This performance will begin on a high note.
Famed Russian jazz musician Igor Butman and his Moscow Jazz Orchestra are headed to Manhattan Beach for an afternoon performance at Kingsborough Community College on Oct. 5. The globe-trotting horn player said the crowds will be able to toe-tap to more traditional tunes, such as “What a Wonderful World,” as well as modern jazz melodies.
“We have fusion music with contemporary flavor,” said Butman. “We play some music from the old — we have some music that we recently recorded.”
The world-renowned musician — who is touring India and Russia later this year — has performed for multiple world leaders, including former United States president Bill Clinton and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Butman will share the stage with Russian-Australian singer Fantine, who croons in English, French, Spanish, and Russian. Even when audience members don’t know the words — or the language — of a song, she said the crowd still boogies to the beat.
“It is interesting to see people still respond well to music they haven’t heard and isn’t in their language,” said Fantine, who lives in Miami. “It is good to see.”
One of the group’s most popular pieces is an obscure Dominican song called “Como un Bolero,” she said. But Fantine said there are no guarantees of what the musicians will play, because Butman calibrates the direction of every show based on the audience’s reactions.
“He changes the set depending on how the audience is responding,” she said. “It all depends on the mood.”
Igor Butman’s Moscow Jazz Orchestra featuring Fantine at Kingsborough Community College [2001 Oriental Blvd. between Quentin Street and Decatur Avenue in Manhattan Beach, (718) 368–5596, www.onstageatkingsborough.org]. Oct. 5 at 3 pm. $30–$35.
