Soviet and Russian musician Mikhail Chernov is known as Uncle Misha. Jazz saxophonist participated in many well-known projects, was a member of several famous groups, including DDT.
Mikhail Semenovich Chernov is called Uncle Misha. In the musical environment of St. Petersburg, this person is a figure not just bright, but unique. He is a veteran of St. Petersburg jazz, a bearer of the best traditions, an excellent accompanist and soloist.
The beginning of the ascent to the top
Confidence jazzman feels during the performance of works of any genre. For half a century, Chernov’s biography itself is called a bright page in the country's musical history. The future performer was born in 1941. He was born in Leningrad on January 26. While studying at school, the boy was fond of music and boxing.
The first instrument mastered by the musician was a guitar, and the repertoire consisted of yard songs and rock and roll. Serious music lessons began in 1958. The main focus was jazz. The graduate continued his studies at the college of railway transport. Then, cooperation with jazz combos started. A year later, Michael joined the LIIZHT big band.
The musician replaced the guitar with an alto saxophone and clarinet. Then began a collaboration with the jazz quintet, which was played by colleagues in the collective. The performer was called up for military service. The young man was in a sports company in the suburbs. He played in a military band, without interrupting in this period, jazz classes were not interrupted.
Michael gathered a team that won awards from several army art festivals. In this period, acquaintance with the future masters of domestic jazz took place.
Music career
After serving, Chernov returned to Leningrad, managed to work in several teams. In 1967, an invitation came to Bolotinsky Jazz Orchestra in Odessa. The team has already played the famous jazz musicians of Peter.
In the spring of 1974, Mikhail returned to his hometown. He decided to get a professional education at the pop department of the Rimsky-Korsakov School in the class of flute and saxophone. Chernov's teacher was Gennady Holstein, the famous jazzman of the 60s. At the same time, the student played in the ensembles of Goloshchekin, Kolpashnikov, the Lundstrem and Weinstein orchestras.
After an excellent graduation in 1978, Mikhail was admitted to the Leningrad Conservatory. In 1979, experts named him the city's best jazz alto saxophonist. The musician took part in Autumn Rhythms, beginning in 1978, headed the accompaniment ensemble of the vocal group of the Kvadrat jazz club, and performed at Arkhangelsk and Baku festivals.
Mikhail collaborated with the combo of his conservative teacher Anatoly Vapirov. Then began the teaching career of Chernov. He taught Alexander Zhuravlev, Boris Borisov Denis Medvedev.
In 1983, after the completion of the conservatory, the jazzman led the dance orchestra. Gradually, the musician became uncomfortable with the usual jazz framework. Since November 1984, together with the pianist Sergei Kurekhin, the Popular Mechanics synthetic orchestra was given up. The main event in the sensational non-jazz project was the performance at the Third Rock Club Festival.
In the mid-eighties, the album "City of Night Lights" was recorded, a quintet was compiled. In 1987, the play "Sad Summer", written by Chernov, became the bronze winner of the jazz composition contest. Started cooperation with the studio of Andrey Tropillo. In 1985-1986, a jazzman recorded disks with "Alice" and "Aquarium", performed in 1987 at the Rock Club festival with "Zoo".
Confession
The beginning of a new stage was 1988. In the summer, the saxophonist was invited to record “I got this role, ” the debut Petersburg album “DDT”. The flute and saxophone played a major role in its arrangement. For the disc "Plastun" in 1995, Chernov conducted the symphony orchestra according to his score. To musicians from the Dangerous Neighborhood group, Mikhail Semenovich owes a nickname to his brand.
The jazzman does not like to talk about his personal life. He is known to be married. In the nineties, he worked with the groups "NEP", "Tambourine", "Myths". In the spring of 1993, Uncle Misha, together with the Chizha star cast, participated in the recording of the group's debut disc, worked with folk singer Marina Kapuro, the Yabloko and Third Rome ensembles.
By the beginning of 1996, Chernov received an impressive present on his 55th birthday from DDT Records: a disc with his work, entitled Uncle Misha In Rock. In it were collected and already known compositions, and nowhere else published works.
