Sometimes destiny chooses for us — and so it happened in the life of Konstantin Gevondyan. Born in Moscow, he first encountered the sound of a brass band at a children’s summer camp, and from that moment, his heart belonged to the trumpet. That young boy could hardly imagine that this serendipitous meeting with the instrument would launch a remarkable musical journey, taking him to major stages across Europe and the United States.
After graduating from music school in 1992, Konstantin was accepted into the prestigious Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow, where he received a classical education as a trumpet player. Yet once again, fate intervened — he discovered the captivating recordings of early New Orleans jazz, which would forever redefine his musical path. This passion soon led to the founding of the Moscow Ragtime Band, one of Russia’s first ensembles dedicated to traditional New Orleans jazz.
Under Konstantin’s leadership, the band quickly gained recognition, performing on national television, at international festivals, and on the stages of some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and jazz clubs. In 2001, Konstantin graduated from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music as a trumpet player, orchestral performer, and music educator. Driven by a desire to deeply understand and authentically interpret the roots of jazz, Konstantin began making regular trips to New Orleans, Chicago, and New York—immersing himself in the cradle of the genre. These journeys not only expanded his knowledge but also opened doors to collaborations with leading jazz artists. Since 2010, he has initiated numerous joint projects with musicians from the U.S. and Europe, including Meschiya Lake, Aurora Nealand, Charlie Fardella, Antti Sarpila, Tom Fischer, Mara Kaye, Jack Latimer, Lee Floyd, and many others. Together with his ensembles Moscow Ragtime Band and The Kikipickles, he has performed at major European festivals such as the Breda Jazz Festival (Netherlands) and Dresden Dixieland Festival (Germany).
A special chapter in Konstantin’s career is his long-standing collaboration with iconic Russian artist Andrey Makarevich. Their joint projects L.O.V.E. and Yiddish Jazz were successfully staged at some of the world’s most renowned venues across Russia, the United States, Canada, Israel, and beyond—including The Town Hall in New York, The Grand Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, George Weston Recital Hall in Toronto, Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco, The Auditorium in Haifa, John Hancock Hall in Boston, and many others.
In 2018, inspired by a vision to recreate the original spirit of 1920s American jazz clubs in Russia, Konstantin co-founded The Bix jazz bar in Moscow, together with his talented partner Daniil Goldman. Within just five years, the venue quickly became one of the country’s most celebrated jazz hotspots, earning numerous professional accolades such as “Best Bar of the Year” in Moscow by WhereToEat, and “Best Jazz Venue in Russia” by Radio Jazz 89.1 FM’s All Colors of Jazz Awards.
Photo by Mikhail Tkachevskii
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Konstantin relocated to New York in 2022, quickly becoming an active part of the city’s high-caliber traditional jazz scene. He began collaborating with prominent names such as Terry Waldo (Gotham City Band), David Ostwald (Louis Armstrong Eternity Band), Don Dworkin (Reggie’s Red Hot Feetwarmers), Mara Kaye, Tatiana Eva-Marie, and many others. In 2023, he became the regular trumpeter for the legendary Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band and founded his own ensemble, Konstantin & The Konstellation. The group’s signature approach blends hot New Orleans jazz with spontaneous improvisation, turning every performance into a unique dialogue between the musicians and the audience.
Today, Konstantin Gevondyan is not only a trumpeter, vocalist, and bandleader — he is a bridge between cultures, eras, and continents, bringing to life the timeless spirit of jazz and reminding us that dreams, indeed, do come true.
