Alexei Batashov is 60!

Alexei Batashov is 60. You cannot imagine Soviet and Russian jazz from 60-s up to now without him. Educator, scholar, critic, writer, he helped promote Russian and Soviet musicians, broke through bureaucracy to let them play at home and let them go abroad to play, "imported" western jazzers... He was one of those who made the government accept jazz and jazz musicians on official status... What's more?

Happy birthday!