“I grew up in Russia and my parents had an old record player in our little apartment on the outskirts of Moscow. Vinyl was very popular back then and I remember listening to fairy tales and audio books when I was very little, perhaps 4 or 5.”
“I was absolutely absorbed in the sound and I could sit in my room for hours with my eyes closed, picturing the characters and building magical landscapes in my head. When I was about 7 years old, my parents gave me the first “serious” record, Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. I was absolutely mesmerized by the music and I could feel it very strongly: it was dramatic, intense but also incredibly beautiful and tender. This was the beginning of my love for Russian classical music which influenced my own music deeply.
There was a little record store in the basement of the building we lived in and my dad would take me there almost every week to pick up something new. By the time I was 10 I had an impressive vinyl collection, mostly Russian classical music and popular singers-songwriters. When I was 11-12 years old, I became interested in foreign bands. Records made abroad were still not easy to find in Russia of the ’90s, but you could get them from someone who had the luxury to travel internationally. I remember my friend’s dad bringing Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack on vinyl from one of his business trips. It was such a treasure!
Now, a few words about my absolute favourite records. The ones that came later and shaped my taste in music, inspired me and influenced my own songs sonically and musically. The first one I’d like to mention is Secrets of the Beehive by David Sylvian. I do like many others by David, Japan and Rain Tree Crow but I think this one is very special. I find it so perfect on so many levels and the more I listen to it, the more beauty I discover. This record helped shape my own sound and I even sent it to my musicians as a reference when we were working on the new album.
Another favourite of mine is Scott 3 by Scott Walker. I remember hearing “It’s Raining Today” for the first time: his deep velvety voice, the subtle, intricate instrumentation… pure magic. I knew that was the beginning of a life-long love affair. Scott has been an inspiration for me ever since, his music truly has no limits.
I didn’t get interested in jazz until my mid twenties and one of the first artists who captured my attention was Keith Jarrett. The Köln Concert is a record I absolutely love (I used to know most of it by heart) and it influenced me a lot as a pianist and as a performer. What I find most fascinating about it is the story behind this record. That disastrous day when everything went wrong and the show was almost cancelled but then… out of all that chaos something so special and unique was created.
When you’re listening to this record you can’t really hear any of that struggle. All you hear is beauty, the musician so connected to his instrument. And also connected to something bigger. Something that is perhaps beyond our understanding. But we do feel it.”
—Anastasia Minster
Father, the new release from Anastasia Minster featuring Steve Jansen arrives in stores on April 2, 2020. Preorder Father now via Bandcamp.
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PHOTO: KASABLANKA PHOTO
