listen to “Skies So Clear”
Midwinter Music
Midwinter Music
Misha Feigin / piano
(c) 2018 DPR Records 018 (c) 2018 BMI / 221 N. Clifton Avenue. #31 Louisville, KY 40206. Photography and graphic design by Steven Skaggs. All tracks improvised by Misha Feigin, piano. Recorded and mixed by Steve Good at Clifton Universalist Unitarian Church in Louisville, KY.
Tracklist: 1. The icy, pale sun (7:36) 2. Just for a minute (2:55) 3. Frozen trees glitter (4:45) 4. A fear of the blank (7:31) 5. He is back again (5:46) 6. A place un the puzzle (4:07) 7. There is no room left (5:34) 8. Not an easy task (9:06) 9. On a window sill (5:49) 10. Searching for silence (1:18)
Misha Feigin’s 2018 release, his piano CD is superbly beautiful. I enjoyed every stroke, the fluidity, and beautiful technique danced through the extremities of improvisational foray. From contemporary composerly musings, to modal melodies reminiscent of Gurdjieff, the contemplative character and free swaths of color played as a rainbow of passion on my heart.– LaDonna Smith / the improvisor 2018, rare artifact review
sahara gypsies
Sahara Gypsies: Hussam Al Aydi – oud, voice, keyboards, percussion, programming | Misha Feigin – classical and acoustic guitar, voice | Mark Hamilton – electric guitar | Danny Kiely – contrabass.
Recorded by Danny Kiely in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Produced by Misha Feigin.
Tracklist: 1. Dark Eyes (Traditional) [6:12] 2. Wahran (Traditional) [8:14]
the crossing
Misha Feigin – classical guitar | Susan Alcorn – pedal steel guitar
Recorded in April 2015 at Modern Cult Records by Steve Good. Photos by Misha Feigin1,3 music by Misha Feigin. 2,4,5 music by Misha Feigin & Susan Alcorn. 5 – originally recorded in December of 2006, electronically processed by Steve Good in 2015.
Tracklist: 1. Relativity [3:05] 2. The Crossing [10:37] 3. Adjustment [2:07] 4. And Still part 1 and part 2 [9:40] 5. String Space [15:45] Total Time: 41:25
“What I’ve done with the piece is to use the sequence of numbers corresponding to the elevation of the terrain in a straight line going from the east coast to the west coast of the United States at the latitude of Louisville, Kentucky as an impulse response which I convolved audio editing with the piece. Convolution is the process of multiplying the values of one linear sequence of numbers by every other member of a 2nd linear sequence of numbers. Convolution Reverb is used widely to apply a “space” to a recorded sound.” — Steve Good
moscow by heart
Moscow by Heart
In memory of Misha Fainerman
Misha Feigin: guitar, voice | Helmut Bieler-Wendt – violin, objects | Johannes Frisch – double bass
Poem by Misha Feigin. Produced by Misha Feigin. Cover photo by Valentin Michkevitch.
All tracks recorded live at Badischer Kunstverein in full length with no overdubs or post production. Track 1 & 2 recorded in October 2004 at the first meeting of this trio. Track 4 to 6 recorded in May 2012. DPR Records, 221 N. Clifton Ave. # 31, Louisville KY 40206, USA.
All music by Moscow by Heart
Tracklist: 1. Seven Days, Feathered [10:41] 2. Against the Grain [18:57] 3. We Remember [14:36] 4. No Shores [10:27] 5. Taveling Light [6:06] Total Time: [61:27]
listen to Feigin, Helmut Bieler-Wendt, Frisch | Seven Days, Feathered (excerpt)
Buy moscow by heart (CD or MP3) here…
Photo by Hubl Greiner
Helmut Bieler-Wendt studied violin, piano, music theory, improvisation and composition at the University of Music Karlsruhe with Hans Börner, Günter Reinhold, Eugen Werner Velte and Wolfgang Rihm. Furthermore he completed courses with Johannes Fritsch (contemporary music and improvisation), Michael Ranta (improvisation and asiatic music) and Peter Ausländer (experimental musical theater, dance). 1988 he took his artistic final examination with Wolfgang Rihm. Helmut Bieler-Wendt received scholarships of Karlsruhe and Darmstadt, of the ministry for science Baden-Wuerttemberg and the promoting community of German art. Since 1976 he works as a musician and composer in different formations.
Helmut Bieler-Wendt – projects and concerts with Lol Coxhill, Chico Freeman, Phil Minton, Ferdinand Richard, Hakim Ludin, Fred Frith, Mia Zabelka, Joachim Krebs, Sabine Schäfer, Hubl Greiner, Johannes Frisch, Peter Hollinger, Takumi Fukushima, Peter Kowald, Sainkho Namtchylak, Michael Bach, Dietmar Diesner, Johannes Bauer, Rudolf Theilmann, Irene Schweizer, Vladimir Vaclavec and many others. He was a member of THE BLECH from 1989 – 1996.
Since 2004 Helmut Bieler-Wendt is the director of “Institut für Neue Musik und Musikerziehung” (Institute for Contemporary Music and Music Education).
Johannes Frisch works since the late 1970s as a performer, composer and improviser of contemporary music between experimental rock, free jazz and other openminded styles. On his main instrument, the double bass, he works for more than three decades consequently on an individual expressive language. He played with lot of musicians of the international scene of free improvisation and all experimental fields – among others Lol Coxhill, Maggie Nicols, Johannes Bauer, Le Quan Ninh, Paul Hubweber, Michael Vorfeld, Misha Feigin. Compositions for theatre, film and dance theater actual projects: Kammerflimmer Kollektief; Home of the Beast, with Peter Hollinger und Helmut Bieler-Wendt; Ensemble Sondarc, Music for six double basses; rat’n’x; trio with Paul Wirkus & Mikolaj Trzaska;. concerts & festivals all over europe.
Please Note: A Download version of Moscow by Heart is available by clicking here…
the other side of reflections
Misha Feigin & Susan Alcorn
Misha Feigin– classical guitar (on tracks 1 and 2), dobro (on track 3), balalaika (on track 4) | Susan Alcorn – pedal steel guitar
Recorded by Steve Good in Louisville, Kentucky. Produced by Misha Feigin. Photos by Misha Feigin. All Music by Misha Feigin and Susan Alcorn. DPR Records, BMI (c) 2012, 221 N. Clifton Ave. No. 31, Louisville KY 40206
Tracklist: 1. Behind Reflections [12:23] 2. In the Flux [12:35] 3. Aerial Disturbances [18:41] 4. Little Creatures, Lights, and Clouds [10:40]
Buy Misha Feigin & Susan Alcorn – The Other Side Of Reflections (CD or MP3) here…
Susan Alcorn is a Baltimore, Maryland-based composer and musician who has received international recognition as an innovator of the pedal steel guitar, an instrument whose sound is commonly associated with country and western music. Alcorn has absorbed the technique of C&W pedal steel playing and refined it to a virtuosic level. Her original music reveals the influence of free jazz, avant-garde classical music, Indian ragas, Indigenous traditions, and other musics of the world. The UK Guardian describes her music as “beautiful, glassy and liquid, however far she strays from pulse and conventional harmony.
In addition to frequent tours throughout North America and Europe, Susan has performed in the UK at the London Festival of Experimental Music, the On The Outside Festival in Newcastle, and the Glasgow Improvisors Orchestra Improvisation Festival; in France at the Musique Action Festival in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, Ateliers Tampon and Instants Chavires in Paris; in Germany at the Leipzig JazzTage and with the ICI Ensemble in Munich; The Stone, CBGBs, and Issue Project Room in New York; Il Continiere in Rome; and at Arsenic and Cave 12 in Switzerland.
Though mostly a solo performer, she has collaborated with numerous artists including Pauline Oliveros, Eugene Chadbourne., the late Peter Kowald, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Maggie Nicols, Joe Giardullo, Joe McPhee, Mike Cooper, Lê Quan Ninh, Ellen Fullman, Evan Parker, Ellery Eskelin, and John Butcher as well as continuing projects with Caroline Kraabel, cellist Janel Leppin and Scottish guitarist George Burt.
misha feigin’s music for children | you, me and the songs we sing
Me, You and the Songs We Sing
Misha Feigin’s Music for Children
Misha Feigin – guitar 1-15, voice 1-3, 5-15, harmonica 7,8,15 | Maria Zdorovova – voice 1,4,11,12 | Beata Zdorovova – voice 11,14 | Mikhail Utkin – cello 11,12 | Avenir – recorder 5,6,10,11,12 fiddle – 4,10 | Felix Ivanov – hurdy-gurdy 4 mandolin, harmonica, xylophone 6 | Sergei Kopchenkov – piano 1,12 harpsichord 11 celesta 14 / Sergei Gurgeloshvili – saxophone 1 | Boris Sichon – percussion 1
Tracklist: 1. A Ring O’Roses – folk [2:46] 2. Three Jolly Hunters – folk [3:46] 3. The Owl and the Pussycat – Edward Lear/Misha Feigin [2:35] 4. Goosey, Goosey Gander – folk [2:25] 5. A Glass of Milk and a Slice of Bread – folk [3:06] 6. Deedle, Deedle, Dumpling – folk [2:15] 7. Gnomes – Walter de la Mare/Misha Feigin [3:05] 8. Bones – Walter de la Mare/Misha Feigin [2:28] 9. The Table and the Chair – Edward Lear/Misha Feigin [3:57] 10. Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary – folk [2:08] 11. Bah, Bah, Black Sheep – folk [4:37] 12. Hickory, Dickory, Dock – folk [3:14] 13. Calico Pie – Edward Lear/Misha Feigin [2:47] 14. Donna-Donna – Secunda/Keeves/Schwartz [3:19] 15. The Miller and His Son – Walter de la Mare/Misha Feigin [4:32] Total Time: [46:28]
Produced and arranged by Misha Feigin, recorded in Moscow and Louisville, Kentucky. SFR Records, 221 N. Clifton Ave. #31 Louisville, KY 40206, USA
Buy misha feigin’s music for children | you, me and the songs we sing here…
only one road revisited
Only One Road Revisited
Misha Feigin – classical guitar, voice 1-17 / balalaika 17 | Marc Vainrot – viola de gamba 3,4 | Segei Proshutinsky – medieval flutes, crumhorn 2,3,4 | Segei Kopchenkov – piano, harpsichord 7,11 | Alexander Ivanov – keyboard 6,11 | Sergei Gurgbeloshvili – saxophone 7 | Mark Pekarsky – percussions 9 | Mihail Utkin – cello 9 | Lliya Lungin – flute 10 | Moscow String Quartet 9 | Mark Hamilton – electric guitars, electronics 12-17 | Dannie Kely – bass 12-17 | Hussam Al-Aydi – oud, keyboards, voice 14
Cover photo by LaDonna Smith. Insert photo by Misha Feigin. Back cover photo by Valentin Mitskevich
Disc 1: In Russia
1. Magic Forest (Misha Feigin) [2:23] 2. Among The Roses (Misha Feigin/Walter de la Mare) [2:01] 3. Gillome de Cabestagne Ballade (Misha Feigin) [3:09] 4. Graf Von Gleichen Ballade (Misha Feigin) [4:22] 5. Under The Moon Drinking Alone (Misha Feigin/Li Po) [4:11] 6. Bonfire (Misha Feigin) [3:16] 7. Wave To Me (Misha Feigin) [3:17] 8. Asking My Friend (Misha Feigin/Bai Juyi) [3:21] 9. On The Road (Misha Feigin/Ovsei Driz) [2:30] & Kaddish (Tribute to Janos Korchak) (Misha Feigin) [3:54] 10. The Wind (Misha Feigin/Walter de la Mare) [2:30] | Total Time [38:44]
Disc 2: In America
1. Sometimes, Somehow, Somewhere (Misha Feigin) [5:46] 2. The Way It Shines (Misha Feigin] [4:34] 3. Dark Eyes (Folk) [6:22] 4. Refugee (Misha Feigin) [5:05] 5. Bad Day (Misha Feigin) [4:07] 6. Balalaika Dreams (Misha Feigin/Mark Hamilton [7:39] | Total Time: [33:37]
both kinds of music
Both Kinds Of Music
Misha Feigin – balalaika, classical guitar in Duos with: Elliot Sharp – dobro | Davey Williams – electric guitar | LaDonna Smith – violin, dancing on a wooden box | Craig Hultgren – cello | Eugene Chadbourne – banjo, guitar
Track1 & 4 recorded by Elliot Sharp at his home studio in New York; 2 & 5 recorded by John Metro at the Birmingham Arts Association, Alabama; 3 recorded by Sam Gray at the Ramcat Studio in Louisville, Kentucky; 7 recorded at the concert at the Rietschule, Bern, Switzerland. All pieces are improvised, and recorded during 1998. All music by Misha Feigin (BMI) published by Alissa Publishing/PRS. Mastered by Stan Wijnans, LMC Sound. Front cover collage by Misha Feigin. Photo by Oli Jensen. Produced by Leo Feigin.
Tracklist: 1. Both Kinds of Music – [12’02] Misha Feigin – balalaika, Elliot Sharp – dobro 2. Balalaikofrenia – [4’29] Misha Feigin – balalaika, Davey Williams – electric guitar, LaDonna Smith – dancing on a big wooden box 3. Moondance – [9’39] Misha Feigin – classical guitar, Craig Hultgren – cello 4. Zohar Cafe Blues – [3’46] Misha Feigin – balalaika, Elliot Sharp – dobro 5. BBQ-Powered Mission to Outer Space -[11’37] Misha Feigin – classical guitar, Davey Williams – electric guitar 6. String Theory Revisited – [11 ’54] Misha Feigin – classical guitar, LaDonna Smith – violin 7. A Meter Violation – [16’27] Misha Feigin – classical guitar, balalaika, Eugene Chadbourne – banjo, guitar | Total time: 69’56
listen to Misha Feigin & Davey Williams & LaDonna Smith | Balalaikofrenia
“Both kinds of music” refers, of course, to “Country” and “Western”. Rediscovering country music has been something the avant garde has enjoyed doing in a tongue-in-cheek, knowingly urban way for decades, but more recently something less deliberately parodic has been going on between the two seemingly incommensurable genres. The Bubbadinos certainly play some species of white American folk music, but it’s hardly Nashville, and Misha Feigin is a free improvising Russian Balalaika player; it’s not even clear which kinds of music are being played, exactly, any more. — Richard Cochrane
If you’ve never heard a free-style jazz duet between a balalaika and a dobro, and you have a desire to do so, this CD should appeal to you. Actually, this is much more than a novelty album, as Feigin strums his guitar-like balalaika and classical guitar through seven jazz duets with Elliot Sharp (dobro), Davey Williams (electric guitar), Craig Hultgren (cello), LaDonna Smith (violin), and Eugene Chadbourne (banjo and guitar). The star billing is entirely appropriate, as each track is a stunning display of string improvisation. There is lots of variety as not only do the instruments and players alternate, but so do the free improvisations. Surprisingly accessible and at times even soothing, there is plenty of stridency, too. The duel with Hultgren is a particular highlight, as the violinist dances gingerly, without missing a step. Feigin (no relation to Leo Feigin, the producer) is strong throughout and a perfect partner. — Steve Loewy
For those who enjoy dobro and balalaika instrumentation, this jazz CD of 69:56 minutes will both intrigue and delight. That Misha Feigin is a master of his instrument is very evident in this collection. Feigin has duos with Elliot Sharp on dobro, Davey Williams on electric guitar, LaDonna Smith on violin (and dancing on a wooden box!), Craig Hultgren on cello, and Eugene Chadbourne on guitar and banjo. Some of the song titles include, among others, “Both Kinds of Music,” “Balaiaikofrenia,” “Moondance,” and “Zohar Cafe Blues.” Misha Feigin is one of the most well-known balalaika performers in the world, and this CD highlights those fine musical gifts. — Lee Prosser
waters ashore
Waters Ashore
Dave Liebmann – saxophones, flute, reading | LaDonna Smith – violin & viola | Misha Feigin – guitar & balaleika | Jason Foureman – contrabass (cuts 4 and 5)
Recorded June 28, 2006 Louisville, KY, USA by Steve Good. Text: “Jazz” by Misha Feigin, read by Dave Liebman. Cover art by 3ddie Melton. Transmuseq Records, www.transmuseq.com PO Box 430128, Birmingham, AL 35243 (205)967-0392 c&p 2007, transmuseq BMI, all rights reserved.
Tracklist: 1. Drink Deep [20:26] 2. Ancient Memories [8:15] 3. Heart and Other Difficulties [15:22] 4. Jazz [7:04] 5. Waters Ashore [7/35]
Waters Ashore
Being a musician means to perceive and to express the world, including ourselves, through the sound. Music provides a practical experience in the search for the universality of all human beings.
With all variety of genres and types of music, there are a few focusing on improvisation, perhaps the most ancient form of musical expression. Those are traditional ethnic folk music, free improvisation, and jazz. Any jazz musician can sit-in, in a band playing standards, because they speak the same musical language.
Free improvisers can meet each other for the first time in a concert. World music brings together all possible blends of ethnic cultures and improvisational practices.
Music is the most accessible form of universal language that is being practiced today. So, bringing together a jazz icon, Dave Liebman with one of the pioneers of free improvisied music in America, LaDonna Smith, and Misha Feigin, Moscow born poet-musician, who was experimented with the fusion of free improvisation and ethnic folk music, seems to be a natural example of this musical universality.
This recording documents a musical journey that the three of us took, meeting for the first time in Louisville, Kentucky on June 28, 2006, and embarking on a three hour musical recording session together. All pieces on this recording were improvised in the spirit of communal musical exploration and mutual respect.
Waters come ashore, bringing with it the debris from the depths of the ocean. Like our imagination reveals the tide of our traditions and experience, we are left with the evidence of natural change and assimilation. Drink deep.
listen to Dave Liebman & LaDonna Smith & Misha Feigin & Jason Foureman | Waters Ashore (excerpt)
listen to Dave Liebman & LaDonna Smith & Misha Feigin & Jason Foureman | Jazz (excerpt)