi and the group were working on in the months before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergey Kuryokhin</span> Russian musician (1954–1996)

Sergey Anatolyevich Kuryokhin was a Russian composer, pianist, music director, experimental artist, film actor and writer, based in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was an influential figure in the Saint Petersburg music scene of the 1980s and early 1990s. He was the former keyboardist for the rock band Aquarium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aria (band)</span> Russian heavy metal band

Aria is a Russian heavy metal band that was formed in 1985 in Moscow. Although it was not the first Soviet band to play heavy music, Aria was the first to break through to mainstream media and commercial success. According to several public polls, Aria ranks among top 10 most popular Russian rock bands. Their sound resembled that of NWOBHM bands, for which they were dubbed the "Russian Iron Maiden" in the media.

<i>Nachalnik Kamchatki</i> 1984 studio album by Kino

Nachalnik Kamchatki is the third studio album by Soviet rock band Kino. The name of the album is a play on the title of the 1967 Soviet film Chief of Chukotka.

Avtomaticheskie udovletvoriteli was a Soviet, and later Russian, punk band, formed in Leningrad in 1979. It is considered the first Russian punk band, and its founder, Andrei Panov, is sometimes referred to as "the first punk in the USSR".

Little Tragedies are a Russian language progressive rock, art rock and symphonic rock band from Russia. Arguably the most important progressive rock band in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spitfire (Russian band)</span>

Spitfire is a ska band formed in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri Kasparyan</span> Soviet rock musician

Yuri Dmitriyevich Kasparyan is a Russian musician best known for his time as the guitarist of the Soviet rock band Kino and as a member of Vyacheslav Butusov's group U-Piter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergey Letov</span> Russian musician (born 1956)

Sergey Fyodorovich Letov, is a Russian musician and composer, known for his improvisational style. He is the founder of the recording label Pentagram. He has collaborated with numerous jazz, avant-garde, modern classical, rock and electronic music artists, including his younger brother Yegor Letov, composer Sergey Kuryokhin, and cult Soviet art punk band DK. Letov has written music for movies and plays, collaborating with Russian, Italian and Austrian theatres, the German non-profit cultural association Goethe-Institut, and the Moscow Institute of Journalism and Literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N.O.M.</span>

N.O.M. is a Soviet/Russian experimental rock band, formed in 1987 in Saint Petersburg, known for its mix of art rock, ska, folklore, classical influences and eccentric theatrical stage shows. N.O.M.'s national breakthrough came in the late 1980s when LenTV started playing the band's controversial videos. Short-time heroes of post-Perestroika alternative culture, N.O.M. have never been accepted neither by the massive pop/rock audiences, nor by the mainstream Russian media, but gathered a strong cult following. The band split into two in 1997, but the 2000s saw NOM-Zhir and NOM-Euro gradually reintegrating, the official reunion concert held on 20 April 2007 in the Saint Petersburg's "Port" Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U-Piter</span> Russian rock band

U-Piter was a Russian rock band from Saint-Petersburg. The group was formed by Vyacheslav Butusov in 2001. The group disbanded in 2017.

N.E.P. is a Russian rock band formed in 1988 in Saint Petersburg, then Leningrad, and widely credited as a legend of Russian rock music and classics of Russian rock, according to the biggest national mainstream rock radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Televizor</span>

Televizor is a Soviet/Russian gothic rock/industrial group formed in 1984 in Saint-Petersburg. Mikhail Borzykin is the lead singer and founder of group. They began to perform at the Leningrad Rock Club. They are noted for their strong views against authoritarianism in Russian politics, and have repeatedly denounced the actions of Vladimir Putin in their lyrics. At the time the group first formed, it was one of comparatively few political rock bands in Soviet Union.

Olga Gennadievna Glazova is a Russian singer-songwriter, composer and poet. She performed an academic repertoire of gusli and Russian folk songs in her own adaptation. Glazova is one of few performers who uses Russian folk instrument gusli and ancient harp to make repertoire prevailed by its own instrumental compositions and songs in Russian, English and other languages. Her first public performance took place in Pskov in 2001, during the international competition for young performers on folk multi-string instruments. By now she has been twice nominated for S. Kuryokhin award in the field of contemporary art – "Ethnomechanica – the best world music project", winner of about 30 international and national competitions of folk music, has published two solo albums of the harp music, and is engaged in restoration of lost equipment fingers playing the harp. Olga plays the custom 30-stringed harp crafted for her by A.Teplov. She cooperated with the notable russian acts such as "Affinage (band)", "Theodor Bastard", "Sergey Nikolaevich Starostin", "Aquarium (band)". In 2020 she has collaborated with the Art of Peace global project, composed and arranged by Mehran Alirezaei.

Strannye Igry was a Soviet Leningrad-based new wave band, noted for using the ska influences, writing lyrics based on the translations of the early 20th century French poetry and indulging themselves in all sorts of buffoonery on stage. The Leningrad avant-pop experimenter Sergey Kuryokhin was their regular collaborator. Six of Strannye Igry's songs featured in a 1986 split double album Red Wave which also featured Aquarium, Kino and Alisa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrei Tropillo</span> Musical artist

Andrei Vladimirovich Tropillo was a Soviet and Russian record producer, music publisher, sound engineer, founder of the label AnTrop ("АнТроп"), and rock musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vsevolod Gakkel</span> Musical artist

Vsevolod (Seva) Yakovlevich Gakkel' is a Russian rock musician, who played cello in the band Aquarium. Gakkel founded the club TaMtAm and was the art director of the club Chinese Pilot Jao Da in Saint Petersburg.

<i>Sparrow Oratorium/Four Seasons</i> 1993 studio album by Sergey Kuryokhin

Sparrow Oratorium "Four Seasons" is an album by Sergey Kuryokhin released in 1993 by the Norwegian label Sparrow International AS. It was recorded at the M&M Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia between 1992 and 1993. A Russian reissue of the album was released by the label Pop-Mechanika (Поп-Механика) in 2000.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kolibri Андрей Бурлака [ permanent dead link ]
  2. "www.newsmusic.ru ShowBiz somehow doesn't dig Kolibri". Archived from the original on 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 www.allmusic.com Kolibri
  4. Известия.Ру: Колибри founder died in a car crash in Crimea
  5. "www.izbrannoe.ru". Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  6. 1 2 Gorbachyov, Alexandr. Prudnikov, Sergey. The 25th Anniversary interview with Elena Yudanova, Inna Volkova and Irina Sharovatova Archived 2013-10-25 at the Wayback Machine @ Volna.
  7. translated for some reason as 'The Iron Heel of Communism' by Allmusic
  8. Музыка жёлтого быка. Двенадцать лучших музыкальных альбомов 2009 года по версии газеты ВЗГЛЯД, 2009