Composer Oleksii Shmurak and pianist Oleksandr Saratsky recorded a joint jazz/classical fusion album. Release 22 August 2026 on ECM Records label.
Oleksii Shmurak and Oleksandr Saratsky (jazz pianist — see PR4) — announced on 14 January 2026 a joint album 'Jazz/Classical Crossings' with release on 22 August 2026 on ECM Records. This is an 8-track LP (64 minutes total) combining Shmurak's contemporary composition with Saratsky's jazz pianistic vocabulary in the form of exploring 'what happens when two worlds meet'. Album structure: I. 'First Bridge' (Shmurak composition, 8:42 — Saratsky as solo pianist); II. 'Free Jazz Response' (Saratsky, 7:30 — improvisationally on Shmurak's theme); III. 'Conversation in C Minor' (joint, 10:18 — central dialogue); IV. 'Modal Exchanges' (joint, 8:55); V. 'Sylvestrov Echo' (Shmurak — tribute to Sylvestrov — see PR2); VI. 'Jazz Etude in 5/4' (Saratsky solo, 7:18); VII. 'Carpathian Suite' (joint, 12:30 — longest track, with folk motifs); VIII. 'Final Bridge' (joint, 8:48 — finale, synthesis). Recording took place at Studio MUSCOLO in Kyiv in live-recording format (September-November 2025) — both performers played together in live contact, no overdubs. Producer — Manfred Eicher (ECM founder). The album releases in formats: digital streaming, CD digipack with 28-page booklet (with essays by both performers about the collaboration), 180g vinyl in silver-blue marble version (limited 800 copies, price 58€). European tour of 8 cities is planned for October-November 2026.
