Mikhail Mishuris: “Blues is, first of all, the human voice. Mikhail mishuris

Mikhail Mishuris began his career as a blues performer around 1994. At that time he lived in Novosibirsk and there he organized his first blues band, or rather, the New Blues Association (N.A.B). The Association was the only band in the region that focused on pure blues, rather than rock and blues-rock. From 1994 to 1997 N.A.B. regularly performed in Novosibirsk and the surrounding area, and almost any concert of Mishuris and his comrades took place in front of large crowds and the attention of the local press and TV. The ensemble's repertoire included famous blues(always in the original arrangement), as well as songs composed by the members of the group (mainly Mishuris himself).

In the summer of 1997, Mikhail Mishuris goes to the USA, in his words, “to study the blues.” For several months he has been actively attending concerts in Chicago, the main blues city, and also taking vocal, harmonica and guitar lessons at the Old Town School Of Folk Music. It is customary to organize blues bands within the walls of this establishment, Mikhail became the vocalist of one of them.

In the fall of 1997, Mikhail returned home and immediately moved to Moscow. Fellow members of the Association join him and, changing the name to “Blues Passengers”, the musicians begin to perform successfully in Moscow and beyond. Mikhail immediately attracted the sophisticated metropolitan audience not only with his unusually expressive singing, but also with his undeniable talent as a showman - he used tricks learned in the blues clubs of Chicago, but also invented his own. The audience especially liked Mikhail's singing without a microphone and his “walking” around the bar counter.

The financial crisis of 1998 made the existence of “Blues Passengers” impossible, and Mikhail assembled the next team in Moscow. For some time, together with the group "Nichya", Mishuris performed an original program in Russian, but later returned to the blues in the "Mishuris Blues Band".

A real success for Mikhail was his participation in “Mishouris And His Swingin’ Orchestra”, the triumphant debut of which took place at the big Moscow festival Blues.ru 2001. The orchestra in a short time firmly entered the peculiar major league of Moscow ensembles. The mixture of boogie-woogie, blues, jazz and rockabilly worked flawlessly - the audience was delighted. In addition to the mighty baritone Mishuris, of course, this was facilitated by virtuoso game musicians, especially guitarist Vadim Ivashchenko and pianist Oleg Gorchakov. Together with them in 2003, Mikhail created the next group “Mishouris Blues Band”.

Since 2008, the team has been performing in updated composition. Andrey Bessonov's blues clarinet gives the band's sound a unique "New Orleans" accent. Since 2009, a second vocalist has appeared in the group - Galina Kiseleva. Traditional Chicago blues performed by the Mishouris Blues Band sounded unexpectedly fresh and original. From that time on, the excellent keyboard player Nikolai Dobkin joined the group and, thus, a friendly, cheerful and truly blues band was finally formed.

Mishouris Blues Band:

Mikhail Mishuris - vocals,
Denis Shevchenko - guitar,
Galina Kiseleva - bass guitar, vocals,
Andrey Bessonov - clarinet,
Daniil Soldatov - drums,
Nikolai Dobkin - Hammond organ.

“The blues is the optimism of a pessimist, preaching unbridled pleasure because tomorrow will be the end” (Paul Whiteman).

I don’t know who it is, but for me one of the most favorite Moscow blues bands is Misha’s band... For creative restlessness, constant search for new forms, sensitive attitude towards their listeners, but without commercial servility. The stars in the forehead have long since burned away, leaving fertilized soil of charisma for the healthy development and flowering of talent to the delight of lovers of the good old, but so multifaceted blues.

Mikhail Mishuris is from Novosibirsk.
The passion for blues began with the English - Cream, Free, Ten Years After - the first near-blues influences, but John Mayall instilled and developed in him a real interest in root blues (and fate gave Misha a chance to tell him about it personally...). According to Misha, at first the real “black” American blues did not really interest him. but thanks to the powerful temperament of a man named Howlin Wolf, he quickly got involved and found his music.

Loves almost all the classic blues of the 40s -50s (Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Otis Rush, B.B King, Elmore James, John lee Hooker, Lonnie Johnson, Johnny Shines, Bobby Bland, Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan , Jimmy Witherspoon, Little Milton...)

From the contemporary, he is interested in the products of the company Fat Possum, musicians with soul and gospel influences (Holmes Brothers, Terry Evans, Ben Harper, Snooks Eaglin, etc.). From non-blues - soul ( Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, The Temptations) and some exotics like Bob Marley, Tom Waits, Buena Vista Social Club and Ibrahim Ferrer. Strange relationship with the Rolling Stones - sometimes he loves it, sometimes he doesn’t like it...
What he doesn’t like is “white” guitar blues-rock, rockabilly, rock and roll, neo-swing, etc. Queen bands Yes, Led Zeppelin and, sorry, The Beatles cool attitude.

It was with this base of preferences and teachings that Mikhail began his career as a blues performer around 1994. He organized his first blues band, the New Association of Blues (N.A.B). The Association was the only band in the region that focused on pure blues, rather than rock and blues-rock. From 1994 to 1997, N.A.B regularly performed in Novosibirsk and the surrounding area, and almost any concert of Mishuris and his comrades took place with a large crowd of audiences and the attention of the local press and TV.

The ensemble's repertoire consisted of well-known blues songs (always in original arrangements), as well as songs composed by members of the group (mainly Mishuris himself). One of the original songs, “No Place To Go,” later ended up on the famous collection album of Russian blues, “I Won’t See Mississippi.” This composition remained the only studio recording of the New Blues Association.

In the summer of 1997, Mishuris goes to the United States, in his words, “to study the blues.” For several months, he has been actively attending concerts in Chicago, the main blues city, and also taking vocal, harmonica and guitar lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music. It is customary to organize blues bands within the walls of this establishment, Mikhail became the vocalist of one of them. As part of this American band, in August 1997, Mishuris performed at the legendary Buddy Guy's Legends club at an evening in memory of Luther Ellison.

In the fall of 1997, Mikhail returned home and immediately moved to Moscow. Fellow members of the Association join him and, changing the name to Blues Passengers, the musicians begin to perform successfully in Moscow and beyond. Mikhail immediately attracted the sophisticated metropolitan audience not only with his unusually expressive singing, but also with his undeniable talent as a showman, using tricks learned in the blues clubs of Chicago and his own inventions. The audience especially loved Mikhail’s singing without a microphone and his “walking” around the bar counter.

However, the project Mishouris and his Swinging Orchestra, which existed from approximately 2001 to 2003, gained the greatest fame and, dare I say it, popularity. The concept of “unboring blues” proposed by Mikhail was taken as a basis, and in a short time the orchestra firmly entered the peculiar major league of Moscow ensembles. The mixture of boogie-woogie, blues, jazz and rockabilly worked flawlessly - the audience was delighted. In addition to the mighty baritone Mishuris, this was, of course, also facilitated by the virtuoso playing of the musicians.

IN different time Many musicians have gone through the project and today they are successfully realizing their solo projects: virtuoso guitarist Vadim Ivashchenko (The Boneshakers), a brilliant bassoonist and multi-faceted keyboard player Nikolai Dobkin (participant in many projects in both classical and pop directions) together with the divine clarinetist Sergei Shitov (soloist Presidential Orchestra, their project “26Hz”) consisted of the wind section of the project, the original saxophonist Ilya Alyohin (SaltPeanuts), keyboardist Oleg Gorchakov (Cool Cats), etc., etc.

Despite the success with the public (including commercial success), according to Misha, “all this was terribly far from the blues and I left there to pursue the music that I really love.” This is how the Mishouris blues band was formed, which regularly performs in Moscow and other cities, despite the change in format towards a smaller commercial attractiveness, is not only alive, but also recorded the CD “I got money,” consisting entirely of original material. Misha is very proud of this record. And I understand him, because I observed from the inside all the “suffering” of the “gestation, birth and presentation in the Light” of this beautiful “child”.

In conclusion, I would like to give Misha’s answer to a standard question from any journalist: How do you find inspiration for new compositions? —

“Inspiration always comes from understanding life situations: sometimes funny, sometimes sad. This is how themes for songs come. Well, music is composed, as a rule, under the impression of other music. It could be old music, new music, jazz, blues, soul, rock - it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that something sinks into the soul.”

You can listen to the full collection of recordings here pesni.fm/search/Mishouris+Blues+Band

And here mishouris-blues.livejournal.com/ you can also see)))

MIKHAIL MISHURIS - BLUES SINGER

Mikhail Mishuris began his career as a blues performer around 1994. At that time he lived in Novosibirsk and there he organized his first blues band, or rather the New Association of Blues (N.A.B). The Association was the only band in the region that focused on pure blues, rather than rock and blues-rock. From 1994 to 1997, N.A.B regularly performed in Novosibirsk and the surrounding area, and almost any concert of Mishuris and his comrades took place with a large crowd of audiences and the attention of the local press and TV. The ensemble's repertoire consisted of well-known blues songs (always in original arrangements), as well as songs composed by members of the group (mainly Mishuris himself). One of the original songs, “No Place To Go,” later ended up on the famous collection album of Russian blues, “I Won’t See Mississippi.” This composition remained the only studio recording of the New Blues Association.

In the summer of 1997, Mikhail Mishuris goes to the USA, in his words, “to study the blues.” For several months he has been actively attending concerts in Chicago, the main blues city, and also taking vocal, harmonica and guitar lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music. It is customary to organize blues bands within the walls of this establishment, Mikhail became the vocalist of one of them. As part of this American group, in August 1997, Mishuris performed at the legendary Buddy Guy's Legends club at an evening in memory of Luther Ellison.

In the fall of 1997, Mikhail returned home and immediately moved to Moscow. Fellow members of the Association join him and, changing the name to Blues Passengers, the musicians begin to perform successfully in Moscow and beyond. Mikhail immediately attracted the sophisticated metropolitan audience not only with his unusually expressive singing, but also with his undeniable talent as a showman - he used tricks learned in the blues clubs of Chicago, but also invented his own. The audience especially liked Mikhail's singing without a microphone and his “walking” around the bar counter.

Financial crisis of 1998 made the existence of the Blues Passengers impossible and Mikhail assembled the next team in Moscow. For some time, together with the group "Nichya", Mishuris performed an original program in Russian (the disc "Hello, Sailor" was released in 2000 and is available on the Internet), but later returned to the blues in the "Mishuris Blues Band". We can say that until the end of 2000, the singer was in a creative search.

A real success for Mikhail Mishuris was his participation in the "Mishouris And His Swingin" Orchestra, whose triumphant debut took place at the big Moscow festival Blues.ru 2001. The concept of "non-boring blues" proposed by Mikhail was taken as a basis and the orchestra in a short time firmly entered the a kind of major league of Moscow ensembles. The mixture of boogie-woogie, blues, jazz and rockabilly worked flawlessly - the audience was delighted. In addition to the mighty baritone of Mishuris, this was, of course, facilitated by the virtuoso playing of the musicians, especially guitarist Vadim Ivashchenko and pianist Oleg Gorchakov. Together with them in 2003 year, Mikhail creates the next group, "Mishouris Blues Band", which is incomparably more suitable for lovers of genuine blues. In the fall of 2005, the disc "I Got Money" was released, consisting entirely of original works on English language(mainly Mishuris himself + co-authors). The disc received very high praise from listeners and critics.

As before, along with high-quality music-making, the show remains an important element of Mishouris Blues Band concerts. Here is what the famous journalist, host of the program “All These Blues” (radio station “Echo of Moscow”) Andrey Evdokimov writes:

"When Mishuris sang about "five for long years that he worked for one woman. And she had the impudence to kick him out of the house" (Five Long Years) - here the art of a theatrical tragedian of the old school and an outstanding vocalist who went to singing school not “somewhere out there” were combined, but in Chicago, in the blues page of the world. In a song about the dangers of female alcoholism (Hard Drinking Woman), he drove Artem Zhuliev (tenor sax) and Ilya Alekhin (alto sax) to where Makar certainly didn’t drive calves - to auditorium Central House of Artists. He just “drove” because they were supposedly embarrassed. And it turned out to be a triumphant passage. The solo turned into a skit, the audience turned their heads joyfully."

In his book about Russian blues “Russia Gets The Blues,” American professor Michael Urban devoted a lot of space to Mikhail Mishuris and even called him the best Russian blues singer.

Since 2008, Mishouris Blues Band has been performing with a renewed lineup. Andrey Bessonov's blues clarinet gives the band's sound a unique "New Orleans" accent. Since 2009, a second vocalist has appeared in the group - Galina Kiseleva.

In the summer of 2010, the premiere of a program consisting entirely of Howlin' Wolf songs, dedicated to the centenary of the great bluesman, took place. Traditional Chicago blues performed by Mishouris Blues Band sounded unexpectedly fresh and original. From that time on, the excellent keyboard player Nikolai Dobkin joined the group and, thus, a friendly, cheerful and truly blues band was finally formed.

They are still one of the brightest and most sought-after blues groups in the capital.

Mikhail Mishuris - vocals

Denis Shevchenko - guitar

Galina Kiseleva - bass guitar, vocals

Andrey Bessonov - clarinet

Daniil Soldatov - drums

Nikolay Dobkin - Hammond organ

16 tons of Moscow blues Mishouris Blues Band drowned Tver in the abyss of positivity

I'm a lover, not a fighter (Lazy Lester)

If you decide to play the blues, it's not so much about your skill as it is about being on the same page with your teammates and having a clear understanding of what you're getting yourself into. (Mikhail Mishuris).

...If you seriously do hard calculations, then there were more of them. Ton, I mean. Let's say, if we assume that each song weighed a ton. But would a normal person measure joy in units of weight and also count the number of songs at a party? Moreover, it was the first time that Mikhail Mishuris himself, one of the most important figures in the capital’s blues, visited the city with a concert. And not alone, but with his inseparable ensemble. What fun can there be in the blues, the music of the abandoned and depressed? - a person who is not particularly knowledgeable in the genre will ask. Mikhail has a short answer to this: self-irony. It has long been clear that no one needs a loser who has doomed himself to eternal melancholy, but someone who knows how to treat himself with irony at a critical moment will find a response in someone’s heart.

At the cafe table of the "Culture" club the musicians of the group - beautiful and cheerful young guys and girls - sat down. And at the head, like a respectable dad in an invariable jacket and striped shirt, sits imposingly Mikhail Mishuris, the soul of the group and songwriter. We talk about the blues, its history and myths, how the genre took root in Russian soil. But now it’s time to perform, so the Big Family takes the stage to demonstrate all this clearly, in the music for which they live and for which its Tver fans have gathered here today.

According to Mishuris, blues is primarily the root music of the black troubadours and minstrels of the American continent. Now the friendly discussions at the cafe table are over, and the famous “Ain't That Lovin You” by the Chicago legend of the 50s Jimmy Reed is heard. An echo of the tragedy everyday life the relay race started by Lemon Jefferson is heard with a request to look after his grave. But the arrangement is not at all dreary - here it is, the power of irony and a positive view of fate, even in such a manifestation as “Evil”, composed by another black legend named Willie Dixon.

Before the break, the same “16 tons” are heard in, again, a new arrangement for many, and everyone sings along together terrifying an ironic refrain on pious Christians without a sense of humor. The second part begins with gospel hits, a religious black genre that laid the foundation for the blues in its usual form. Relaxed, not in a hurry, Mikhail talks about the management of the times of the beginning of the Great Exodus, and the team’s bass guitarist Galya Kiseleva helps him with her charming quiet singing. After “Let My People Go” the hall is already raging like the waters of the Red Sea, swallowing up the Pharaoh’s army, except perhaps organizing a “locomotive” for the next hit “This Train”, turning into the unspoken New Orleans anthem “When the Saints March In”. Mikhail puts his guitar aside and, contradicting Willie Dixon's assertion that he is "built for comfort, not speed," begins to do the unimaginable with the harmonica, delivering a virtuosic solo from low to high.

Meanwhile, another public favorite, clarinetist Andrei Bessonov, out of an overabundance of feelings, sat down with his pipe on the floor, playing along with Tolya Osipov, blowing tenor sax and giving the audience a good look at the elegant “tailed” guitarist Denis Shevchenko. Still, there are a lot of people on stage, but if someone doesn’t see the comical grimace of drummer Danila Soldatov, then everyone without exception can feel the strength of his arms and legs! At the end, several more blues and gospels sound, and the Tver residents, as always, do not want to let their heroes go. But the missionaries have joy ahead of Mishouris Blues Band long road between the cities and towns of our and not only our country. Well, maybe they will trample the dust of Tver when the weather clears up! And we will again have a good time, like on this cheerful Friday, March 26, and once again we will easily laugh at our sorrows and at ourselves.

Gennady Grigoriev.

Famous musician - about real blues, delta blues and modern blues

No one believed that this was possible, but in Nizhny it finally rose new wave interest in intellectual music. Just four months ago, after an unbearably long break, the legendary jazz club “Jam Prestige” opened again. And six months before that, Alexey Skulov launched a series of blues parties “Hoochie-Coochie Party” in “Jamboree”. The famous Arzamas group J.A.M. returned to the big stage, and Moscow bluesmen began to come to Nizhny.

One of the first, if not the very first, was a concert by the Mishouris Blues Band. Its leader is Mikhail Mishuris. Man with great biography. And with his vision of music, which he manages to make real, popular, and intelligent.

In general, we offer readers of Novaya in Nizhny an interview with the legendary Russian bluesman.

What is real blues? I understand that this is a stupid question, but still.

Blues is incredible broad concept. In my determination I am guided only by feeling. “Real blues” is not a criterion for quality. If I use this phrase, it just means that the group carries those ideas and moods that are close to me in blues. Those groups that do not carry these ideas and moods and that I do not like, formally also play the blues, including at blues festivals, and go on tour. So I would not take on the function of a judge. Blues is a specific mood. There is rage and some kind of good nature in him, there is irony, sarcasm, good and evil, mixed, just like in life. It all depends on the performer. There were good, kind bluesmen, such as the incredibly charming B.B. King. And there were incredibly gloomy artists. Howlin’ Wolf, judging by the few videos that remained, simply carried some kind of threat, he was a man of a completely different temperament, he frightened the audience with his savagery and unbridledness. Every artist has his own character, his own charm, which is why each of the great and outstanding musicians- I share them, there are also simply good ones - not only a grandiose performer, but also original, recognizable character. If there is no specific character, the person is not so significant for the development of the genre. In the blues this is sometimes even more important musical possibilities. There are and have been many adventurers who play on this. Insignificant musicians who know how to present themselves. There were such people both among the “blacks” and among the “whites”. But over time there are fewer and fewer characters. The great old men are leaving, but young people are not filling this vacuum. There is no spontaneity, no expressiveness, just a well-rehearsed lesson. Learning is useful, it is necessary, but spontaneity in the blues cannot be killed, just like the truth of character, the bright explosive temperament that the best blues performers had.

Why do you think modern blues bands are afraid to play their own material?

No, they are not afraid. In blues you can play both covers and your own songs. It doesn't make any difference. The main thing is execution. The Sweet Home Chicago being played today is not Sweet Home Chicago by Robert Johnson, but rather a version of Magic Sam. When jazz or blues musicians play someone else's song, it's not a cover. They basically take ownership of the song and do whatever they want with it. In the blues there is great amount songs not yet open to the general public: the work of Blind Lemon Jefferson or Charlie Patton are deposits of incredibly interesting ideas. Many white bands wrote lyrics to old "black" tunes, thinking they were doing a cover, but in fact creating own songs. A cover is when they play one-on-one with the original Deep Purple or Yuri Antonov. And returning the song to people is a wonderful function. In general, there is an element of pride in focusing only on your own songs. It seems to me that if a person plays the blues, he voluntarily renounces fame, glory, and the paraphernalia of show business. This is a kind of schema. And performing other people's songs means dissolving into a genre in which I see nothing wrong. Don't get hung up on it.

Is it possible to return delta blues to the modern listener?

Delta is an interesting layer of blues. By the way, this music gave a lot to rock. The riff-based, one-chord structured concept is quite a rocker approach. I insist that the legacy of the Delta blues, as well as the Chicago and Memphis blues classics, is not even fifty percent explored. It seems to me that here you can find a serious resource for the development of the genre.

By the way, I often argue with fellow rock musicians who like to say that blues is outdated music, not relevant, and incapable of creating anything new.

This is only true from the position of a very outside observer who does not know what is happening with the genre now. The opinion that the blues is a non-developing, canned music has a basis. But, for example, it is usually difficult for me to argue with people who express this opinion. Because they don’t even know the names I’m referring to, and no arguments, as a rule, have any effect on such people. Of course, tectonic changes that happened before are not happening in the genre. There is a law: the more traditional the blues, the more popular it is. But I can authoritatively say that there are experimental trends in the blues. They don't really want to listen to this kind of blues. This is not mass music that is not widely popular.

Can you name examples?

The black musician Otis Taylor immediately comes to mind - I believe that there was nothing like this in music before him. There are successful mixtures of blues and electronic music, blues and hip-hop - Little Ax, The Soul Of John Black. In general, everything depends on each of us. We need to develop this genre and maintain its relevance.

I remember that in your LiveJournal there was a heated discussion about modern blues. How do you still look into the future? Are there any gaps?

Yes, and I talk about this often. But as usually happens, the grayness presses in mass. Moreover, the grayness is aggressive, creeping into the ears. It is difficult to break through this barrier. But real talent nothing can destroy. Only the person himself can do this. Musicians are reflective people. They can eat themselves psychologically. 90% of modern blues is, unfortunately, a very sad sight. Moreover, there are many good musicians. And there's too much canon play. I have already spoken about the lessons learned. If we look at classic blues, there weren't the same restrictions that apply now. Each guitarist had his own sound, each vocalist had his own style. Now everything is somehow unified, expressionless. At the same time, for some reason it is believed that if a guitarist is the leader of a group, then he must sing. Even if he doesn't succeed very well. And the blues is, first and foremost, the human voice. And when those who do not pay enough attention to singing begin to engage in this music, they actually kill the genre, even if they are played by ideal instrumentalists. Naked technology is also a problem. I believe that a concept is born in the head and then implemented with the help of fingers. Some ideas should appear as thoughtful moves, while others should arise purely intuitively. Mindless music-making scares me. There are no concepts - we play and that’s it, because it’s fun, the girls dance. I would call it “musical gopnikov.”

The so-called “blues dictionary” has long been circulating on the Russian-language Internet. Most of the words included in it describe the relationship between a man and a woman... Straight from Sonny Boy Williamson, who said that the blues can only exist between two people in love with each other. Plus poverty and crime. Quite a narrow range of topics. But “white” blues is different. Can he have complex texts?

Lyrics are an essential part of a song. Yes, “white” musicians like to touch on unusual topics. But not all. Most follow the pattern - a more or less ironic description love relationship. It doesn't interest me at all, to be honest. I try to write songs with unexpected lyrics. Or even on a hackneyed topic, but from an unusual angle. I like to irritate, attract attention to music, sometimes I even do provocative things. This is simply necessary to make people notice themselves in the information flow. If this is successful, then you can do whatever you want.

I have repeatedly come across the opinion that only a person, so to speak, “battered by life”, who has been on the “dark side”, can engage in blues and rock and roll...

I don't think life and music should be so closely connected. I don’t even know whether the environment in which a person exists helps or hinders him. But it can be stimulating. I know that those who study music achieve success. And life does not provide evidence that only a person who has seen and suffered can become a real bluesman.

But what about the common saying “the blues is when to a good person Badly"?

This is a stupid stamp. The blues is different, like life itself. But mostly he is ironic or even self-ironic. Pitch-dark blues are not enough. And I wouldn’t say that hopelessness and depression are characteristic of the blues. This living art, in which there is a place for any emotion.