The ‘Uralskiy Dixieland’ band is justifiably considered one of the best traditional jazz bands in Russia. The members of the ensemble are perfect not only at Dixieland style, but also at modern jazz styles, from mainstream and b-bop to jazz-rock and smooth-jazz. However, the repertoire of ‘Uralskiy Dixieland’ band is still based on traditional jazz and is greatly influenced by the famous American trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong.

The band was created in Chelyabinsk in 1969 within the regional philharmonic society. The jazz musician, trumpeter Igor Bourco (1944-2018) became the leader of the band. Over the years, the band has toured all over Russia, the former USSR republics and most European countries. ‘Uralskiy Dixieland’ has been the laureate of many festivals and competitions: the All-Union Competition of Variety Artists (Moscow, 1979), international jazz festivals in Tbilisi (1978), Moscow (1984), Baku (1985) and others.

Since 1984 the Uralskiy Dixieland has emerged at the global stage. It performed in international jazz festivals in Dresden (1984, 1990, 1999), as well as the most prestigious Western jazz forums, such as North Sea Jazz Festival (the Netherlands, 1996), Brecon Jazz Festival (the United Kingdom, 1996), Russian Stars of the World of Jazz (Moscow, 2005, 2018), World Jazz Festival (Latvia, 2018), the International Jazz Festival in Bansko (Bulgaria, 2018), Nišville International Jazz Festival (Serbia, 2018), SuperJazz Ashdod (Israel, 2018) and many others.

On October 1, 2022, the Uralskiy Dixieland ensemble became the only non-capital collective representing Russian regions at a grand concert celebrating the centenary of jazz in Russia held at the Bolshoi Theater of the Russian Federation.

The map of the ensemble's tours "covers" almost all of Europe.

Equally extensive is the list of renowned jazz performers with whom the band has had the opportunity to collaborate. In Western Europe, legendary British vocalists Nat Gonella and Beryl Bryden performed with the Uralskiy Dixieland. In Russia, the Dixieland ensemble has frequently given concerts alongside American singer Denise Perry, British singer John Downes, and others. The creative enrichment of the Ural jazz musicians was further enhanced by live interactions on various festival stages with such stars as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Farmer, Scott Hamilton, Chris Barber, Anatoly Kroll, Georgy Garanian, David Goloshchyokin, Igor Butman, Daniil Kramer, Alexander Oseychuk, Larisa Dolina, and others. The ensemble’s playing is technically polished and full of elegance and joy. Professionals often note the "authentic" New Orleans sound of the Uralskiy Dixieland, referring to their closeness to the traditions of this branch of early jazz. The musicians enthusiastically "showmanize," sing, play, and march.

The band includes Valery Sundarev (guitar, banjo, vocals),Viktor Rikker (drums), Stanislav Bernstein (counter-bass, double-bass), Nail Zagidullin (trombone), Dmitry Perminov (saxophone, clarinet), Alexander Kolosov (saxophone, clarinet), Ivan Pona (trumpet), Konstantin Shcheglov (piano), Maria Bolotina (vocals), and Natalia Rikker (presenter).

Artistic director: Valery Sundarev
Director Natalia Rikker.

Discography:


• Internationales Dixieland Festival – Dresden 1985/86 (DDR, LP, 1986)
• Come Back Home, Bill Bailey (USSR, LP, 1987)
• Jazz From Russia (Netherlands, CD, 1991)
• Russian Roulette (Netherlands, CD, 1993)
• Russia Meets America (Netherlands, CD, 1995)
• America Meets Russia (Netherlands, CD, 1995)
• Igor Bourco’s Uralsky Jazzmen featuring Beryl Bryden & Nat Gonella. Oh Mo’nah! (Netherlands, CD, 1997)
• Weise-Jazz 2003 (Russia, CD 1, 2; 2004)
• Internationales Dixieland Festival Dresden. The Best Sound of the Festival 2017 (Germany, CD; 2017)
• Favorites (Russia, CD, 2018)
• From Moscow to Rio (Russia, 2LP, 2020)
• Merry Christmas! Feat. Oleg Akkuratov (Russia, 2LP, 2021)
• From Duke To Beatles (Russia, 2LP, 2022)
• Leonid Ptashka & Uralskiy Dixieland of Igor Burko (Russia, EP, 2022)
• Songs About the Motherland (Russia, EP, 2024)

Uralskiy Dixieland is featured on the following international jazz portals and platforms:


• All About Jazz
• SoundCloud
• Wikipedia (Russian)
• Wikipedia (English)
• JazzMap

Valery Sundarev is a talented jazz musician, arranger, composer, improviser, and one of the best jazz guitarists in Russia. Since 2018, he has been the artistic director of the ensemble Uralskiy Dixieland of Igor Burko. He graduated from the Philology Faculty of the Chelyabinsk Pedagogical Institute, where he discovered jazz during his studies and began playing the jazz guitar, studying the techniques of modern classics.

In the 1980s, he worked as a literature teacher while simultaneously performing in small pop ensembles. In 1989, he began working at the Chelyabinsk Philharmonia, and in 1992, he became the lead guitarist for the Ariel band. In 1994, Igor Burko, the founder of Uralskiy Dixieland, invited the talented guitarist to join the ensemble. As part of this group, Sundarev became the musical director, arranger, guitarist, and banjo player. Having dedicated over a quarter of a century to Uralskiy Dixieland, V. Sundarev has performed thousands of concerts with the ensemble. Since the 1990s, he has recorded several albums on European record labels both as a soloist and with Uralskiy Dixieland.

V. Sundarev is an unwavering participant and one of the organizers of the What an Amazing World International Jazz Festival (held since 2000). Over the years, he has played with dozens of renowned musicians during festival concerts and jam sessions. He was the headliner of the Spring Beat international music festival. His refined and inventive playing has been highly praised by blues gurus abroad. Since 2015 (the centenary year of jazz guitar), under Sundarev's initiative and direct participation, the Guitar Forums All-Russian Festival was held in Chelyabinsk, featuring leading jazz guitarists from across Russia. He actively collaborates with jazz ensembles in Chelyabinsk and is frequently invited as a session musician by leaders of the Russian and global jazz industry.

V. Sundarev presents solo authorial programs of jazz music with enviable regularity. The musician enjoys great authority in the professional music community, he serves as a jury member for music and jazz festivals and competitions in Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Magnitogorsk, and Norilsk. Dozens of articles about Sundarev’s work have been published in the Chelyabinsk and Russian press. An article is devoted to him in the encyclopedic reference book Jazz in Russia, edited by V.B. Feyertag.