Ilsur Metshin meets with Igor Ziser, a veteran of the Kazan jazz scene

The meeting at the City Hall took place on the eve of Igor Ziser's anniversary – a founder of the legendary Jazz Crossroads festival, who introduced Kazan residents to both local and international stars, is celebrating his 80th birthday.

A gift for the musician's birthday will be the publication of his book about the history of jazz in Kazan. This was agreed upon by Mayor Ilsur Metshin and Igor Ziser during their meeting.

«We would like to express our gratitude to the local musicians. You are the only ones who can tell us about the history of jazz in this city. It is a very interesting story», – said Mayor Ilsur Metshin.

Igor Ziser, a native of Kazan, followed his brother's interest in music. He graduated from school with a gold medal and enrolled at Kazan Aircraft-Construction Institute, where he began playing percussion instruments in the institute's orchestra. Together with his friends, Igor Ziser organized a jazz, blues, and rock club that gained widespread recognition in the city. The club also hosted a DJ school, discos, concerts, and audio-visual performances.

In 1984, he founded the first jazz festival in Kazan, which later became known as Jazz Crossroads. This event lasted for almost two decades and became international, with participants from Europe, America, and Australia.

Jazz life in Kazan was revived in 1947 when legendary musician and composer Oleg Lundstrom moved to the city from Shanghai, bringing his orchestra with him. The musician later moved to Moscow but often returned to Kazan for tours.

The jazz history in the city was continued by Viktor Dering. He created a jazz orchestra, which from the second half of the 60s played before film screenings at the Tatarstan cinema on Bauman Street and at other concert venues. It was the only cinematographic orchestra in Russia, known not only in the country but also abroad.

«You are talking about things that are part of the history of this city. Is there a book that covers all these memories in one place?» – the Mayor interested. Igor Ziser said that he had written a book called «Jazz of Kazan», but it didn't cover the entire historical period. Ilsur Metshin suggested to publish this book and add to it. «We should put this history down on paper – people who were involved in this movement should tell us about the behind-the-scenes stories and share their memories. Let's publish it, and it will be a gift for your 80th anniversary».

In addition, Igor Ziser suggested that the memory of jazz musicians be perpetuated in Kazan by placing memorial plaques where they performed. The Mayor supported this idea.

At the end of the meeting, Ilsur Metshin presented the musician an award «For Work and Valor in Service to Kazan».