Biography of the Bravo group. The most mysterious blogger in Russia The first members of the bravo group

"Bravo"- a popular Russian group. Music in the beat style of the 50-60s. The team is known for its "hip" image.

Brief biography:

The group was created in 1983 (Moscow) by Evgeniy Khavtan (guitarist) and Pavel Kuzin (drummer), who previously played in Garik Sukachev’s band.

Period of Zhanna Aguzarova:

The lineup was also replenished with Alexander Stepanenko (saxophone) and the then-unknown Zhanna Aguzarova (vocals). Their first magnetic album was distributed exclusively through friends.

March 18, 1984 – the first, as it later turned out to be illegal, concert took place Bravo, which ended in scandal. All participants and organizers then wrote explanatory notes for illegal business, because the concert was paid.
Aguzarova spent several months under investigation for falsifying her passport (according to false documents she was listed as Ivanna Anders), and then left Moscow due to lack of registration.

Sergei Ryzhenko is hired into the group to fill the vacant vocal position.

In 1985, Zhanna Aguzarova returned to the team, after which, through the joint efforts of Bravo, they managed to achieve a legal position.

Thanks to the help of Alla Pugacheva, the group attended the TV show “Musical Ring”. The next year was marked by participation Bravo in the festivals "Rock Panorama-86" and "Lituanika-86". The professionalism and popularity of the team was rapidly gaining momentum.

In 1987, the first official studio album, “Bravo,” was released, with a circulation of five million copies.

Period of Valery Syutkin:

Discord arose in the relationship between the musicians and Aguzarova, as the singer chose to remain underground. As a result, she left the group. As a result of the casting, Evgeniy Osin became the next vocalist. But a year later he left Bravo.

In 1990- Valery Syutkin became the permanent vocalist of the group. After which a fresh hit was recorded -

Updated Bravo lineup:
- E. Khavtan (guitar)
- S. Lapin (bass)
- I. Danilkin (drums)
- S. Bushkevich (trumpet)
- A. Ivanov (saxophone)
- V. Syutkin (vocals)

With this composition, the group recorded albums that later became popular: “Hipsters from Moscow”, “Moscow Beat” (hit album -), as well as. Tours took place throughout the CIS and videos were shot, which were regularly played on radio and TV.

Robert Lenz period:

In 1994, Valery Syutkin left the group. He successfully invested all his efforts into a solo career, eventually becoming the leader of the Syutkin and Co. ensemble.
At the same time, Pavel Kuzin (one of its founders) and Alexander Stepanenko (the first saxophonist) returned to Bravo.

With the release of the album "At the Crossroads of Spring", the name of the new vocalist was announced - Robert Lenz (he remains the same at the present time) - a previously held casting (in 1989).
Evgeniy Khavtan has also performed songs in recent years.

Popular hits during this period were the following compositions: “It’s dawn outside the window”, “If on Mars” and.

The Bravo group is a Soviet and Russian rock band. The founder and permanent member of the team is. The group's musical style is something between rock and roll, beat and rockabilly. Since 1983, the composition has changed more than once; at one time the group’s soloists were,.

Compound

The initiators of the creation of the group were guitarist Evgeniy Khavtan and drummer Pavel Kuzin. Zhanna Aguzarova was invited to play the role of vocalist. Soon keyboardist and saxophonist Alexander Stepanenko, as well as bassist Andrey Konusov, joined Bravo. In the winter of 1983, they recorded their first album on tape, which was passed from hand to hand.

Their first concert ended sadly. All members of the group were arrested by the police. In fact, the performance was illegal, but the audience paid for tickets. This was regarded as illegal business. But Aguzarova suffered the most. She was found to have problems with her passport, and also did not have a Moscow registration. For this reason, she was sent away from the capital.

During her absence, Sergei Ryzhenko was taken into the group. In 1985, the singer returned, but already in 1988, Zhanna and the team began to have scandals and misunderstandings. As a result, the girl left Bravo, deciding to pursue a solo singing career. She was replaced by Anna Salmina, and later Tatyana Ruzaeva. Since 1989, Evgeniy Osin has become a soloist.

A new period for the band begins with the arrival of Valery Syutkin, a bright vocalist and talented composer. With him, the group releases the most significant albums in the Bravo discography. Later, like Aguzarova, he left the team for a solo career.

From 1995 to this day, the vocalist of the group has been Robert Lenz. As before, the lineup includes guitarist Evgeniy Khavtan. After a break, drummer Pavel Kuzin returned to the group. In 1994, multi-instrumentalist Alexander Stepanenko rejoined Bravo. And in 2011, bass guitarist Mikhail Grachev joined the band.

Music

In 1983, the Bravo group performed the most popular music of the time. True, after a scandal with the police at a concert, the musical group was included in the “black list” of banned groups, which at that time already included. But this only fueled the public’s interest in their work.

Thanks to their acquaintance, the group was soon invited to participate in the TV show “Musical Ring”. And the very next year, young musicians performed on the same stage with Prima Donna and. It was a charity concert, all proceeds from which went to the fund for helping victims of Chernobyl.

In the same year, the group's first official album, entitled Ensemble Bravo, was released. The records sold 5 million copies. Then their first tour abroad began. The first country on the tour was Finland, and the success among the audience was deafening.

After Aguzarova left, the song “King Orange Summer” was recorded together with Anna Salmina, which later became a hit. The video for this composition was presented on Central Television, and later this song was recognized as the most popular in 1986.

When Valery Syutkin joined Bravo, an important stage began in the group, during which its signature style was formed. It is based on the “hipsters” subculture. Although at first Syutkin did not fit into this concept. The man had voluminous hair that he did not want to cut.

Even in the “Vasya” video, which was filmed for “Morning Mail” to introduce the new lineup to the viewer, he is captured with this original hairstyle. But later Valery still had to change it to the rock and roll standard. And according to the radio station “Our Radio”, the composition “Vasya” was included in the list of the 100 best songs of Russian rock of the 20th century.

The signature feature of the Syutka period was the tie. Fans simply showered musicians with them at concerts. As Syutkin said in an interview, he still has a collection of ties, in which there are more than a hundred of them.

Many believe that this Bravo line-up was the best, because the most popular records were recorded then - “Hipsters from Moscow”, “Moscow Beat” and “Road to the Clouds”. In 1994, the Bravo group celebrated its 10th anniversary. The musicians gave several performances in the capital. It is noteworthy that the first soloist of the group, Zhanna Aguzarova, also took part in the concerts. Together with Syutkin they performed the song “Leningrad Rock and Roll”.

Inviting former participants to anniversaries soon became a tradition. For example, on the 15th anniversary, not only Aguzarova appeared on stage, but also Syutkin, who left the band in 1995. Such concerts were a resounding success among Bravo fans.

The album “At the Crossroads of Spring” was recorded with the new soloist Robert Lentz. This record is considered the most successful of the Lenz period. And Khavtan has said more than once that “At the Crossroads of Spring” is one of his favorite albums by the group. In 1998, the album “Hits about Love” was released, but both critics and listeners did not appreciate it, considering it unsuccessful.

The album “Eugenics” “Bravo” was recorded in 2001. And it sounded extremely different from the group’s past projects. It introduced elements of disco. And in most of the songs, the leader of the group, Evgeniy Khavtan, became the soloist.

After Eugenics there was a 10-year break. Almost every year the musicians promised fans a new album, but it was released only in 2011. But critics noted it extremely positively. They recognized this record as the best in Bravo’s career, noting the quality and modernity of the sound.

In 2015, the premiere of the album “Forever” took place. Vintage instruments were used to record it. This is the first album of the group in which Evgeniy Khavtan is the lead vocalist. Some songs had female parts performed by Masha Makarova from “Masha and the Bears” and Yana Blinder.

Bravo group now

“Bravo” continues to perform, record new songs, and shoot videos. In 2017 we took part in the “INVASION” festival.

In the summer of 2015, the musicians released a video for the song “Strawberry Rain”. In the video they used drawings made by children from orphanages and boarding schools.

In 2017, Alexey Pevchy’s book “Bravo” was published. Authorized biography of the group." It includes both already well-known events from the life of the country's popular rock and rollers, as well as interviews prepared specifically for this publication. Khavtan positively assessed the work of Pevchy, noting his caring attitude towards the history of the team.

In 2018, the Bravo group turns 35 years old. The musicians plan to record a new album by this date.

Clips

• "King Orange Summer"
• "This city"
• "Love me, girls"
• "I'm what you need"
• "Road to the Clouds"
• “It’s dawn outside the window”
• "Stylish orange tie"
• "Moscow beat"
• "Vasya"
• "Fashion"
• "To the Moonlight"

Discography

• 1983 – “Bravo”
• 1987 – “Ensemble Bravo”
• 1990 – “Hipsters from Moscow”
• 1993 – “Moscow Beat”
• 1994 – “Road to the Clouds”
• 1996 – “At the crossroads of spring”
• 1998 – “Hits about love”
• 2001 – “Eugenics”
• 2011 – “Fashion”
• 2015 – “Forever”

The group recorded many albums, the first of which was released in 1983. The group's style gravitates towards rock and roll, beat and rockabilly of the 60s, with elements of surf rock, ska, swing, new wave, etc.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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  The group was founded in the fall of 1983 by guitarist Evgeniy Khavtan and drummer Pavel Kuzin, who left the Postscript group due to stylistic differences. The vocalist of the new band was Zhanna Aguzarova, known under the pseudonym Yvonne Anders. Saxophonist Alexander Stepanenko and bassist Andrey Konusov joined the group. With this lineup, in the winter of 1983, the first magnetic album was recorded, distributed through friends.

  The debut concert of “Bravo” took place in December 1983 at a disco in Krylatskoye. "Bravo" performed the most relevant music for that time: "new wave", neo-rockabilly and reggae. The group's second concert took place on January 28, 1984 at school No. 30 in Moscow. Together with Bravo, the following took part in the concert: “Zvuki Mu” (the group’s debut), Viktor Tsoi, Sergei Ryzhenko, and the experimental duet “Ratskevich & Shumov”. The concert on March 18, 1984 at the Mosenergotekhprom cultural center ended in scandal. The organizers and participants of the illegal concert were detained by the police and forced to write explanatory notes, since holding unofficial concerts for money was an illegal business. Zhanna Aguzarova spent several months under investigation for falsifying documents (her passport was issued in the name “Yvonne Anders,” under which she performed) and was forced to leave Moscow due to lack of registration. In her absence, the composition of the group changed significantly, and Sergei Ryzhenko performed the duties of vocalist.

  In 1985, with the return of Zhanna, the group managed to achieve legal status and join the Moscow Rock Laboratory. Thanks to meeting Alla Pugacheva, Bravo was invited to the Leningrad TV show “Musical Ring”. At the beginning of May 1986, the group took part in the Rock Panorama-86 festival, where they received the audience award, and 2 weeks later - in the Lituanika-86 festival. On May 30, the musicians performed on the same stage with Alla Pugacheva, Alexander Gradsky, and the groups “Autograph” and “Cruise” in the concert “Account No. 904”, the proceeds from which went to the Chernobyl relief fund. In 1987, the Melodiya company released the first official release in the USSR, “Bravo” - the album of the same name recorded by the group in 1986 Ensemble "Bravo"(C60-26201 004), which sold about 5 million copies.

  Transition period (1988-1990)

  By this time, the musicians' relationship with Aguzarova had deteriorated, who preferred to remain underground. The scandals ended with the departure of the vocalist. She was replaced by Anna Salmina, who sang the hit song “King Orange Summer,” for which a video clip was shot and shown on Central Television in the “Saturday Evening” program. The song “MK” became the most popular composition of 1986 according to the “Soundtrack” poll. After Salmina, Tatyana Ruzaeva worked in the group for a short time, and then Zhanna Aguzarova decided to return to Bravo, but in 1988 she left to pursue a solo career. “Bravo” arranged auditions for new vocalists, including Robert Lenz and Evgeniy Osin, who came to every rehearsal, begging to be hired as anyone, be it a drummer or a guitarist. In 1989, he was taken into the group, the team recorded an album with him Let's say to each other “Bravo!”, which was distributed only on reels. Despite this, the songs “I’m sad and easy” and “Good evening, Moscow!” became popularly known. At the beginning of 1990, Irina Epifanova joined the group, who recorded two songs with her: “Jamaica” (in Italian) and “Red Light”. This period was captured in one of the episodes of the TV show “Brain Ring”, namely on the set of the semi-finals of the first season, where the group performed these two songs. Soon, however, Irina left the lineup for a solo career and already in August took part in the Yalta-90 music festival, where she took third place.

  Syutkin period (1990-1995)

  After a long search in 1990, “Bravo” finally found a permanent vocalist - he became Valery Syutkin, who had previously played in the groups “Telephone”, “Zodchie” and “Fan-o-man”. At first, there was disagreement in the group about his hairstyle. Syutkin had impressive hair, which did not fit into the image of a dude. After lengthy debate, Valery finally agreed to adjust his hairstyle and adjusted it to rock and roll standards. V. Syutkin’s original hairstyle can be seen when watching the very first video of the updated “Bravo” lineup for the song “Vasya,” filmed specifically for the Soviet television program “Morning Mail,” in which the presentation of the new lineup and new material was supposed to take place. On August 25, 1990, a new line-up of the group debuted: E. Khavtan - guitar, V. Syutkin - vocals, I. Danilkin - drums, S. Lapin - bass, A. Ivanov - saxophone, S. Bushkevich - trumpet. With this lineup, the group recorded their most famous albums: Hipsters from Moscow, Moscow bit And Road to the clouds.

  The song “Vasya” became the first joint work of Khavtan and Syutkin and launched the next round of popularity for “Bravo”. It started with Khavtan playing a piece of music for Syutkin and asking him to compose some text about the dude. The singer immediately came up with a story about a certain macho man who is known throughout Moscow for his toughness and irresistibility. The only problem that arose was when the character had to choose a name. At first, Khavtan insisted that the name should be pretentious (the dudes loved this very much) - for example, Edik. But Syutkin, on the contrary, thought that it was much more fun to play in contrast - let the super-duper-man be called extremely simply. Then bassist Sergei Lapin blurted out: “What if it’s Vasya?” “Not this!” - Khavtan begged, but he was finally convinced.

  The material of the first album was combined: some of the songs (“Vasya”, “Hold on, dude!”, “Girl of 16 years old”) were written in the new creative collaboration of V. Syutkin and E. Khavtan. Together with him, V. Syutkin also brought to the group a composition of his own composition, “I am what you need.” The track was included in the album along with the instrumental composition “On the Dance Floor” (E. Khavtan). The rest of the album's material was previously recorded and performed by previous vocalists. The album featured a new sound of the songs “King Orange Summer”, “I’m Sad and Easy”, recorded in collaboration with E. Khavtan and the leader of the group “Bakhyt-Kompot” V. Stepantsov. The album also contains songs based on the poems by Evgeniy Osin “Good evening, Moscow!” and “Star Shake”, as well as A. Oleinik’s “Fast Train”, the music for which was written by Khavtan. In addition, the collection included a cover version of the famous Soviet hit of the 1960s “Black Cat”, sung by Valery Syutkin. The new phonogram for the old tracks was not rewritten; Syutkin’s vocal parts were superimposed on the already finished material. The collection was published in 1990.

  In October 1992, the group's first full-length album was released, the result of two years of work. All compositions on it were written in tandem by composer Evgeniy Khavtan and lyricist Valery Syutkin. 10 music tracks last about 30 minutes. The sound concept of the new albums was somewhat different from previous works. If before this, melodic guitar passages and experiments with a synthesizer were often used, coupled with beautiful and melodic female vocals, then the new sound changed towards classic rock and roll, the samples for which were mainly the classic American rock and roll sound of the 1950-1960s. x years. A particularly striking example is the album Moscow bit, consisting on the one hand of light and elegant compositions (“Lunatic”, “What a pity”, “That’s all”), and on the other - of fiery dance tunes (“Polar Twist”, “Space Rock and Roll” ), which, in turn, fully corresponded to both the spirit and sound of the classic shake, boogie and foxtrot.

  After Valery Syutkin took his place at the microphone, the group began its second round of popularity. If the first wave of success was associated mainly with romantic underground symbols and aesthetics, then the new image was focused entirely on the paraphernalia of the dudes. The key fetish of the Syutkin period is the tie. Fans at concerts shower band members with them. Hundreds of ties from that time are still kept in the collections of Syutkin and Khavtan (in an interview Khavtan said that he gave away all the ties long ago). A separate song appears - “Stylish Orange Tie”. In addition to a tie, the dude had to wear a loose jacket and trousers that would be comfortable to dance in, as well as wear dark glasses and multi-colored badges. In general, this image was borrowed from the stereotype of the appearance of a dude, which had already become a classic by that time, providing for all of the above details.

  The updated “Bravo” tours most of the CIS. The peak of Bravo's popularity was between 1990 and 1994. The group's videos appear on television, taking first place in the charts. The culmination of the group’s second round of popularity are the anniversary concerts dedicated to the group’s tenth anniversary, held in Moscow in 1994. After a long break, Zhanna Aguzarova took part in them. Thus, the Bravo groups of 1983 and 1993 performed on the same stage. The concerts ended with the joint performance of the song “Leningrad Rock and Roll” by Aguzarova and Syutkin.

  In 1994, former Bravo musicians Denis Mazhukov (keyboards), Igor Danilkin and Dmitry Gaidukov created the beat group “Off Beat”. On August 12, 1994, the team made its debut at the Moscow club “Alyabyev”.

  Lenz period (since 1995)

  In 1995, Syutkin left Bravo and began a successful solo career at the head of the Syutkin and Co ensemble. At the same time, one of its founders, drummer Pavel Kuzin, and the first saxophonist and keyboard player Alexander Stepanenko returned to the group. The name of the new vocalist was hidden until the end of recording the album. At the crossroads of spring and was announced only in 1996. It turned out to be Robert Lenz (he remains in this position to this day), who had already taken part in the casting for this place in 1989. In recent years, Evgeniy Khavtan himself also began performing songs as a vocalist.

  In 1998, the group celebrated its 15th anniversary with the Bravomania concert tour, in which Syutkin and Aguzarova also took part. The tour was a great success, but the final concerts were canceled due to Jeanne's non-participation. In 2004, the group, celebrating its 20th anniversary, again invited its former vocalists, as well as friends: Garik Sukachev, Maxim Leonidov, Zemfira, Svetlana Surganova.

  In 2008, as part of the celebration of its 25th anniversary, the group gave a series of concerts: on October 31 in St. Petersburg (the special guest was Zhanna Aguzarova), and on November 12 in Moscow, in addition to Zhanna Aguzarova, Yuri Bashmet was invited with the chamber ensemble “Moscow Soloists” , with whom Bravo prepared a special program.

  In parallel with his work at Bravo, Havtan released several albums of side projects (the working title of the project was “Mickey Mouse and the Stilettos”). His song “36.6”, co-written with Dmitry “Sid” Spirin from the group “Cockroaches! ", topped the Chart's Dozen hit parade.

  On September 19, 2011, the new album was released Fashion(named after the hit of the same name), which critics called one of the group's best works.

  In November 2013, an anniversary concert was held at the Moscow club Stadium Live, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the group, which was also received positively.

  On October 16, 2015, on Evgeniy Khavtan’s birthday, the album was released Forever, previously planned for the group’s anniversary. The peculiarity of the album was that Evgeniy Khavtan this time acted as the main vocalist, relegating Robert Lenz to the background.

  In 2018, the Bravo group will turn 35 years old. The band plans to release a new album for the anniversary. Bravo leader Evgeniy Khavtan spoke about this in an interview with Nashe Radio: “We have big dates coming up, downright scary ones. If we manage to record a record by this big date, it will be the best gift. That is, there won’t be any “funeral wreaths.” ", well, as is customary, when everyone comes out and brings out these “wreaths”, flowers, everyone says what a good hero of the day, it seems like he’s already lost his mind, but he stands, smiles, and doesn’t understand what’s going on. I want avoid that and release the record by that date." After the concert on December 2 at Moscow's Glavclub Green Concert, the group promised to take a long break, during which, apparently, they will actively work on the new album.

  "Bravo"- Russian rock band founded in 1983. Over the entire period of its existence, Bravo has changed several lineups and vocalists, but the team has always remained afloat. Permanent leader, guitarist and songwriter - Evgeniy Khavtan.

  The history of the creation of the Bravo group

  In 1983, Evgeniy Khavtan, a 1st year student at the Moscow Institute of Railway Engineers, came to audition for the musicians of the Postscriptum group. Evgeniy tried to take away " P.S"from the team's chosen mixture of art and hard rock towards something more progressive. For some time, the team, which included Garik Sukachev, Evgeny Khavtan, Pavel Kuzin And Karen Sarkisov, played music in the style of new wave and songs from the repertoire of Western groups, but then the group broke up.

  Garik Sukachev left to create " Brigade C", and Khavtan and Kuzin decided to assemble a new team. The group included saxophonist Alexander Stepanenko, bassist Andrei Konusov and singer Zhanna Aguzarova (in those years performing under the name Ivanna Anders).

  The group was named "Bravo". The first album was recorded with this lineup, distributed through friends. The group's debut concert took place on March 18, 1984 and ended in scandal. The organizers and participants were detained for illegal business, and Zhanna Aguzarova left Moscow due to lack of registration.

  The composition of the group changed, and Sergei Ryzhenko became the vocalist during Aguzarova’s absence.

  In 1985, Zhanna returned to Bravo, and the group began to gain popularity. Successful lyrics, dance melodies, and a colorful soloist provided the group with good fame. In 1987, the band's first official album was recorded at Melodiya, which sold about 5 million copies. In 1988, Aguzarova finally left the group and began a solo career, and Bravo disappeared from view for some time. On April 15, 1989, the team appears on the Olimpiysky stage with a new lineup - the vocalist becomes Evgeniy Osin.

  Two songs that became popular were recorded with him: “I’m sad and easy” and “Good evening, Moscow!”, and a year later, instead of the departed Osin, Irina Epifanova sang.

  Cooperation between Bravo and Valery Syutkin

  In 1990, a permanent vocalist came to Bravo - Valery Syutkin. It was this composition (E. Khavtan - guitar, V. Syutkin - vocals, I. Danilkin - drums, S. Lapin - bass, A. Ivanov - saxophone, S. Bushkevich - trumpet) that reached the peak of popularity of "Bravo", then there were The most famous albums were recorded: “ Hipsters from Moscow" And " Moscow bit».

  Some of the material for these records was written earlier and was easily performed by the new vocalist, and about half of the songs are joint work of Khavtan and Syutkin. In addition, Valery brought to the team a composition of his own composition, “I am what you need.”

  In 1994, Syutkin left the group for a solo career, and one of the founders of Bravo returned at the same time. Pavel Kuzin. The name of the new vocalist was hidden until the release of the album “At the Crossroads of Spring” in 1996. He became Robert Lenz, who already took part in the casting for this place in 1989. He remains the main vocalist of the group to this day, but in recent years he has performed some of the songs Evgeniy Khavtan.

  In 1998, in honor of the 15th anniversary of Bravo, the Bravomania concert tour took place with the participation of Syutkina and Aguzarova. Former vocalists were also invited to the next anniversary, as well as G Arik Sukachev, Maxim Leonidov, Zemfira and Svetlana Surganova.

  In 2007, the album “ Jazz in orbit».

  In 2011, the musicians released the studio album “Fashion”. The recording lasted about three months, and, in addition to the Bravo group, Oleg Chilap, Dmitry Spirin and other Russian singers took part in the work. Vintage musical instruments from the first half of the twentieth century were used for recording. Fashion was produced by Gian Wright, who worked with Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and other stars.

  In 2015, the thirteenth Bravo album “Forever” was released, dedicated to the memory of father Evgeniy Khavtan. The music for all compositions was written by the leader of the group. That same year, Bravo released the video “Strawberry Rain,” which featured drawings made by children from orphanages and boarding schools.

  In 2017, the band took part in the cult rock festival “Invasion”.

  In 2018, the group celebrated its 35th anniversary. To mark the anniversary of the team, the book “Bravo. Authorized biography of the group” by Alexey Pevchey.

  In 2019, it became known that the musicians would again take part in “Invasion”. The group continues to perform concerts in Russia and other countries of the world and record new songs.

  In January 2019, the premiere of the documentary film “BravoStory” took place, dedicated to the history of the group.

  Discography of the group "Bravo"

  Albums

  1983 - First magnetic album
  1985 - Second magnetic album
  1987 - BRAVO
  1987 - Ensemble Bravo
  1989 - Bravo Group
  1990 - Hipsters from Moscow
  1993 - Moscow beat
  1994 - Road to the Clouds
  1996 - At the crossroads of spring
  1997 - Serenade 2000 (mini-album)
  1998 - Hits about love
  2001 - Eugenics
  2007 - Jazz in orbit

  • 2011 - Fashion
  • 2015 - Forever

  Singles

  1994 - Road to the Clouds
  1995 - The Wind Knows
  2001 - Love doesn't burn

  Collections

  1993 - Zhanna Aguzarova and “Bravo” 1983–1988
  1994 - Live in Moscow
  1995 - Songs of different years
  1998 - Live Collection
  1999 - Grand Collection
  2004 - Star Catalog (Tribute)

  
  Group leader Evgeniy Khavtan and soloists *Bravo* | Photo: abrgen.ru

  On October 16, Evgeny Khavtan, the permanent leader of the Bravo group, which this year celebrated 33 years since its founding, celebrates his 56th birthday. Although during this time the group changed several soloists, it not only did not break up, but also continues to tour successfully, winning new fans. Few of them know about Bravo’s criminal past and that the main heroes of the group’s official birthday in 1984 were law enforcement officers who arrested Zhanna Aguzarova right during the concert.

  
  

  
  Zhanna Aguzarova and group *Bravo*, 1984

  In the fall of 1983, a first-year student at the Moscow Institute of Railway Transport Engineers, Zhenya Khavtan, came to audition for the musicians of the Postscriptum group, whose leader was Garik Sukachev. They did not work together for long, as they had different ideas about the musical future of the group. Together with drummer Pavel Kuzin, they decided to leave the band and create their own group. The first soloist of the group was Yvonne Anders (Zhanna Aguzarova), and the name “Bravo” was invented by her friend (other options included “Sheik” and “Twist”).
  
  
  

  
  Zhanna Aguzarova and group *Bravo*, 1984

  Although the musicians began working together back in 1983, the group considers its official birthday to be March 18, 1984, when that ill-fated concert took place at the Mosenergotekhprom cultural center, after which the musicians began to have serious troubles. Evgeniy Khavtan recalled: “At that very moment, Yvonne began to sing “White Day” - “He will sing me a new song about the main thing. It will not pass, no, blooming, inviting, glorious, my wonderful world! At the words “wonderful world,” people in police uniforms jumped out from behind the scenes, and with them one in civilian clothes with a bullhorn - “Everyone stay put!” A police chain tightened around the club - an operational regiment was brought in. Shocked people watched what was happening from the balconies of surrounding houses. Buses, GAZ cars, special medical services, and some “Cossacks” drove up to the doors of the cultural center. The brave law enforcement officers threw everyone who was in the cultural center into them, without distinction of gender or age.”
  
  
  The most charismatic soloist of the group *Bravo*

  A criminal case was opened against the musicians for holding concerts of the Bravo group illegally. The fact is that the group was assigned to the Mosenergotekhprom House of Culture and was supposed to perform only at holidays for the employees of this enterprise, where they performed Soviet and Italian pop songs. And they began to organize their own concerts, where they played music of their own composition.
  
  
  Zhanna Aguzarova and group *Bravo*, 1987

  
  A group whose musicians had problems with the law

  Evgeniy Khavtan said: “Two departments were in charge of us - Petrovka, 38 and Lubyanka, then Dzerzhinsky Square. Moreover, Lubyanka came to Petrovka - it was more convenient. The offices were opposite, and I went for interrogation first to the police, then to the security officers. Petrovka dealt with economic crimes, the KGB dealt with ideology. Economic authorities saw in private entrepreneurship, unauthorized - so-called unfilled concerts. We really didn’t take permission from anyone, we didn’t submit songs for approval. Of course, we didn’t even think about the possible consequences. And ideology... Why do guys go out in black suits, skinny ties, white shirts and pointy boots? What do they want to say by this, what is the background?” Of course, there was no reason. But their example should have become a warning to other rock groups.
  
  
  Zhanna Aguzarova and group *Bravo*

  
  Permanent guitarist, composer and leader of the group *Bravo* Evgeniy Khavtan

  At the police station they had to give explanations about who organized their concerts and distributed tickets. However, nothing intelligible could be achieved either from them or from the audience, so the case was soon closed for lack of evidence of a crime. Zhanna Aguzarova suffered the most back then - she had problems with her Moscow registration and passport, in which she personally wrote something like “Yvonne Andres, Danish subject.” The singer was arrested and kept in a pre-trial detention center and mental hospital for several months. And after that they sent her to correctional labor at the Tyumen timber industry enterprise. Evgeniy Khavtan was expelled from the institute, and Bravo was added to the black list of prohibited groups, which already included Alisa, DDT and Aquarium.
  
  
  Group *Bravo*, 2013

  
  Group *Bravo* celebrating their 30th anniversary

  When Zhanna was arrested, the group continued rehearsing, but some musicians still decided to leave the group. Others took their place, and with the updated composition, Bravo was invited to the creative laboratory of rock music, created to make it more convenient for the KGB to control the musical underground. The ensemble received the status of an amateur group. Soon Alla Pugacheva drew attention to them and invited them to participate in a concert dedicated to the liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. The telecast of the concert opened the way for them on TV, and after that “Bravo” often appeared on television and radio, and the group’s popularity began to gain momentum. Since then they have been successfully touring, and although they have changed several soloists, they continue to perform to this day.
  
  
  Musicians of the group *Bravo*, 2017