Leonid Agutin

Moscow-born vocalist, pianist, and guitarist Leonid Agutin merges elements of pop and jazz while adding a distinctly Latin flavor. Issued from the mid '90s onwards, his canon of smooth, intricate, and accessible sounds led him to become one of the most decorated artists at the Russian Grammys. He gained recognition further afield in 2005 when Cosmopolitan Life, an English-language collaboration with U.S. jazz guitarist Ali Di Meola, was issued. By 2008, his national government named him a Merited Artist of the Russian Federation and, a decade later, his homeland reputation was...