By Grady Harp HALL OF FAME TOP 50 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

For those who love JAZZ, the real jazz that broke into being in the1920s and 1930s and has grown into various eccentric modes since its inception, welcome to this debut CD. SASHA’S BLOC was formed in

2012 by Dr Alex Gershman, a Russian born and trained musician who has loved music since he was a year old. He cultivated his love of music all throughout his life; in high school he played in a small band and continued his performance in different jazz bands playing piano and bass, and acoustic guitars throughout medical school. Medical School? Yes, Alex Gershman is a Medical Doctor and a world renowned Urologic Surgeon. He was invited to the United States as a Visiting Professor at Cedars Sinai and UCLA medical Centers in 1988 to develop a new type of surgical intervention Laparoscopic Robotic Surgery. He was the first on the west coast to develop, adapt clinical practice and publish applications of Robotic Surgery in Urology! But his passion for music, particularly jazz, has continued to flourish and this CD is his recorded debut into the field he loves: he is already well established on the Los Angeles jazz club scene. MELANCHOLY is a collection of Jazz Standards influenced by gypsy jazz and is rich in original songs composed by Gershman and Carina Cooper.

The sound is big, boisterous, and full of spirit and rich in everything that makes jazz linger as an American phenomenon. Each of these infectious pieces is full of both vocal and instrumental blending that makes them irresistible. Part of the success of this is due to the quality of the musicians that Alex Gershman has assembled. The ensemble is as follows:

Alex Gershman (bass)
Sergey Chipenko (piano)
Herman Jackson (piano)
Brandon Fields (saxophone)
Bob McChesney (trombone)
Nahum Zdybel (guitarist)
Mark Cargill (violin)
Kevin Winard (drums)
Lenni Castro (percussion)
Carina Cooper (vocals)
Peggi Blu (vocals)
AJ Adam Jackson (vocals)
Will Wheaton (vocals)

The tracks (indicating the featured soloists are)
I’m So In Love (feat. Adam “Aejaye” Jackson & Carina Cooper)
Let’s Dance Together (feat. Carina Cooper & Mark Cargill)
Melancholy (feat. Maxayn Lewis & Brandon Fields)
Playful Blues (feat. Will Wheaton, Joe DiBlasi & Herman Jackson)
Rancho State Of Mind (feat. Carina Cooper, Adam Jackson & Lenny Castro)
Joke (feat. Alexander Gershman & Carina Cooper)
Paradise (feat. Lenny Castro, Brandon Fields & Carina Cooper)
Universal Swing (feat. Carina Cooper)
Someone Real (feat. Carina Cooper)

So welcome to the Revival! This CD is so fine that it will surely be on the top of the Grammy list in no time.