Open World Partners U.S.-Russian Jazz Specialists on Creation of a Russian Jazz Archive
May 26, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maura Shelden,
Public Affairs Officer
Tel. 202-707-6197
mshelden@openworld.gov
WASHINGTON, DC – Open World is facilitating a journey to three Russian jazz centers for Library of Congress jazz and music reference specialist Larry Appelbaum starting May 31. With a generous travel grant from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, Appelbaum, well-known in jazz circles for his discovery of lost Thelonious Monk-John Coltrane recordings, will partner with Cyril Moshkow, Russia’s leading jazz journalist and de facto curator of Russian jazz ephemera and embark upon a journey from Moscow, to Yaroslavl, to St. Petersburg and back to Moscow to identify the breadth of the archive project. Appelbaum’s trip will strengthen ties between Russian and U.S. cultural partners and along with Mr. Moshkow’s expertise provide a roadmap to preserve Russia’s jazz history.
Larry Appelbaum is a Senior Music Reference Librarian and jazz specialist in the Music Division at the Library of Congress. As a former supervisor of the Library’s Magnetic Recording Laboratory, he transferred, edited and mastered many classical, jazz and folk recordings for commercial release. As a critic, he is a contributor to the books Jazz: The First Century (William Morrow, 2000) and The Encyclopedia of Radio (Museum of Broadcast Communications, 2003). He writes regularly for JazzTimes and other magazines and websites around the world, curates a jazz film series, and is a long time radio host on WPFW-FM in Washington D.C.
Cyril Moskow has been the publisher of http://Jazz.Ru, Russia’s leading jazz publication since 1998. He is the author of three Russian-language books on jazz, The Jazz Industry in America (2008,) The Jazz Greats (2009) and The Blues. An Introduction to History (2010). He is a radio presenter and has traveled worldwide covering jazz festivals, participating in jazz research conferences and round tables (University of Idaho, Columbia University, Tallinn Europe’s Culture Capital Committee, Chişinău Jazz Festival) and speaking to audiences about the history of jazz in Russia (University of Idaho, New York University, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, The Library of the Congress.)
Open World has introduced more than 17,000 current and future decision makers from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union to American political and civic life, and to their American counterparts. Open World delegates range from first-time mayors to veteran journalists, from nonprofit directors to small-business advocates, and from political activists to judges at all levels.
In addition to Russia, Open World also operates dynamic programs in Ukraine and has expanded to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The U.S. Congress established Open World in 1999 to enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and Russia. In 2003, Congress made all post-Soviet states eligible for the program. Open World promotes partnerships and continued communications between delegates and their American hosts and professional counterparts.
For more information contact Maura Shelden at mshelden@openworld.gov or visit our website at
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