Dixieland jazz with a Russian accent comes to Denver for the second time when the Leningrad Dixieland Jazz Band performs with the Queen City Jazz Band and Alan Frederickson at the Sheraton Lakewood on Friday, June 2, 8 p.m. to midnight. In 1987, the Leningrad DJB tour of the United States included appearances in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia, Washington and a guest spot of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. During their visit to the U.S. this year they will appear on the Tonight Show on Amy 24 (NBC/Channel4 in Denver at 10:30 p.m.) and at the Sacramento Dixieland Jubilee. After several west coast gigs they will stop in Denver on June 2. One of the oldest traditional jazz ensembles in the Soviet Union, the Leningrad DJB was established in the late 1950s and has played extensively since 1962. During its almost 30 year existence, the eight piece ensemble has performed at international festivals throughout Europe including Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Bucharest and Berlin. Using conventional trad band instrumentation plus alto sax, the Leningrad DJB repertoire includes jazz classics, like those of Armstrong, Belderbecke, Morton, Oliver and Waller, as well as tunes from the swing era, and even Russian folk melodies. The band is a regular participant on Soviet radio and television programs and is recognized as the leader of traditional jazz in Eastern Europe. They have been a catalyst in establishing many other jazz groups in Russia. |