In 1989 Misha was invited by major russian record label Melodiya and recorded an album “To My Friends”.
In 1990 Misha received prize-winner-diploma of the All-Russia Jazz Competition.
In 1991 he was invited to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston by legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton and two years later he moved to New York.
Misha worked and recorded with following projects:
1998 - 2008 - Norman Hedman's Tropique, recorded an album “Taken By Surprise” 2000 on Palmetto records and "Garden Of Forbidden Fruit" 2003 on PowerLight Media,
2002 - present - Johnny Colon, recorded an album "Keeping It Real" 2007,
2002 - present - Willie Martinez, recorded an album "I Remember You" 2002, "Family" 2005 and "After Winter, Spring" 2008,
2003, 2004 - Chico Freeman, recorded an album “Out Of Many Comes The One” 2003 on Arabesque records,
2004 - Misha recorded an album “NGFOOT” (Nine Guys From Out Of Town), produced and directed by Stu Gardner, feat. Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and Dave Valentin.
2004 - 2008 - Joe Chambers, recorded an album "The Outlaw" 2005 on Savant records,
In 2005 Misha performed 7 days in Half Note Jazz Club in Athens, Greece with Joe Chambers Quartet featuring Gary Bartz.
2007 - present - Papo Pepin,
2007 - present - Jed Levy, recorded an album "Travelogue" 2011,
2007 - present - Hendrik Meurkens, recorded an album "Samba To Go" 2009 on Zoho records, "A Night In Jakarta" 2010 on Jawo Records, "Live at Bird's Eye" 2011 on Zoho records and Hendrik Meurkens - Gabriel Espinosa "Celebrando" 2012 on Zoho records.
2011 - with Myron Walden, did European tour with Myron Walden Quintet featuring Darren Barrett.
As a leader Misha recorded "Always Going West" 2007 and "Dedication" 2011, featuring Alex Sipiagin on trumpet, Donny McCaslin on sax, Boris Kozlov on bass, Samuel Torres on percussion and Gene Jackson on drums.
As a co-leader Misha recorded "Tsiganov Brothers" 2003 and "NY Alliance" 2010.
Misha has performed at many international jazz festivals and clubs around the world, such as Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, Dizzy's, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Birdland, Iridium, Minton's Playhouse, Smoke, 55 Bar, Smalls, Zing Bar, National Geographic Concert Hall (Washington DC), BLack Entertainment Television BET (Washington DC), Scullers (Boston), Jazz Bakery (Los Angeles), Java Jakarta Jazz Festival (Indonesia), Kansas City Jazz Festival, Topeka Jazz Festival, Barbados Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, Port-Au-Prince Jazz Festival (Haiti), Naguanagua Jazz Festival (Venezuela), Toulouse Jazz Festival (France), Jazz-Transfer Festival (Germany), St.Croix Jazz Festival, Festival JazzInKiev (Ukraine), Bird's Eye (Switzerland), Duc Lombards (France), Jazzkeller (Germany), Half Note Jazz Club (Greece), Petropavlovsky Jazz Festival, (St.Petersburg, Russia) and many others.
Misha Tsiganov can be heard weekly as the featured pianist on the Bill Cosby television cartoon Little Bill, where Misha worked 1999-2002, which currently airs Monday-Friday on Nickelodeon on weekends on the CBS television network, which soundtrack features voice-overs by Phylicia Rashad, Rosie Perez, Gregory Hines, the late Madeline Kahn and Bill Cosby. His identifiable Little Bill piano sounds are also featured in Paramount Pictures / Viacom’s newly released Little Bill videos, now available in stores throughout the country.
Misha has performed and recorded with such musicians as Clark Terry, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Chambers, Gary Bartz, Hendrik Meurkens, John Faddis, Buster Williams, Claudio Roditi, Richie Cole, Alex Sipiagin, Dave Valentin, Chico Freeman, Jed Levy, Bobby Watson, Victor Lewis, Norman Hedman, Vincent Herring, Johnny Colon, Papo Pepin, Ray Vega, Valeri Ponomarev, Bobby Porchelly, Andy Gonzalez, Steve Berrios, Willie Martinez, Bobby Sanabria, Paul Bollenbeck, Porchinho, Seamus Blake, Myron Walden, Joe Lock, Peter Brainin, Darren Barrett, Graig Handy, John Benitez, Adam Rogers, Dean Brown, Ira Coleman, Billy Drummond, Antonio Sanchez, Gene Jackson and others.
QUOTE
"Misha is one of the premier pianists in modern jazz today. His impeccable technique and harmonic knowledge, in my opinion, ranks Misha alongside standout modernists such as Mulgrew Miller, Brad Mehldau, and Bill Charlap. Misha also has rhythmic intensity and drive reminiscent of McCoy Tyner. He is also a great "comper" (accompanist). No doubt, the music world will soon hear a lot of Misha Tsiganov."
Joe Chambers
"Tsiganov is a well-balanced, lyrical pianist... He writes strong tunes... sophisticated, confident musicianship... like the best jazz recordings, its validity grows on you and the music gets into your mind."
Thomas Conrad / JazzTimes, February 2008 issue
"... one of the best releases of 2007 (Always Going West), ace pianist Tsiganov reveals more of his compositional genius... a mastery of the intricacies of post-bebop piano..."
John Stevenson / ejazznews
"Tsiganov drives his band into the fast lane amid a string of rapidly-flowing and vivacious bop workouts, while sustaining a group-centric vibe throughout... demonstrates great sensitivity due to his moments of restraint and penchant for executing dynamics when it counts... crafty arrangements and impressive technique sparks a prismatic musical vista...
No doubt, Tsiganov is one to watch."
Glenn Astarita / allaboutjazz
"... Tsiganov picks up the musical baton and raises the bar even higher with his dazzling bebop style."
Michael P. Gladstone / allaboutjazz
"Tsiganov’s latest advance is “Always Going West,” a forward-looking session combining bop and latin influences with tasteful execution... He drives the piece with his flashy keyboard technique... plays with admirable restraint and subtlety... wonderful keyboard exploration..."
Tom Ineck / Berman Music Foundation
"... this album displays straight-ahead, bebop, and post-bop, with a smattering of Latin stylings... music is very upbeat, lively, and charged throughout... Tsiganov proves he is a seasoned and skilled composer and pianist... he achieves a solid, sophisticated, well-structured musical vision... he is surely a musician we will be hearing a lot more of in the future."
Veronica Timpanelli / JazzReview
"Misha Tsiganov displays dexterity and beauty... making the piano keys dance and sing."
Dee Dee McNeil / Cadence Magazine
"... presents him (Misha) not only as an outstanding composer, but also as an sophisticated and skilled arranger... clear and comprehensible style, beautiful sound, without loosing any musical idea... album was constructed very logically, musical texture is rich and polished..."
Konstantin Volkov /
Jazz.Ru Magazine
"... best from the East... The writing by Tsiganov is flexing, creative, responsive to the inner clock..."
jazzweek.com
"...Tsiganov leads a quintet through a set of originals that sit solidly in the mainstream vernacular with touches of Latin percussion around the edges. There is plenty of refined craftsmanship on display and the musicianship is faultless."
Michael Rosenstein / Cadence Magazine
"Tsiganov stands out as a strong soloist, exerting his massive chops and keen musicality at every turn. He works as a supportive player as well, helping shape each song’s presentation with an array of piano and keyboard sounds."
Latin Jazz Corner / Rene Santos
"Its fabulous and classy (Always Going West). Reminds me a lot of Miles's quintets with Tony Williams, Hancock, Shorter, and Carter....."
John Stevenson
"...pianist Misha Tsiganov builds a well-constructed solo... plays an energetic improvisation, full of melodic invention... carefully develops his ideas, cleverly growing his initial thought into an engaging solo..."
Latin Jazz Corner / Chip Boaz
"Misha Tsiganov is a brilliant musician and composer who has keen harmonic sensibilities and drive. His rhythmic, joyful approach is exciting to hear and watch, yet it is soft and smooth; reminiscent of John Hicks and George Cables. Misha’s time has come.”
Norman Hedman
"Tsiganov brings quite a bit to the table amid sustainable compositions, snappy arrangements and imaginative excursions that strikingly merge old values with upbeat modernism. He's most assuredly one to watch."
Allaboutjazz / Glenn Astarita
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