Ruslan Sirota
Encyclopedia
Ruslan Sirota is a Grammy Award
winning pianist, keyboardist, composer and producer
.
, Ukraine
to a Jewish family on November 4, 1980. His father, Yefim, who was an active local guitarist, had introduced him to music at an early age. Picking up guitar
around the age of four, Ruslan had transitioned to piano
around the age of seven. In 1990, his family moved to Israel
, where he continued to study piano at the Bat-Yam music school. At approximately 14, Ruslan discovered jazz
, instantly showing imminent interest. By the age of 16, he was the "wunderkind" keyboardist
for the then-popular Israeli jazz fusion
band
, "Confusion". With Confusion, he toured Israel and made several appearances at the Red Sea Jazz Festival
.
At 18, Ruslan auditioned for the Berklee College of Music
, where he received full tuition scholarship, and moved to Boston
in January 2000. During his studies at Berklee, Ruslan displayed growing interest in R&B
, funk
and soul music
, playing with local artists and eventually becoming the resident keyboardist in a club called "Wally's Jazz Café". Circa
2004, Ruslan joined the Stanley Clarke
band and moved to Los Angeles
, thus marking the beginning of his professional career.
Since then, Ruslan has been touring, performing and recording with major artists (in addition to Clarke), such as Seal
, Ne-Yo
, Brian McKnight
, Eric Benét
, Marcus Miller
, Chick Corea
, Dennis Chambers
, Rachelle Ferrell
, Diane Warren
and others. Ruslan released his self-titled debut album, featuring Clarke, Corea, George Duke
, and Trevor Wesley as special guests, on October 24, 2011. The album was produced by Ruslan and Clarke, recorded at Clarke's production company, Roxboro Entertainment Group, mixed by Yan Perchuk at Vibrant Productions, released on Bungalo Records
and distributed by Universal Music Group Distribution.
Ruslan is also a board member of the Magic Music Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to granting scholarship
s to music students worldwide, regardless of their choice of music teachers and/or schools.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning pianist, keyboardist, composer and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Biography
Ruslan was born in UmanUman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to a Jewish family on November 4, 1980. His father, Yefim, who was an active local guitarist, had introduced him to music at an early age. Picking up guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
around the age of four, Ruslan had transitioned to piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
around the age of seven. In 1990, his family moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, where he continued to study piano at the Bat-Yam music school. At approximately 14, Ruslan discovered jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, instantly showing imminent interest. By the age of 16, he was the "wunderkind" keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
for the then-popular Israeli jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, "Confusion". With Confusion, he toured Israel and made several appearances at the Red Sea Jazz Festival
Red Sea Jazz Festival
The Red Sea Jazz Festival is a jazz festival held annually in Eilat, Israel.The Red Sea Jazz Festival was first held in 1987. It is a four-day long event featuring 9-10 concerts per evening, 6 workshops with guest artists and nightly jam sessions. All performances are held outdoors at the Eilat port...
.
At 18, Ruslan auditioned for the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, where he received full tuition scholarship, and moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in January 2000. During his studies at Berklee, Ruslan displayed growing interest in R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, playing with local artists and eventually becoming the resident keyboardist in a club called "Wally's Jazz Café". Circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
2004, Ruslan joined the Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
band and moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, thus marking the beginning of his professional career.
Since then, Ruslan has been touring, performing and recording with major artists (in addition to Clarke), such as Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
, Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
, Eric Benét
Eric Benét
Eric Benét, is an American singer. His duet with Tamia, "Spend My Life With You" was a number one song for three weeks on the US Billboard R&B chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2000....
, Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
, Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
, Dennis Chambers
Dennis Chambers
Dennis Chambers is an American drummer who has recorded and performed with John Scofield, George Duke, Brecker Brothers, Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, John McLaughlin, Niacin, Mike Stern, Greg Howe, and many others. Despite a lack of formal training, Chambers has become well known among...
, Rachelle Ferrell
Rachelle Ferrell
Rachelle Ferrell is an American singer and musician. Although she has had some success in the mainstream R&B, pop, gospel, and classical music scene, she is most noted for her talents as a contemporary jazz singer.-Biography:...
, Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
and others. Ruslan released his self-titled debut album, featuring Clarke, Corea, George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
, and Trevor Wesley as special guests, on October 24, 2011. The album was produced by Ruslan and Clarke, recorded at Clarke's production company, Roxboro Entertainment Group, mixed by Yan Perchuk at Vibrant Productions, released on Bungalo Records
Bungalo Records
Bungalo Records is an American independent record label established in 2000 and distributed through Universal Music Group Distribution. -Current Artists:*Nikki Bates*Bam Rogers *Big Gov*Boondock*Agnes Chan...
and distributed by Universal Music Group Distribution.
Ruslan is also a board member of the Magic Music Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to granting scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s to music students worldwide, regardless of their choice of music teachers and/or schools.
Discography
- 1998: Customade by Confusion
- 2007: The Toys of MenThe Toys of MenThe Toys of Men is a 2007 album by jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Stanley Clarke except where noted.# "The Toys of Men" – 11:14# "Come On" – 2:59...
by Stanley ClarkeStanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
(also contributing the composition "Jerusalem") - 2008: ThunderThunder (SMV album)Thunder is the debut album from bass supergroup SMV. The album was released on August 12, 2008.-Track listing:# "Maestros de Las Frecuencias Bajas" – 2:52# "Thunder" – 6:37...
by S.M.V.SMV (band)SMV is a bass supergroup formed in 2008. The group's name comes from the first initials of each of its members, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten... - 2008: ConflictConflict (album)Conflict is the third studio album by American R&B/soul singer, Sy Smith. The album was officially released on April 1, 2008, in United States.-Recording:...
by Sy SmithSy SmithSy Olivia Smith is an American Emmy nominated singer-songwriter. Born in New York, New York, Smith rose to fame in the late 1990s when she signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records. Smith released her first studio album Psykosoul in 2000, which spawned the singles "Gladly" and "Good N... - 2009: Inner Portrait by Victor "Too Bad" Little
- 2009: The Quiet HypeThe Quiet Hype-Promotion:The album has been promoted the Tres Cool E.P. and the new single Falling Away released February 10. The group confirmed tracks, release date Hills]] and other shows on MTV. They have also released some songs to the internet. L.A. Girls/Tres Cool was released everywhere to digital...
by Jupiter RisingJupiter RisingJupiter Rising was an American pop band consisting of Jessie Payo and Spencer Nezey. The band was signed to Chime Entertainment.-Music:Jupiter Rising formed in 2005. In 2006, They became well known with their hit Go which was featured on the Jump In! Soundtrack and their debut album... - 2010: The Stanley Clarke BandThe Stanley Clarke BandThe Stanley Clarke Band is an album by jazz bassist Stanley Clarke. It was released by Heads Up Record in June 2010 and was produced by Clarke and Lenny White. Band members include Ruslan Sirota on keyboard, Ronald Bruner, Jr. on drums and Hiromi on piano...
by Stanley Clarke (also contributing the composition "Soldier") - 2010: Lost in TimeLost in Time (Eric Benét album)Lost in Time is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Eric Benét, released November 30, 2010 on Reprise Records. It is the follow-up to Love & Life . Production for the album took place during 2010 at various recording studios and was handled by Benét, George Nash, Jr., and...
by Eric BenétEric BenétEric Benét, is an American singer. His duet with Tamia, "Spend My Life With You" was a number one song for three weeks on the US Billboard R&B chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2000.... - 2011: Platinum Hit: The Winning Songs, Season One
- 2011: Somos by Kennard Ramsey
- 2011: Bohemian Sun by Sunnie Paxson
- 2011: Ruslan by Ruslan Sirota
External links
- Ruslan Sirota's official webpage
- Ruslan Sirota at StanleyClarke.com
- Ruslan Sirota at Roxboro Entertainment
- Ruslan Sirota's YouTube channel
- Ruslan Sirota's official fan page on Facebook
- Chick Corea Band's great JB performance + tour schedule!
- Wally's Jazz Café
- Magic Music Foundation
- Vibrant Productions
- Itay Lasky at New Stage.co.il commemorates the music of Confusion (in Hebrew)