Yury Chugunov | Nocturne (George Shearing style, 1974)

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I played this already 4 years ago but wanted to provide this recording. Also here is some updated biography.
A well-known composer, jazz theorist, teacher, conductor, saxophonist, public figure.
Yuri Nikolaevich is also widely known as the author of a variety of instrumental, vocal and orchestral works. This is the secret of his popularity.
Yuri Nikolaevich Chugunov was born in Moscow in 1938. His father was a universal musician (composer, theorist, conductor, cellist). Parents sent Yura to a children's music school, where he began his musical education in the piano class. However, the child's nature could not stand boring activities, and to everyone's disappointment, Yura categorically refused to study music.
Classes were going well, and in 1957 Y. Chugunov entered the wind department of the music school at the Moscow Conservatory.
And then an irresistible passion fell upon him - to compose music. The dream of his childhood came true - Yura bought himself a huge old baritone saxophone. Now all his free time he enjoyed improvisation on the saxophone, imitating the playing of the famous American baritone player D. Maligan and composing jazz themes.
In 1960, a jazz club began operating in Moscow, on the Raushskaya embankment. This became an epoch-making event for Moscow jazz musicians; it became possible to regularly rehearse, hold concerts and festivals. Yuri Chugunov became one of the most active members of the jazz club. His original ensemble (Y. Chugunov - baritone-sax, S. Berezin - alto-sax, N. Bryzgunov - trumpet, B. Rukingluz - trombone) sounded at many concerts. The ensemble's repertoire consisted of traditional jazz themes arranged by Y. Chugunov and his author's pieces. In the jazz club, fate brought him together with the alto saxophonist, architect and artist Alexei Kozlov, who had a great creative influence on Yu. Chugunov.
In 1965, Yu. Chugunov took part in the first All-Union Jazz Festival in Moscow, where his plays "Waltz" and "Now I am Calm" were awarded a special diploma.
In 1966 the well-known composer and conductor Yu.S. Saulsky created an experimental jazz orchestra with a large vocal group VIO-66 in Moscow, where he invites the best young jazz musicians of the country and, of course, Yu.Chugunov to work.
Acquaintance with Saulsky greatly helped the development of Chugunov's composer's creativity. In the person of Yu. S. Saulsky, he acquired an experienced, educated, benevolent friend and teacher. Yu. Chugunov arranges a lot for "VIO-66", creates his own, more and more mature original works. The famous American jazz expert V. Kanover, being an honorary guest of the III All-Union Jazz Festival "Jazz-67", highly appreciated the orchestral suite by Y. Chugunov "A Journey to Jazz Rhythms".
It would seem that everything was going in the best way. By the age of thirty, Yu. Chugunov had received universal recognition as a saxophonist, conductor, arranger and composer, but careful self-assessment and the highest professional exactingness lead him to the conclusion that it is necessary to acquire systematic and fundamental theoretical knowledge.
Yuri Nikolaevich is preparing intensively for admission to the composer department of the Moscow Conservatory, but does not pass the competition. Then friends come to his aid, young composers A.K.Vustin and B.I.Tobis, who disinterestedly share with him their knowledge, composer experience, support him morally. During this period, Chugunov creates "Sonata for Piano", "Sonata for Violin and Piano", "Quintet of Winds", "Ballad for Trumpet and Orchestra" and many miniatures.
In 1971, Yu. Chugunov entered the composing department of the State Music and Pedagogical Institute named after V.I. Gnesins in the class of People's Artist of the USSR, Professor A.I. Khachaturian. During the years of study at the GMPI them. Gnesinykh Yuri Nikolaevich creates a number of large-scale works "Symphony in three parts", the cantata "In memory of Pablo Neruda", "Concertino for clarinet", "Variations for trumpet and piano", "Quartet for strings", overture "In memory of George Gershwin".
While studying at the institute, Yu. Chugunov leads an amateur big band in the Setun recreation center, which participates in concerts and competitions with constant success.
In the same period, in the jazz studio of the Moskvorechye Palace of Culture, Chugunov organized an experimental jazz vocal ensemble, for which he created many original.