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"I think a lot of today's instrumental music takes itself so seriously that it
intimidates people - it's quite different from the great instrumentals I
remember that were catchy, feel-good tunes with no pretense," observes guitarist
Askold Buk. "My goal is to recapture that vibe by writing music that is as much
fun to listen to as it is to play."
Buk certainly creates that mood on his eponymously-titled debut album, which was
featured on Groove Boutique (a nationally-syndicated soul/jazz radio show), and
added to over 20 national and international jazz playlists.
The album has garnered great reviews, most notably from famed critic Nat Hentoff,
who wrote:
"Askold Buk plays with the passion born of complete mastery of his
instrument so that - as Dizzy Gillespie once said of superior players - he knows
what notes not to play. Buk communicates with great presence, but without
showboating or otherwise indulging in technical virtuosity for its own sake."
Askold is no stranger to instrumental music - he has scored numerous episodes of
the Emmy-winning PBS documentary series Frontline, as well as 20/20 (ABC),
Primetime (ABC) and In Search of America (ABC). He wrote and produced the score
to the documentary feature film Obscene, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto
Film Festival.
Buk's songs were featured on The Hills (MTV), P.O.V. (PBS) and
New York 1. In 2008, he wrote the music for the permanent interactive
installation at the Action Center Museum to End World Hunger in New York City.
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![[Askold Buk by Askold Buk]](/music/Askold%20Buk/Askold%20Buk/cover_200.webp "Askold Buk by Askold Buk")