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• Sergey Kuryokhin and Pop Mekhanika – all documents
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Pop Mekhanika • Поп-механика

‘Popular Mechanics’

Moscow
14 April 1984

Moskvorechie Palace of Culture,
The first Pop Mekhanika concert, known as "PM No2”
14 апреля – первый концерт «ПМ» в Москве в ДК Москворечье под названием

«ПМ №2»


© all pictures: Hans Kumpf


Participants (the list is non-exhaustive)

Sergey Kuryokhin • Cергей Курёхин / Igor Butman • Игорь Бутман / Alexander “Fagot” • Alexandrov Алксандр Алекснадров (Фагот) / Sergey Letov • Сергей Летов / Vladimir Boluchevsky • Владимир Болучевский / singer Valentina Ponomaryova • Валентина Пономарёва / Viktor Sologub • Виктор Сологуб / Grigory Sologub • Григорий Сологуб / Alexander Kondrashkin • Александр Кондрашкин / Alexander Lipnitsky • Александр Липицкий




Kuryokhin’s concert on 14 April 1984 is generally considered to have been the first "Pop Mekhanika” performance. It is now called “PM2”, leaving room for speculation about an unknown “PM1”. However, this PM performance was given its specific title later, and retrospective naming seems to have been the case for some other PM performances, too. They were, however, never numbered chronologically.

Hans Kumpf, who documented the concert, spoke of a group of twenty musicians he joined with his clarinet, spontaneously and without asking for permission.[1] He called the band the “Crazy Music Orchestra”, Apparently, the first PM concert or concerts were not yet presented under the Pop Mekhanika label. Alexander Kan lists a large variety of “early“ band names, among them “Creative Music Orchestra” and “Crazy Music Orchestra”, the first being a reference to the Chicago “Association for Advancement of Creative Musicians” and the latter a sign of Kuryokhin’s departing from the seriousness of New Jazz.[2]

According to Kan, Kuryokhin was inspired by the German band “Globe Unity Orchestra” and their LP “Jahrmarkt / Local Fair”, released in 1977. It had an extraordinary number of contributors: important jazz musicians, among them Alexander von Schlippenbach, Antony Braxton, and Albert Mangelsdorff, as well as local musicians such as an accordion band and a Greek folk orchestra.[3] In his 1981 interview for “Cadence” Kuryokhin said “It gave me great pleasure: a brass band, a band of accordionists and the whole Globe Unity Orchestra – it was really great.”[4]

Kumpf’s pictures of the Moscow concert show a large jazz section and a smaller rock section, conducted by Sergey Kuryokhin with his characteristic expressive gestures. Jazz musicians were Igor Butman, Alexander “Fagot” Alexandrov, Sergey Letov, Vladimir Boluchevsky, singer Valentina Ponomareva and others. The “rock section” comprehended Viktor and Grigory Sologub, Alexander Kondrashkin, and Alexander Lipnitsky.[5] The concert received frenetic applause and the public demanded an encore.[6] Hans Kumpf recorded it and presented a fragment during an interview for the ARD studio Moscow, the German broadcaster, which took place immediately after the concert. Unfortunately, this recording seems to have been lost. In his article from 1997, Kumpf remembers that Kuryokhin “acted the big shot”[7]  and that ARD journalist Johannes Grotzky was deeply surprised by the public’s lack of discipline.[8]  A second PM concert followed the next day at a students’ residential hall of the Moscow University. In the same article, Kumpf writes that the correspondent of the German magazine Der Spiegel was interested in visiting the concert, but because of strict KGB surveillance decided not put anyone at risk and stayed away from it.

Hannelore Fobo, 2017



[1] Kumpf, My trip to Russia, p.81

[2] Kan, Skipper, p. 32.

[3] Kan, Skipper, p. 31

[4] Kan, Sergey Kuryokhin Interview

[5] List of musicians from Kumpf´s photos and Alexander Kan, Shkiper o Kapitane, digital version, p. 67

[6] see footnote 7

[7] “Als großen Zampano erlebte ich ihn ein Jahr später in Moskau“ Jazz Pages 1.9. 1997 http://jazzpages.com/kumpf/ku_kury.html

[8] “Als ich tags darauf im Moskauer ARD-Studio - außer den Fernsehjournalisten Gerd Ruge - noch den Hörfunkreporter Johannes Grotzky traf, wunderte sich dieser beim Anhören meines Cassettenrecordermitschnitts, daß das Publikum so frenetisch gejubelt hatte und eine Zugabe verlangte. Eine derartige "Disziplinlosigkeit" war dem erfahrenen Medienmann in der Sowjetunion zuvor nicht widerfahren.” Jazz Pages 1.9. 1997 http://jazzpages.com/kumpf/ku_kury.html




Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984 Valentina Ponomaryova, Sergey Kuryokhin, Sergey Letov, Alexander Alexandrov ("Fagot” / ”Bassoon”), Igor Butman (saxophone) Валентина Пономарёва, Сергей Курёхин, Сергей Летов, Александр Александров "Фагот", Игорь Бутман photo: Hans Kumpf

Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984

Valentina Ponomaryova, Sergey Kuryokhin, Sergey Letov, Alexander Alexandrov ("Fagot” / ”Bassoon”), Igor Butman (saxophone)
Валентина Пономарёва, Сергей Курёхин, Сергей Летов, Александр Александров "Фагот", Игорь Бутман

photo: Hans Kumpf




Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984 Standing: Valentina Ponomaryova, Igor Butman, Sergey Kuryokhin, Sergey Letov Валентина Пономарёва, Игорь Бутман, Сергей Курёхин, Сергей Летов Photo: Hans Kumpf


Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984

Standing: Valentina Ponomaryova, Igor Butman, Sergey Kuryokhin, Sergey Letov
Валентина Пономарёва, Игорь Бутман, Сергей Курёхин, Сергей Летов

Photo: Hans Kumpf




Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984 Valentina Ponomaryova, unknown percussionist, Sergey Letov (with saxophone), Viktor Sologub (sitting, with glasses) Vladimir Dikansky (standing, with violin), Grigory Sologub (sitting, with guitar), Alexander Lipnitsky (sitting, with guitar), Sergey Kuryokhin Валентина Пономарёва, неизвестный, Сергей Летов (саксофон), Виктор Сологуб (в очках), Владимир Диканский (скрика), Григорий Сологуб (гитара), Александр Липницкий (гитара), Сергей Курёхин Photo: Hans Kumpf


Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984

Valentina Ponomaryova, unknown percussionist, Sergey Letov (with saxophone), Viktor Sologub (sitting, with glasses) Vladimir Dikansky (standing, with violin), Grigory Sologub (sitting, with guitar), Alexander Lipnitsky (sitting, with guitar), Sergey Kuryokhin
Валентина Пономарёва, неизвестный, Сергей Летов (саксофон), Виктор Сологуб (в очках), Владимир Диканский (скрика), Григорий Сологуб (гитара), Александр Липницкий (гитара), Сергей Курёхин

Photo: Hans Kumpf




Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984 Valentina Ponomaryova, Vladimir Boluchevsky (with saxophone) Валентина Пономарёва, Владимир Болучевский (саксофон) Photo: Hans Kumpf


Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984

Valentina Ponomaryova, Vladimir Boluchevsky (with saxophone)
Валентина Пономарёва, Владимир Болучевский (саксофон)

Photo: Hans Kumpf




Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984 Valentina Ponomaryova, Vladimir Boluchevsky, Sergey Kuryokhin Валентина Пономарёва, Владимир Болучевский, Сергей Курёхин Photo: Hans Kumpf


Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984

Valentina Ponomaryova, Vladimir Boluchevsky, Sergey Kuryokhin
Валентина Пономарёва, Владимир Болучевский, Сергей Курёхин

Photo: Hans Kumpf




Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984 Sergey Kuryokhin Сергей Курёхин Photo: Hans Kumpf 1984


Pop Mekhanika 'PM2', Moscow, 1984

Sergey Kuryokhin
Сергей Курёхин

Photo: Hans Kumpf 1984




Uploaded January 6, 2017