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Leonid PtashkaJazz virtuoso
Date of Birth: 03.05.1964
Country:  Israel |
Content:
- Biography of Leonid Ptashka
- Career in the Soviet Union
- Repatriation
- Life in Israel
- Personal Life
- Style of Performance
Biography of Leonid Ptashka
Childhood. First Steps in JazzLeonid Ptashka, a jazz musician, virtuoso pianist, and composer, was born in 1964 in Baku. He began studying music at the age of four, with his mother being a Russian language and literature teacher and his father an aviation engineer. Ptashka made his first public performance at the age of six, improvising on stage. By the age of seven, he was already performing Mendelssohn's concerto with the Baku Symphony Orchestra. After graduating from the Baku Music School in 1983, he enrolled in the Gnesin Institute in Moscow, where he initially studied classical piano and composition. He later transferred to the pop-jazz department, studying under professor Igor Bril, who authored one of the most popular jazz textbooks in Russian.
Career in the Soviet Union
After completing his university education in Moscow, Ptashka became one of the most sought-after young musicians, with numerous concerts and tours in the West. He became one of the first Soviet jazz musicians to tour America. In 1981, Ptashka became the first Soviet laureate of an international jazz competition held in Poland and performed with tours in the United States in 1982. Although he was offered the opportunity to stay in America, he refused due to concerns for his parents' well-being. In 1986, he won first place at the improvisational piano competition in Vilnius and went on to perform at various Soviet festivals.
By the late 1980s, Ptashka had gained nationwide recognition, performing to large audiences and touring many countries. He also worked on central television with Vlad Listyev on the program "Vzglyad."
Repatriation
In 1990, Ptashka repatriated to Israel, believing that the ongoing mass immigration from the Soviet Union would provide him with an audience and professional opportunities. However, he had to start almost from scratch in Israel.
Life in Israel
Adapting to life in Israel was challenging, and initially, Ptashka performed in restaurants and bars. In 1994, he organized the first jazz festival in Ashdod. Three years later, he began to return to Russia and participate in international festivals. In 2000, he was invited to play jazz at the White House in America, and the American Biographical Institute included him on its list of the top 100 jazz musicians of the 20th century. Despite his growing popularity in Russia and the CIS, Ptashka struggled to gain recognition in his historical homeland. In 2002, the Ashdod municipality refused to support the jazz festival, leading it to be moved to other cities and eventually abroad. However, in 2009, the international jazz festival "SuperJazz" returned to Ashdod with the support of the new deputy mayor, Boris Giterman.
Ptashka also initiated the opening of a jazz department at the "Akadma" conservatory, taught at the Tel-Aviv Conservatory named after Striker, opened a private music school, hosted the television show "Evening Ptashka" on the RTVi channel, and received the Knesset Medal in 2003 for his achievements and contributions to Israel.
Personal Life
Ptashka's first wife was an Israeli Russian-speaking journalist. After repatriation, they lived in a rented apartment in Holon but later divorced. In 2005, speaking about his relationships with women in an interview with Mignews.com, Ptashka stated that he had a wonderful family, with three-year-old daughters and a one-and-a-half-year-old son. His current wife had a successful career in the advertising industry in Israel.
Style of Performance
Ptashka's style belongs to free jazz, combining ethnic jazz and improvisational jazz mainstream. His performances are characterized by extreme emotionality, high tempo, and constant interaction with the audience. Ptashka's playing is known for its dynamic development, dialogue with the piano, spontaneity, naturalness, and expressiveness, which earned him the nickname "piano destroyer." He has performed solo piano recitals in major concert halls worldwide, including Carnegie Hall (New York, 1988), Boston University Hall (1988), National Museum of Arts (Los Angeles, 1989), and Tchaikovsky Hall (1986, 1987, 1988).
In addition to arranging traditional jazz pieces, Ptashka's noteworthy compositions include "Other Classics" (jazz cover versions of works by Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, performed with a symphony orchestra) and "Other Beatles" (jazz cover versions of songs such as "Come Together," "Michelle," "Yesterday," and more). These compositions are included in the 2005 album "Leonid Ptashka and Jazz Friends," which features collaborations with John Nugent, El Foster, Monty Waters, Michael Blam, and members of his quartet, Valery Lipets and Evgeny Maistrovsky.
Ptashka gives approximately 200 concerts worldwide each year and spends the rest of his time "flying and rehearsing," as he describes it.
