Misha-Feigin
Misha Feigin was born and raised in Moscow and is known as one of Russia’s premiere guitarists. When he immigrated to the US in 1990, he left behind an established position in the Moscow arts scene highlighted by his four albums on the Melodia label, features on major radio and television shows, and national and international tours. He began recording free improvised music in 1986 in Moscow with Auction’s Dimitry Matkovsky. He also performed with the Russian pop-folk star Janna Bichevskaya.
Misha perfromed free improvised music at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, at the Birmingham Improv. Festival, and in New York at the Knitting Factory and Tonic, where he also played with Elliot Sharp, Eugene Chadbourne and Ami Denio. Other performances have included John Russell, LaDonna Smith, Davey Williams, Craig Hultgren, Toshi Makihara, Peter Kowalt, Leonid Soybelman, Sergei Letov.
Misha has played concerts in 47 US States, Canada, Israel, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Russian and English are heard throughout Misha’s dynamic performances, which incorporate original poetry and spontaneous storytelling. He plays classical and acoustic guitars, balalaika, keyboards, harmonica. Misha’s music is a blend of various ethnic idioms and musical styles. His five US releases are “Only One Road”, “Only Once”, and “Dreams” with original folk music in Russian and English on Dreaming People Records, and “Spontaneous Folks’ Music” and “June in Moscow” with free improvised music on Spontaneous Folks’ Records.
Misha’s German release is “Improv Songbook” (together with Robert W. Gerlach). Misha’s latest CD on Leo Records, “Both Kinds of Music”, features duos with Elliott Sharp, Davey Williams, LaDonna Smith, Craig Hultgren, and Eugene Chadbourne.
In 2003, Misha’s reputation as a multifaceted entertainer has been “officially” confirmed by the release of Searching for Irina, a powerful story of the era when the political trials showed signs of Stalin’s horrors, while sex, drugs, and rock’n'roll penetrating the Iron Curtain clashed with the seemingly impervious system.
Now, following Irina’s sold-out success, Fleur Publishing is preparing for the December release of “The Last Word in Astronomy”, Mr. Feigin’s collection of poems with material spanning the last two decades of creativity of this impressive author, winner of the Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry in 2000.
