Igor Butman studied clarinet as a child in Russia, but switched to alto saxophone at the Mussorgsky School of Music in the mid- to-late 1970s. Butman again switched instruments, finding his true metier, when he took up tenor saxophone in Nikolai Levinovsky’s band, Allegro. He was offered a two-year scholarship to Berklee School Of Music in 1987, where he led his own band, one which included fellow student Rachel Z. After graduating he relocated to New York, where he played with Grover Washington Jr., recording THEN AND NOW. He became notorious for recruiting star-studded tours of his country, ones which have included John Abercrombie, Cindy Blackman, Joe Locke, and Adam Nussbaum. Butman has also played and recorded with classical violinist Yuri Bashmet and his Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra.