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The debut recording from the Russian born pianist of his soulful blend of blues, jazz and fusion innovations.

Akopov is a Russian born composer who began classical piano at 7, at 15 joined the Moscow Jazz Studio and by 17 had participated in his first jazz festival. Now 28 and living in Los Angeles, Akopov heads the quartet Kroog and has played with various jazz artists. A blend of acoustic and fusion jazz Akopov is very talented and holds a degree from UCLA in film scoring. The song Spirited Child's Play is exactly what Akopov makes playing the piano sound like. A warm and harmonic musician we can expect only greater things from this young composer. ~ Allen Morales, Victory Review

A Russian born pianist, Andrew Akopov moved to the United States in the early '90s and shows on this impressive CD that he is a world-class improviser. Akopov composed and arranged all ten selections on this CD, music that can be considered post-bop. Gary Meek, on tenor, soprano and flute, is sometimes a little reminiscent of Ernie Watts, playing with intensity and strong control over his horn. Also on this challenging yet fairly accessible set are bassist Dave Carpenter, drummer Dick Weller, and (on Prince and Princess Principle) trumpeter Dmitri Mamokhin. A fine effort. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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