Khoma Ihor Yosypovych (29 April 1929, Krakow, Poland - 14 October 1984, Lviv) was a Ukrainian musician, composer, jazz musician. He was the founder of the Ukrainian school of jazz music, author of jazz plays and improvisations, pop songs, music for dramatic performances and musical films, founder and director of the Lviv ensemble "Medicus".
In 1933, the family moved to Pidvolochysk in the Ternopil region, and in 1945 - to Lviv, where Ihor graduated from high school and medical school (1953). He later worked as a researcher at the Institute of Epidemiology, Microbiology and Hygiene. After defending his PhD thesis, he became a lecturer at the Lviv Medical Institute, was promoted to associate professor (1970) and worked there until the end of his life.
After attending a festival of young people and students in Moscow (1957), where jazz bands performed, Igor was inspired to organise his own ensemble. He founded the first Ukrainian jazz ensemble after the Second World War, Rhythm, in Lviv (1958-1960). The strict discipline of the orchestra was based on the authority of its organiser and permanent leader. In 1965, the ensemble was renamed Medicus. The ensemble took part in such jazz festivals as: "Yunist-1973" (Dnipro), "Jazz nad Odra-1972" (Wroclaw), "Krzysztof Komeda Memorial-1977" (Warsaw).
Read more: Medicus
Khoma shaped and developed improvisational jazz focused on the Ukrainian melody. He had great courage to promote jazz when the Soviet system was trying to destroy everything extraordinary in art, and with a distinct national accent.
The Medicus Ensemble.
Khoma's jazz orchestra first represented Ukraine at the Tartu Jazz Music Festival (1960) and was the only Ukrainian band at the international festivals in Tallinn (1965, 1966, 1967), which brought together the luminaries of jazz music: Georgi Garanyan, Bakholdin, Pauls, Z. Namyslovski, C. Lloyd, O. Ilyin, O. Zubov, etc. Khoma had close creative relations with trumpeter Oleksii Kozlov, jazz theorist O. Batashov, and others.
For the first Ukrainian music film by the Lviv Television Studio, The Lovers (1968), Medicus performed compositions by Ihor Khoma under his direction.
Ihor Khoma. The Rhythm Orchestra. Released in 2007 by "Nash Format" label.
The last concert
The last concert of the "Medicus" ensemble under the direction of Ihor Khoma took place in the Lviv Opera House (1981). After it, the composer had serious troubles with the kolomyika he performed.
Subsequently, the musician suffered a stroke, which put an end to his musical career. His doctoral thesis remained unfinished. On 14 October 1984, Ihor Khoma passed away.
He was buried on field 12 of the Lychakiv Cemetery.
Interesting facts
Khoma treated his students with great kindness. For example, he could give a poor student his winter coat or boots.
