Жанна АГУЗАРОВА  ABOUT

It is impossible to examine the life and work of the vocalist Zhanna Aguzarova out of context of the famous rock group "Bravo" which she helped create. Guitarist Evgenni Khavtan put together a band in 1982, and by September of 1983, under mysterious and legendary circumstances, he brought in a soloist by the name of Aguzarova. It was she, in fact, that gave the group its name, and without her the ensemble would never have flourished to what it became later. In the early years, throughout the Eighties, her clear, unmistakable voice was what the group manifested itself through.

Evgenii Khavtan used the poetry of many colleagues and writers for his songs, most notably those of "Bravo's" permanent songwriter, Vadim Stepantsov. The music combined elements of jazz and rockabilly, mostly influenced by the styles of Western music from the 1950's and 1960's.

By 1990, songs like "Yellow Shoes," "Cats," "Magical Country," were hits known by all of Russia as those sung by an eccentric young woman who wore a child's toy bucket on her head, because it was she that was inevitably associated with "Bravo." Aguzarova's artistic union with Khavtan was thought to be fated to live long into the future. In 1988, however, after growing personal and creative conflicts, Aguzarova left to start her own musical career. After gathering her own group, she put out an album featuring her own songs, which she also performed in "Musical Ring". In 1990, Aguzarova suddenly departed to the United States, and for six years, despite rare concerts in her home country, there was for the most part only her proud excuse: "I always earned my bread through singing, and nothing more." Her final and permanent return back to Russia in 1996 was met with fervor and publicity, but by that point it was impossible to expect a return to the dynamics of the collaboration that had been before. Aguzarova continues to perform at clubs and concerts, but there seems to be a constant anticipation for something new that will recreate the old.