Album of Ukrainian jazz music

• Ihor Zakus 

A distinguished bass guitarist, composer, and bandleader. He is the author of numerous concert programmes and television projects, including Jazz-Kolo, created to support Ukrainian jazz and develop the country’s improvisational music scene. In 2023, he recorded the album I’m Alive in Paris with French and Norwegian musicians.  

• Mlada  

The stage name of singer and designer Maryna Yurasova. Mlada is known for her album Oh Spring, a striking modern reinterpretation of Ukrainian folk songs from the Polissya region. 

• Victor Pavelko  

A celebrated saxophonist, composer, and arranger. Pavelko was named Best Tenor Saxophonist by Do#Dzh 2009. His composition Uncertainty, included in Jazz from Ukraine, was recorded live at Kyiv’s 32 JazzClub and is featured on his latest album, Internal Anxiety (2023). 

• Misha Mendelenko  

One of Ukraine’s most promising young guitarists. He is the son of renowned saxophonist and educator Artem Mendelenko. Since 2022, he has been studying at William Paterson University in the USA. For two consecutive years, he has performed in the quintet of his mentor and the famous trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. 

• Tamara Lukasheva 

A singer, composer, and leader of the Tamara Lukasheva Quartett. Lukasheva is a prominent figure of the Odessa jazz school. She lives and works in Germany, where she was named the country’s Best Jazz Soloist at the Neuer Deutscher Jazzpreis in 2017. In 2023, she recorded the album Anima with the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra, featuring A Clear Moon, a composition by her mentor, the virtuoso Ukrainian composer and pianist Yurii Kuznetsov.  

• Andrii Pokaz 

An Odesa-based pianist, composer, and founder of Pokaz Trio, a unique Ukrainian jazz project that blends jazz, classical, and ethnic music with electronic elements. The band’s debut album, Kintsugi (2019), was released on the Norwegian label Losen Records. 

• Rodion Ivanov 

An experienced pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer, who effortlessly navigates various styles, from funk and lounge to fusion and new jazz. He is the creator and producer of the music project Dao Park. 

• Yakiv Tsvietinskyi 

A trumpeter, composer, and educator. Tsvietinskyi is one of the most influential musicians on the Ukrainian jazz scene, known for his openness to diverse musical styles and instruments. A Fulbright scholar, he has participated in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead (Washington) and the Focusyear Basel residency in Switzerland, where he toured Europe with the Focusyear Orchestra. His original compositions merge contemporary academic music with jazz improvisation. 

• Oleksandr Seleznov

A renowned drummer and percussionist, Seleznyov has played a pivotal role in developing the jazz-fusion genre in Ukraine. As a session musician, he has collaborated with numerous Ukrainian and international artists. Currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he continues to create music using various types of weaponry, captivating social media audiences with his performances. 

• New Brain Trio

A popular Ukrainian group known for live improvisations that blend jazz and electronic music. New Brain Trio is distinguished by its multi-layered sound and experimental approach. In October 2024, they released the mini-album Leontovych, reinterpreting the melodies of Mykola Leontovych—including Shchedryk (Carol of the Bells) — through the lens of spiritual jazz. 

• Maksym Kiuila

An innovative musician and artist from Kharkiv. Kiuila and his collaborators released the instrumental jazz album Undercolor in 2024, seamlessly blending folk melodies with a modern, high-energy sound — a fusion of folk and groove. His composition Tuman Yarom, featured in Jazz from Ukraine, was inspired by the Ukrainian folk song of the same name.