Nobuyuki Tsujii

Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (Russian: Никола́й Ги́ршевич Капу́стин, 22 November 1937 – 2 July 2020) was a Soviet-born Russian composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in the synthesis of jazz idioms and Western classical structures. A virtuoso of the "Moscow School" of piano playing, Kapustin composed 161 opus numbers, including 20 piano sonatas, six piano concertos, and sets of preludes and fugues, all of which utilize a sophisticated harmonic and rhythmic language derived from bebop, stride piano, and jazz fusion.
Born in Horlivka, Ukraine, Kapustin was a student of the legendary pedagogue Alexander Goldenweiser at the Moscow Conservatory. He rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s as a jazz pianist and arranger for the Oleg Lundstrem State Jazz Orchestra and later the "Blue Screen" Orchestra. Despite the improvisational sound of his music, Kapustin was a meticulous composer who wrote out every note, articulation, and nuance. He famously rejected the label of "jazz musician," insisting that he was a classical composer whose works were meant to be performed exactly as notated, without improvisation.
For much of the 20th century, Kapustin's music remained a well-kept secret within the Soviet Union, known primarily to a niche circle of musicians and studio professionals.