Musicians

Boris Grebenshikov

born 1953-11-26 21:00:00 UTC

vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, tambourine, file, sounds, songwriting The Dude. Basically, if he's playing with somebody else & he says "Hey, this is Akvarium," it's Akvarium.

Mike Naumenko

guitar, vocals Anti-Boris #1. Deceased. Main dude in the band Zoopark. Boris and Maik are credited by many with "inventing" the lyrical style which dominated Soviet underground rock in the 80's.

Ivan Voropayev

viola

Vsyevolod Gakkel'

vocals, cello (including "industrial" cello), sounds, bass guitar The mystical, perhaps cantankerous, perhaps a bit depressive, wonderful cello player from the original Akvarium. Thank him for the beautiful cello in Ivanov. (Thanks, Gakkel'.) Dzhrew offers: Gakkel' is still a cult figure. Tequila Jazzz thanks him on every album. Fevered shouts of "Seva Gakkel'!" form the bridge to their song "Cocaine." My guardians of Far Eastern Culture like to scream along. Me, too.

Andrei Romanov

born 1956-07-27 21:00:00 UTC

vocals, flute, tin whistle, electric and acoustic guitar, piano Nickname: Dyusha.

Sergei Kuryokhin

born 1954-07-15 21:00:00 UTC

piano, experimental piano, keyboards, various organs, vocals In this page, Kuryokhin is best known as the composer of "Mad Nightingales in the Russian Forest" (The One-Track) and for his performances on the Akvarium I albums listed below.

Outside the BoB world he was an influential sorta guy with a zillion projects--besides his solo projects and a healthy list of soundtrack credits (some acting, even), SK recorded with the Pop Mechanics, Kino and other artists throughout the 80s. In 1997 he died of a rare heart disease a few days before his 43rd birthday.

Yes, ladies, he does look like our own Bodhisattva Dzhrew.

Alexander Kondrashkin

drums, percussion

V. Kozlov

guitar

Olga Pershina

vocals, piano

V. Levi

vocals

A. Tropillo

voice, flute, studio space Voice of Russian folk poetry on "2-12-85-06," from "Deti Dekabrya." Provided studio for that record.

Evgenii Guberman

drums

Aleksandr Aleksandrov

born 1957-11-27 21:00:00 UTC

bassoon His nickname, "Phagot," means bassoon in Russian.

Igor' Butman

saxophone Our dear Igor has nothing to do with the "Butman" series of inexpensive video cassettes. According to Internet scuttlebut (heh) he was cited as possibly the world's greatest jazz sax player by Bill Clinton. How about that.

Aleksandr Lyapin

electric guitar

Aleksandr Titov

bass, vocals Sasha Titov also played with Kino. May have co-owned a "studio" (probably his apartment) at Fontanka 39 (SPB), where two songs off "Chubchik" were recorded. We call him Art because we are convinced he's really Art Garfunkel. Hey, Art, it's ok to come clean about your real identity!

Vladimir Grischenko

bass

Pyotr Troschenkov

born 1961-11-05 21:00:00 UTC

percussion, drums Provides "Screams and additional vocals" on track 9 of "Deti Dekabrya." Listed as Pyotr Guberman-Troshenkov on "Aroks i shtyor." Both "gentlemen" play on Radio Africa (but on different tracks).

Mikhail Kordiukov

drums

Aleksandr Kussul'

violin Separated from Charles Manson at birth? Maybe Sasha Ivanov? Depends on the photo, I guess.

Aleksandr Berenson

trumpet

Mikhail Chyornov

saxophone

Andrei Reshetin

violin

Vyacheslav Yegorov

instruments he played unknown Sound editor on "Ravnodyenstviye."

Ivan Shumilov

instruments he played unknown

Vyacheslav Kharipov

instruments he played unknown

Dmitrii Kol'tsov

instruments he played unknown

Sergei Schurakov

accordion, harmonica, mandolin, piano Helped arrange some stuff on "Chubchik."

Oleg Sakmarov

vocals, flute, clarinet, oboe, keyboards, tin whistle, saxophones, English horn, xylophone, recorder, iimb (éèìá, whatever that is), horn, harmonium Nickname: Ded ("Gramps"). Boris calls him "Ded Vasilii" in some places. Helped arrange stuff on Forelock. Co-arranged strings and winds on Ramses IV with Pavlovich.

Ded is an ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist who has influenced the course of post-kh'America Akvarium heavily. In fact, just as early Akvarium was arguably BG + Dyusha + Gakkel plus whoever else, one might posit that the most recent Akvarium is BG + Ded plus whoever else.

Alas, Ded left the band in '01 to pursue other things. When asked why, Boris said "If you love someone, set them free..." (No, we are not making this up.) Boris Rubekin seems to have taken his place in the pecking order, to the great disgruntlement—not to say horror—of many. Fortunately, we Bodhisattvas are so near to nirvana that we are incapable of disgruntlement.

We are, however, big fans of Ded. We have secret websites devoted to him, but they are very cleverly hidden so you'll never see them unless you too learn to be a multi-instrumentalist with every orifice simultaneously. Good luck.

Alexei Zubarev

guitar, harmonica, cello, sitar, keyboards, stick (ñòèê), mandolin, xylophone, synclavier, piano, strings, plucked instruments, flute Patronymic: Pavlovich. According to BG, he first "fulfills role of permanent guitarist in the future Akvarium" during the recording sessions that became the first half of "Chubchik." (But he doesn't appear in any of the post-Akvarium 2 bands.) Co-arranged the strings and winds on "Ramses IV" with Ded Vasilii. Seldom mentioned without patronymic.

Andrei Surotdinov

violin, viola, keyboards, piano, synclavier, bells "Heroic violin" on Chubchik (in the frozen studio of "Pushkinskaya 10, SPB"). He's an excellent guy, by the way.

Kate St. John

Plays no instruments on any Boris's albums. Or does she? We just mentioned her in the musicians list because of the cute picture of her in Navigator. And her name's cool, like a typical Akvarium character. And Boris sings on her album "Second Sight."

David Mattacks

percussion Member of Fairport Convention.

Aleksandr Kozhevnikov

guitar

Vladimir Chekasin

saxophone

Valentina Ponomareva

instruments she played are unknown On Elektroshok.

Yuri Nikolaev

drums, percussion

A. Silutin

bassoon

Pavel Parfenkov

oboe

Vladimir Kudryavtsev

born 2001-06-11 21:00:00 UTC

upright bass, bass There's a theory among certain Bodhisattvi (well, one anyway) that Mr. Kurdryavtsev is rapidly transforming into David Crosby. Although this remains simply a theory, we're watching closely.

But (and this worries us) who is watching David Crosby?

Oleg Goncharov

born 1961-10-31 21:00:00 UTC

glockenspiel, spoons, etc., remixing, vargan (?), rainstick, khomuz (õîìóç), bass, percussion, poppy stem, sounds Referred to as "The Indian" and "The Northern Indian" in various places. May actually be.

The Red-headed Devil

harmonica A.K.A. Dima Gusyev.

The Gift of Heaven

flutes and choir Credited as such (track 2) in liner notes to "Deti Dekabrya."

Ravil' Martynov

orchestra director Directs orchestra on the live track, "Okhota na edinorogov," from "History… Tome III."

Ol'ga El'darova

harp Track 3, "History… Tome III."

Sergei Beryozovoi

born 1965-11-05 21:00:00 UTC

bass guitar, french horn

V. Gayvoronskyi

trumpet

V. Volkov

double bass

Pyotr Akimov

cello

Lord A. Ratsen

drums, cymbals

I. Shineerov

synclavier

V. Tsimbal

trombones

S. Sher

portable organ

P. Chilin

portable organ

S. Naumovich

conducted children's' choir

O. Shubina

violin In string trio on "Ramses IV"

N. Syromyatnikova

viola In string trio on "Ramses IV"

P. Korolenko

cello In string trio on "Ramses IV"

D. Valevin

trumpet

The Sai-baba Center

provided the tambour, sitar This is some Buddhist center in SPB, we believe.

Andrei Makareivich

guitar, vocals Anti-Boris #2. Lead dude in the band "Mashina Vremeni." Host of cooking show "Smak!" on Russian TV. Makarevich and Mashina Vremeni achieved fame before Akvarium, and were accepted by the authorities at about the time that Akvarium was at its most unacceptable.

Water

water sounds Given credit on Akustika.

We have no idea who played on this recording.

And others

Dave Stewart

electric guitar, drums, synclavier Yes, the Dave Stewart, of Eurythmics.

Olle Romo

drums, synclavier, sounds

Annie Lennox

vocals Yes, the Annie Lennox, of Eurythmics.

Michael Kamen

oboe

Siobhan Stewart

back vocals

Patrick Seymour

keyboards

Billy McKenzie

haunting vocals

Darryl Way

violin

Chucho Merchan

bass, keyboards Eurhythmics' percussionist who ruined several songs on KUNSTKAMERA and the entirety of RADIO LONDON with his canned casio beats and fake marimbas. Dave Stewart simply lacked taste and restraint; Merchan, on the other hand, is quite possibly the least talented producer/arranger on the planet.

Harry Dean Stanton

vocals on "Fields …" Had a big role in Wenders' "Paris, Texas." Played "Bud" in "Repo Man." Also, he dies a painful death in "Alien." Dzhrew's cousin's best friend is his niece.

John Stewart

back vocals Every Stewart except Al Stewart played on these sessions. Where was Al?

Kenny Smith

back vocals

Ray Cooper

percussion

Derek

megaphone

Chrissie Hynde

vocals Yes, the Chrissie Hynde, from The Pretenders.

I went back to St. Pete/but my pretty city there/had been divided and sold/by krutoiniki with close-cropped hair...

Janice Jamison

vocals

Charlie Wilson

vocals

Dave Plews

trumpets

Andrei Vikhoryev

tabla, tambourine, shakers, bells, playboy ? (æóèð, whatever that is), Tibetan drum Probably the same person as Andrei Vikharev, listed on some albums. BG's got a typo somewhere. We think this is his actual name.

Mick Taylor

guitars Yes, the Mick Taylor, of The Rolling Stones.

Anthony Thistlethwaite

harmonica

Danny Thomson

double bass Member of the group Pentacle.

Simone Hagiagg

congas

B. J. Cole

pedal steel guitar

John Miller

Hammond organ

David Coulter

didgeridoo

Teena Lyle

vibes

Wayne McIntyre

clarinet

Caroline LaVelle

cello

John Elliott

tuba

Gillian Tingay

harp

The Wood Green Sax Invaders

saxophones (presumably)

The Thompson Memorial Brass Band

brass instruments (presumably)

Garth Hudson

Hammond B-3 organ Played with Dylan in the 60s-70s.

Rick Danko

bass Played on various Dylan albums.

Jim Wieder

guitars, dobro

Randy Charlante

percussion

Harvey Brooks

bass guitar Played on various Dylan albums.

Ben E. Key

piano

Nick Kaiano

tambourine, other sounds

D. Zorkin

trombone

Boris can't remember who else

The Anna Karenina Quartet

And others (maybe)

The Zeitgeist Trio

A. Zubarev, O. Sakmarov, and A. Vikharev are listed on "Songs of Aleksandr Vertinskii" as providing "Zeitgeist" on "K Mysu Radosti."

The Unified Choir of the Flying Bronze Beast

L. Rakhimova, V. Mironov, and Y. Shmetkov

I. Zalitsailo

cello

L. Ivanova

harp

V. Azov

accordion

Vladimir Boluchevski

saxophone

Vladimir Ermolin

guitar

Yan Nikolyenko

flute

Aleksei Vorob'yov

trumpet

Rustik Poziumskii

viola

Lilia Kol'nikova

viola

Nikitos

bass, percussion, keyboards

Martin Chambers

drums

Akvarium '91

Listed for "Promises of Eden" and "The Angel Calling" on "Radio London." Figure out who they were yourself.

Anatoli (Dzhordzh) Gunitskii

author, co-conspirator in much that is Akvarium Never really listed as a musician, often as an author. His influence has been enormous.

Oleg Shar

percussion Joined the band in 1997.

Victor Sologub

samplers, basses, guitars, keyboards, and other weapons of mass electronica Got his start as a member of "Strange Games," who got their start opening for Akvarium at a show in St. Petersburg in 1982. Split off from "SG" in 1985 to form "Games." Left "Games" in 1990 to form Deadushki with his old partner from "Strange Games," Aleksei Rakhov.

Aleksei Rakhov

samplers, basses, guitars, keyboards, and other weapons of mass electrocution Got his start as a member of "Strange Games," who got their start opening for Akvarium at a show in St. Petersburg in 1982. Split off from "SG" in 1985 to form "Avia." Left "Avia" in 1990 to form Deadushki with his old partner from "Strange Games," Viktor Sologub.

Mikhail Vasil'ev (Feinstein)

percussion, guitar, bass, harmonica, operation of sensory and extrasensory percussion, Nickname: "Fan" (as in "Von"). Listed as Vasil'ev, Feinstein, or Vasil'ev-Feinstein. It depends on the mood of the liner-note writer.

Sergei Ryzhenko

violin

Sergei Bugaiev

He is the famous Captain Africa.

Viktor Tsoi

vocals, guitar

Aleksei Ribin

guitar

Boris Rubekin

born 1967-07-13 21:00:00 UTC

Ensoniq programming. He has been known to wear amazing velvet suits. Apparently, he doesn't smoke.

Alexander Ponomarev

MC Koshken

Dmitri Veselov

Alik Potapkin

born 1968-01-22 21:00:00 UTC

a.k.a. "Sir Albert"

Gabrielle Roth

Gabrielle Roth just may be next in the long line of important Boris collaborators. She first surfaced on the Roth/Boris album "Refuge," a collection of traditional and Boris-penned Buddhist songs. In our eyes, this is totally insane and therefore a good way for Boris to spend his time. Check out her bio here.

A. Orlov

Drums Nicknamed "Drone."

Allauddin Khan

Dilruba One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Ghulam Ali

Sarangi One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Matloob Hussain

Sitar One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Athar Hussain

Tabla One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Parveen

Percussion One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Ajay

flute One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Mahavir

Shennai One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Roshan Ali

Santoor One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Anirudh Kumar

Percussion One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Sajjad Ahmad

Harmonium One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Gagan

Percussion One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Joginder

Swar Mandal One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Gopal

Tanpura One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

Bhupinder (Dony)

Vocal One of the baker's dozen of Indian session musicians on Songs of the Fisherman.

F. Kuvaytsev

clarinet, saxophone

M. Kostyushkin

saxophone

A. Kanunnikov

trombone