Kolibri (band)
Encyclopedia
Kolibri is a Soviet/Russian
experimental pop/rock group formed in 1988 in Saint-Petersburg playing a highly eclectic brand of baroque pop
blended with elements of post-punk
, cabaret
, chanson
and dominated by vocal harmony. Blatantly elitist and quite challenging in their refined intellectualism, Kolibri combined high posturing with touchingly humane attitude, writing and performing songs that were described variously as - exquisite, depressive, extravagant, romantic, naive, sophisticated and decadent. The band released six studio albums which were received well in Europe and were praized by critics in their native Russia but never had any commercial success.
Natasha Pivovarova, Kolibri’s founding member, left in 1998 (to form Sauce). She died in a car crash in Crimea
, Ukraine
, in September 2007.
's Populiarnaya Mekhanika member.
Having brought together six other girls who were connected to the Leningrad Rock Club in one way or another but had no stage experience whatsoever, Pivovarova suggested they’d form a kind of musical theater and perform cover versions in a cabaret/avant-garde/post-rock fashion. On 8 March 1988 the septet staged their ‘Vacation of Love’ programme (its title referring to the Japanese film) in Leningrad Rock Club.
According to critic and rock historian Andrey Burlaka the concert caused furore and the girls became their native city cultural scene’s overnight sensation. By the time of their next gig, though, Kolibri were five: alongside Pivovarova sang and danced - Yelena Yudanova, Irina Sharovatova, Olga Feshcenko, and Inna Volkova.
’s portable studio, Kolibri recorded their ‘Amerikanskaya Zhena’ (‘American Wife’) demo and next month started working on their debut album in the Titanic Studio with producer Alexandr Titov (ex-Aquarium). Among those taking part in the sessions were Oleg Sakmarov (flute, oboe), Piotr Akimov (cello), Alexey Ratzen (drums) and two Televizor’s guitarists: Alexandr Beliaev and Maxim Kuznetzov. In 1990 the debut album Манера поведения (Manie′ra Povede′niya, Manner of Conduct) was released, first unofficially, a year later - on FeeLee Records in Russia, two years later - in the USA.
The band went on tour (using the instrumental studio backing track) asserting (according to Allmusic) 'their nonconformity with theatrical stage antics and costuming, in their case identical black ballet outfits and colored gloves'.
, Orkestr A and The Shamen
among others. They took part in Nantes
' Leningrad Days (Lеs Allumees fest) and later played in Germany
, Finland
and Sweden
. In 1992 Videofilm company made a musical movie Колибри в Париже и Дома ('Kolibri in Paris and at Home', - a self-explanatory title). It’s been demonstrated occasionally in the SPB theaters in the 90’s but surprisingly has never been released on video. By this time Olga Feschenko has left the group and went on to live in Paris.
Kolibri's second album, Маленькие трагедии (Ma′lenkie Trage′dii, Little Tragedies), was recorded in 1992, renowned jazzmen Yuri Sobolev and guitarist Alesandr Gnatuk taking part in those sessions. A year later songs from the album started to filter through into the Russian radio, Zholtiy List Ose′nni (Yellow Leaf of Autumn), written and sung by Elena Udanova having gained the status of unofficial hit.
On 8 March 1993, the group celebrated their fifth anniversary by plaing in Vyacheslav Polunin’s show. In 1994 Kolbri recorded Naiydi Desyat Otlichiy (Find Ten Differences): this album, produced by Andrei Muratov of DDT
fame anr released by Triary Records, is still widely regarded as their best. This time they’ve got instrumental support from bassist Vyacheslav Koshelev and drummer Igor Cheridnik of the group Prepinaki (the latter’s frontman Alex Lushin was Natasha Pivovarova’s husband at the time), as well as from Aleksandr Belyaev (Nautilus Pompilius) and Igor Cheridnik (Strannye Igry).
The experimental Бес Сахара (Bes Sahara, a pun which could mean both 'Without Sugar' and 'The Sugar Demon', its working title having been - 'Princesses Don’t Poo'), recorded with Tequilajazzz
was released on Gala Records. The boys from TJ joined the girls on stage in Kolibri's first ever performances with a live backing band.
In 1998 Kolibri starred in Aleksandr Bashirov's film Zheleznaya Pyata Oligarchy (The Iron Heel of Olygarchy). In May this year the band joined the line-up of Sergey Kuriokhin’s 2nd annual S.K.I.F. Festival organized in New York
by David Gross, the good friend of the latter.
In less than a year Kolibri (whom everybody hastened to write off) resurfaced - with the two new members who turned out to be (almost scandalously) male: Oleg Emirov (keyboards, arrangements, ex-Golye) and Andrey Gradovich (guitar). It was only after a year of constant European gigging (two Scandinavian tours included) that the reformed Kolibri made their first St.-Petersburg appearance, debuting on 24 December 2000, in Teatr Estrady and garnering fine reviews.
The album, Любовь и её конечности (Ljubov I jeio′ Kone′chnosti, Love and it’s Limbs) recorded in Signal Studios with producer Sergey Rusanov (ex-Ulitzy, Televizor) was shelved for more than a year and then released by Real Records - almost simultaneously with their next work, Troi - a collaboration with the Volkovtrio members, Vladimir Volkov and Sviatoslav Kurashov.
In the course of the next two years Kolibri played several festivals (including S.K.I.F.) and appeared in studio compilations (like the two Aquarium members tribut — first Dyusha Romanov’s, them Boris Grebetschikov). The band’s 15th anniversary concerts in Moscow and SPB saw Natasha Pivovarova joining her ex-colleagues on stage. Meanwhile Emirov left and Kolibri joined forces with Soundscript 33, an instrumental trio led by saxophonist and composer Dmitry Fiodorov.
Natasha Pivovarova, Kolibri’s founding member, died in a car crash in Crimea
, Ukraine
, in September 2007.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
experimental pop/rock group formed in 1988 in Saint-Petersburg playing a highly eclectic brand of baroque pop
Baroque pop
Baroque pop, Baroque rock, or English baroque, often used interchangeably with chamber pop/rock, is a pop and rock music subgenre which originated in the mid-1960s in the United Kingdom and United States...
blended with elements of post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
and dominated by vocal harmony. Blatantly elitist and quite challenging in their refined intellectualism, Kolibri combined high posturing with touchingly humane attitude, writing and performing songs that were described variously as - exquisite, depressive, extravagant, romantic, naive, sophisticated and decadent. The band released six studio albums which were received well in Europe and were praized by critics in their native Russia but never had any commercial success.
Natasha Pivovarova, Kolibri’s founding member, left in 1998 (to form Sauce). She died in a car crash in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, 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...
, in September 2007.
Band history
Kolibri were formed in 1988, first as a kind of exotic side project for Natalya Pivova′rova (born 17 July 1963, Novgorod), then Sergey KuryokhinSergey Kuryokhin
Sergey Kuryokhin was a Russian film actor, film composer, pianist, music director, experimental artist and writer, based in St. Petersburg, Russia.-Biography:Kuryokhin began his acting career as a piano and keyboard player with a school band in Leningrad...
's Populiarnaya Mekhanika member.
Having brought together six other girls who were connected to the Leningrad Rock Club in one way or another but had no stage experience whatsoever, Pivovarova suggested they’d form a kind of musical theater and perform cover versions in a cabaret/avant-garde/post-rock fashion. On 8 March 1988 the septet staged their ‘Vacation of Love’ programme (its title referring to the Japanese film) in Leningrad Rock Club.
According to critic and rock historian Andrey Burlaka the concert caused furore and the girls became their native city cultural scene’s overnight sensation. By the time of their next gig, though, Kolibri were five: alongside Pivovarova sang and danced - Yelena Yudanova, Irina Sharovatova, Olga Feshcenko, and Inna Volkova.
Debut
Soon, discarding their cover versions band tag, all of them started writing their own material. In November 1989, using AquariumAquarium (group)
Aquarium or Akvarium is a Russian rock group, formed in Leningrad in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov, then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly Gunitsky, then a playwright and absurdist poet.-History:...
’s portable studio, Kolibri recorded their ‘Amerikanskaya Zhena’ (‘American Wife’) demo and next month started working on their debut album in the Titanic Studio with producer Alexandr Titov (ex-Aquarium). Among those taking part in the sessions were Oleg Sakmarov (flute, oboe), Piotr Akimov (cello), Alexey Ratzen (drums) and two Televizor’s guitarists: Alexandr Beliaev and Maxim Kuznetzov. In 1990 the debut album Манера поведения (Manie′ra Povede′niya, Manner of Conduct) was released, first unofficially, a year later - on FeeLee Records in Russia, two years later - in the USA.
The band went on tour (using the instrumental studio backing track) asserting (according to Allmusic) 'their nonconformity with theatrical stage antics and costuming, in their case identical black ballet outfits and colored gloves'.
The 'classic' years
The year 1991 saw them performing in Rock Club’s 10th Anniversary concert and on Interdelo Festival in Novosibirsk alongside N.O.M.N.O.M.
N.O.M. - a Soviet/Russian experimental rock band, formed in 1987 in Saint Petersburg , known for its highly eclectic avant-guard mix of art-rock, folklore, classical influences , innovative arrangements, and theatrical stage shows...
, Orkestr A and The Shamen
The Shamen
The Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
among others. They took part in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
' Leningrad Days (Lеs Allumees fest) and later played in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In 1992 Videofilm company made a musical movie Колибри в Париже и Дома ('Kolibri in Paris and at Home', - a self-explanatory title). It’s been demonstrated occasionally in the SPB theaters in the 90’s but surprisingly has never been released on video. By this time Olga Feschenko has left the group and went on to live in Paris.
Kolibri's second album, Маленькие трагедии (Ma′lenkie Trage′dii, Little Tragedies), was recorded in 1992, renowned jazzmen Yuri Sobolev and guitarist Alesandr Gnatuk taking part in those sessions. A year later songs from the album started to filter through into the Russian radio, Zholtiy List Ose′nni (Yellow Leaf of Autumn), written and sung by Elena Udanova having gained the status of unofficial hit.
On 8 March 1993, the group celebrated their fifth anniversary by plaing in Vyacheslav Polunin’s show. In 1994 Kolbri recorded Naiydi Desyat Otlichiy (Find Ten Differences): this album, produced by Andrei Muratov of DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
fame anr released by Triary Records, is still widely regarded as their best. This time they’ve got instrumental support from bassist Vyacheslav Koshelev and drummer Igor Cheridnik of the group Prepinaki (the latter’s frontman Alex Lushin was Natasha Pivovarova’s husband at the time), as well as from Aleksandr Belyaev (Nautilus Pompilius) and Igor Cheridnik (Strannye Igry).
The experimental Бес Сахара (Bes Sahara, a pun which could mean both 'Without Sugar' and 'The Sugar Demon', its working title having been - 'Princesses Don’t Poo'), recorded with Tequilajazzz
Tequilajazzz
Tequilajazzz was a Russian alternative rock band led by bassist Evgeny "Ai-yai-yai" Fedorov based in Saint Petersburg...
was released on Gala Records. The boys from TJ joined the girls on stage in Kolibri's first ever performances with a live backing band.
In 1998 Kolibri starred in Aleksandr Bashirov's film Zheleznaya Pyata Oligarchy (The Iron Heel of Olygarchy). In May this year the band joined the line-up of Sergey Kuriokhin’s 2nd annual S.K.I.F. Festival organized in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
by David Gross, the good friend of the latter.
Pivovarova's departure
In December 1998 Natasha Pivovarova left the band to pursue a solo career. She’s been working all the while as a producer for Molochny Skake (another all-girl group which some critics labeled ‘teenage Kolibri’) and sang duets with Alexandr Lushin and his band. In January 2000 she formed a new group (or ‘the association’ as they preferred to call themselves) named Sous (The Sauce).In less than a year Kolibri (whom everybody hastened to write off) resurfaced - with the two new members who turned out to be (almost scandalously) male: Oleg Emirov (keyboards, arrangements, ex-Golye) and Andrey Gradovich (guitar). It was only after a year of constant European gigging (two Scandinavian tours included) that the reformed Kolibri made their first St.-Petersburg appearance, debuting on 24 December 2000, in Teatr Estrady and garnering fine reviews.
The album, Любовь и её конечности (Ljubov I jeio′ Kone′chnosti, Love and it’s Limbs) recorded in Signal Studios with producer Sergey Rusanov (ex-Ulitzy, Televizor) was shelved for more than a year and then released by Real Records - almost simultaneously with their next work, Troi - a collaboration with the Volkovtrio members, Vladimir Volkov and Sviatoslav Kurashov.
In the course of the next two years Kolibri played several festivals (including S.K.I.F.) and appeared in studio compilations (like the two Aquarium members tribut — first Dyusha Romanov’s, them Boris Grebetschikov). The band’s 15th anniversary concerts in Moscow and SPB saw Natasha Pivovarova joining her ex-colleagues on stage. Meanwhile Emirov left and Kolibri joined forces with Soundscript 33, an instrumental trio led by saxophonist and composer Dmitry Fiodorov.
Natasha Pivovarova, Kolibri’s founding member, died in a car crash in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, 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...
, in September 2007.
Albums
- 1991 Манера Поведения
- 1992 Маленькие трагедии
- 1994 Найди десять отличий
- 1997 Бес Сахара
- 1998 Ремиксы
- 2002 Любовь и ее конечности
- 2009 Железные Звезды
External links
See also
- Tемочка, A Little Theme (“Nobody’s Around”), Kolibri video