Grupo Yuri: Press

 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2009  by Christina Kotlar RED BANK, N.J. –

The annual Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival, held this year on June 5-7, kicks off the summer season for the Jersey shore. Friday was rained out with an all-day downpour, and overcast skies lingered most of Saturday morning into early afternoon. By late afternoon, however, most of the clouds cleared out and the sun came through starting to set over the Navesink River basin just at the time when Grupo Yuri was ready to step out on the Marina Stage set against the backdrop of the harbor and cruisers. Grupo Yuri, a phenomenal group of musicians led by violin virtuoso Yuri Turchyn, brought its blend of World Beat, Latin and Jazz styles to the receptive crowd packed on the hillside facing the stage and beyond.

As the set progressed, more people filled in the few spots left between the seated audience, and many moved down to the forefront dancing to the electrifying blend of instrument and musician perfectly enhanced by the festival’s professional sound stage personnel. Everyone was moving – the rocking roadies, the vendors in their booths, even members of another group, M’Zume, who climbed on stage, joining the percussion for a Mozambique rhythm number, “Fresh Grass,” and staying on for a couple of numbers. Despite a broken thumb on his bow hand (from a leaf blower accident a few days earlier), Mr. Turchyn showed no signs of pain or letting up throughout the performance. Later, he remarked it was as if his violin “took on a life of its own and was leading him” from one number into the next, almost leaping out of his hands. Through it all he maintained the tight technical, improvisational sync with the rest of the group – Ernie Fortunato on guitar, Al Selert on drums, Jim Grant on bass and Stacy Grant on table percussion. Starting with “Nightingale,” “Song For My Father” (by Horace Silver), “Slinky" and "Stone Companion,” Grupo Yuri then slowed a bit with “Fortune,” a song dedicated to a friend, musician Danny Petraitus, who passed away on June 2 in Nashville.

The second half of the set brought a dancing crowd back on its feet down and in front of the stage with “Caraboo,” “Mr. Magic” (by Grover Washington), “Fresh Grass,” “Fate is The Hunter,” and ending with a soulful “Heart of a Woman Part 2.” (Aside from those indicated, all songs are written by Mr. Turchyn.)

The crowd appreciated Grupo Yuri’s efforts and applauded wholeheartedly by the end of the set with the festival continuing with the next scheduled performer.

Beyond the food court and display booths, the downtown streets teemed with people overflowing from the marina park, out of restaurants onto street seating and beer garden courtyards. Open storefronts were plastered with festival posters and hordes of young talent awaiting their turn at an open audition call at the Count Basie Theater. The marina was a perfect setting for a swelling crowd strolling along the causeway during the sunset, listening to the sounds of jazz and blues into the night. Grupo Yuri helps kick off summer season at Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival Christina Kotlar, producer and host of Film Festival Reviews, searches out conversations on current trends in film festival circuits worldwide, independent films and filmmaking, emerging film markets and distribution models.

See www. filmfestivalreviews.com. Grupo Yuri on stage at the Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival. Christina Kotlar *** Readers can learn more about Grupo Yuri on the website www.grupoyuri.com, as well as from a podcast conversation on the Film Festival reViews website www. filmfestivalreviews.com.

The Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival (www.redbankfestival.com) is produced by the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization made up entirely of volunteers.

The Sweetest Sound Downtown

Grupo Yuri in Westfield

Concert Review by: Larry Marc-Aurele

Place: Westfield in Union County NJ


On August 7th 2007, I visited Sweet Sounds Downtown as I had on all other Tuesdays. Having seen, heard, and spoken with Yuri Turchyn (violinist) who performed 2 weeks earlier with a group called Arturo, I was looking forward to hearing Grupo Yuri. They did not disappoint. They performed near the train station parking lot on South Street. A sextet consisting of Yuri Turchyn on violin, Al Selert on drums and percussion, Stacy Grant on percussion, Jim Grant on bass, Ernie Fortunato on guitar, and Beny Ramos on congas and bongos, this group was easily the best I’d seen so far at the Westfield jazz festival. Their brand of jazz has a Caribbean flavor, with elements of salsa, funk and world beat.

First and foremost was group leader/front man Yuri Turchyn, master violinist and showman, working the audience, talking to the people, and playing his instrument to the max, and making it all look too easy. To his right was Stacy Grant with a small table full of percussion instruments he used to add colors to the music and rhythms. He used triangles, caxixi, tambourines, bells, afuche and even a small set of steel drums among many other percussive things too numerous to mention. Behind him was master drummer/percussionist Al Selert who played with tremendous drive and energy, fully supporting the music, and at the same time, adding extremely creative fills and colors of his own. With his already full kit he also used a cowbell set to his right and small hanging cymbals in front of him, with a set of timbales to his left. He used all of this to great advantage, helping the others to play at the top of their game. To his left was bassist Jim Grant who played a 7-string electric bass, something I’d never seen or even heard of before. His tremendous range and skill as a musician seemed to require such an instrument. He performed with amazing speed and power as did Ernie Fortunato, the guitarist. Ernie used a seemingly endless variety of beautiful chords and riffs, all played with smooth precision. Conga player Beny Ramos played seated behind 3 congas and a set of bongos, adding even more to the rhythm and the music, playing the bongos often while playing congas. In addition to rhythms such as tumbao, calypso and bolero, he often played a very nice one-handed finger roll on bongos to add to his dynamics.

Dynamics were a major part of this group’s expertise; one minute the music would be cooking and then brought down to a haunting whisper of one or more players, then the rest would come in and build the music. Each song—original—would take the listener on a journey full of surprises, super slick breaks, dramatic solos and endings, and precision teamwork all led by the great Yuri Turchyn, who quickly made friends with all in attendance, often walking and talking among the listeners. His electric violin was wireless, and at least once he walked over to people in their cars waiting at the train station traffic light and entertained them with his masterful playing and outgoing personality.

Grupo Yuri is a band definitely worth checking out.

He has the most distinctive sound, style and i believe has singlehandedly created his own genre of music!

I wish he would tour my state of Florida! The music lovers of this, state, especially in the Tampa, Miami regions, would go crazy over his flawless and creative blending of jazz, latin, world music. Does he have any CD's out?

Any agents or music promoters out there, wake up - book this band!!!