The Moscow Sax Quintet - a group whose many feats include playing versions of Charlie Parker's improvised solos in five-part harmony and at breakneck speed -- was founded in 1987 by Vladimir Zaremba, a professor of saxophones at the Moscow Institute of Culture. Born in Magnitogorsk in 1949, Zaremba was turned on to jazz by recordings he heard on the Voice of America. He left his home town as a teen-ager to travel with a group, and later played in the army band, before moving on to Moscow. There he trained at the famous Glessin Music Institute and has played with a number of small jazz groups and with symphony orchestras.

Zaremba formed the MSQ at the Moscow Philharmonic Society, recruiting his band, for which he plays first tenor and other woodwinds, from the cream of the crop. The group includes: Alexander Boychuk on first alto, soprano sax, and clarinet; Gennady Pakhtusov on second tenor, and flute. Oleg Ageyev is on second alto and soprano sax; Vladimir Konibolotsky holds down the baritone sax position, and also plays clarinet. In addition to this horn quintet, there is a rhythm section made up of Vladimir Soloviov on piano, Igor Shestov on bass, and Alexander Churikov on drums. The musicians boast an impressive array of academic credentials. They are also frequent performers at concerts and festivals. And their radio and television credits date back to the Soviet Era.