absolutely trilled and surprised. Valentin Parnakh sparked the interest of leading artists of movie and theater, Vsevolod Meyerhold and film director Sergei Eisenstein. Meyerhold invited the jazz band to be part of his productions. The band was present on the stage during the show and played American pop-jazz hits while women danced in cabaret style. Soviet Russia of the NEP period was quite tolerant toward jazz. The period of Lenin’s New Economic Policy continued from 1921 until 1928. It was a new, more capitalism-oriented economic policy necessary after the Civil War to raise the economy of the country, which was almost ruined. The generous support for private enterprise under the NEP allowed many entrepreneurs to open dance studios and the performing groups. During those years, Soviet Jazz expanded steadily. Just a few years earlier the first Soviet jazz musicians were learning how to play jazz from the recordings and music that was sent from the West. But in 1926 it became possible to hear life performance of American Jazz musicians, such as Sam Wooding’s Jazz Band and Benny Peyton’s Jazz Kings, who were invited by the Russian Philharmonic Society. Both groups had a great success in Russia. Classically-trained musicians and critics showed surprising openness to jazz during that time. In 1927 two professional Soviet jazz bands were organized. Their directors were classically-trained pianists: Alexander Tsfasman, director of AMA Jazz band in Moscow and Leopold Teplitsky, conductor of the Leonid Teplitsky First Jazz Band in Leningrad Teplitsky studied at Saint Petersburg conservatory as a pianist, conductor and composer. He was a notable musician in the world of classical music. Soviet officials supported Teplitsky’s interest in jazz. As a result, Teplitsky was sent to America to study new music and enrich his knowledge and performing skills. Teplitsky stayed in Philadelphia, playing in different combos and bars. When returning to Russia in 1927, Teplitsky brought with him multiple scores and 9 .