Ruslan Sirota | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Uman,Ukraine |
| Genres | Jazz,R&B/soul,pop |
| Occupations | Musician, producer, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboards, organ |
| Years active | 1996–present |
Ruslan Sirota is aGrammy Awardwinning[1][2] pianist, composer, and producer.
Ruslan was born inUman,Ukraine to a Jewish family on November 4, 1980. His father, Yefim, who was an active local guitarist, introduced him to music at an early age. Picking up guitar around the age of four, Ruslan transitioned topiano around the age of seven. In 1990, his family moved toIsrael, where he continued to study piano at theBat-Yam music school. At approximately 14, Ruslan discoveredjazz, instantly showing interest. By the age of 16, he was the "wunderkind" keyboardist for the then-popular Israelijazz fusion band, "Confusion". With Confusion, he toured Israel and made several appearances at theRed Sea Jazz Festival.[3]
At 18, Ruslan auditioned for theBerklee College of Music, where he received full tuition scholarship, and moved toBoston in January 2000. During his studies at Berklee, Ruslan displayed growing interest inR&B,funk andsoul music, playing with local artists and eventually becoming the resident keyboardist in a club called "Wally's Jazz Café".[3]
Circa 2004, Ruslan joined theStanley Clarke band[4][5] and moved toLos Angeles, thus marking the beginning of his professional career.[6][7][8]
Since then, Ruslan has been touring, performing and recording with artists such asBlack Eyed Peas,Chick Corea,Kanye West,Kamasi Washington,Thundercat,Seal,Josh Groban,Ne-Yo,George Duke,Marcus Miller,Al Jarreau,Victor Wooten,Eric Benét,Rachelle Ferrell,Larry Carlton,Los Angeles Philharmonic and countless others. Ruslan released his self-titled debut album, featuring Clarke, Corea andGeorge Duke as special guests, on October 24, 2011. The album was produced by Ruslan and Clarke, released onBungalo Records and distributed byUniversal Music Group Distribution.[9][10]
Ruslan is also a board member of the Magic Music Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to grantingscholarships to music students worldwide, regardless of their choice of music teachers and/or schools.[11]
Ronald Bruner Jr. and Ruslan Sirota accept the Best Contemporary Jazz Album award on behalf of the The Stanley Clarke Band for "The Stanley Clarke Band" in the press room at The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Keyboardist Ruslan Sirota[...]displayed not only solid old school chops[...]but also the technical wizardry that Mr. Clarke's fusion idiom seems to demand.
"Ruslan is becoming a recognizable force in the music world," Clarke notes. "He is one of the few musicians I'm aware of that knows a thousand songs. He has a unique understanding of the jazz language."
Ruslan Sirota's "Soldier" opens the proceedings; the Ukrainian born, former child-prodigy wrote the piece to frame his concerns about continuing global conflict.
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