EPK - Oleg Frish

Top 10 Things You Need To Know About Oleg Frish

1 Oleg is the first Russian born radio and television broadcast journalist to host and produce his own entertainment and music programs in the United States. He was inspired to launch his career in the industry by several legendary American television hosts including Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin, Dick Clark, Mike Douglas and Regis Philbin.

2 Oleg has been the Russia’s premier broadcast journalist in the US on radio and television for the past 24 years. He has hosted two top long-running radio shows, the MUSIC HOUR WITH OLEG FRISH (1998-2005) and STANDARD TIME WITH OLEG FRISH, on WNYM Radio (970 khz AM Radio licensed in Hackensack, NJ and serving the New York Metropolitan area). His first television show about American music TIME OUT (a celebrity driven news program that was taped in various locations, was televised internationally (including the US and Canada) from 2005-2010. His current show, THE FRIDAY NIGHT is broadcast nationally in every state on RTVi and has been in production since 2011.

3 THE FRIDAY NIGHT is produced by RTVI. It’s a half hour one-on-one show format that features Oleg interviewing a major celebrity guest 52 weeks a year. Throughout his career, he has interviewed hundreds of major stars including; James Brown, B.B. King, Connie Francis, Engelbert Humperdinck, Paul Anka, Al Martino, Jack Jones, John Kander, Jerry Herman, Marvin Hamlisch, Petula Clark, Michel Legrand, Yma Sumak, Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, Brenda Lee, Vikki Carr, Keely Smith to name a few. The show is broadcast in Russian (voice over).

4 RTVi (Russian Television International) an international Russian-language privately owned television network with studios based in New York, Tel-Aviv, Berlin and Riga.. RTVi’s European feed is not available in Russia, but they reach a global audience of more than 50 million viewers. RTVi’s principal audience are millions of Russian-speaking viewers outside Russia, in some cases it’s the only TV channel available for Russian-speaking communities. There is a population of over 3 million Russian-Americans and immigrants living in the U.S, and over 350,000 living in New York. All of the network’s programs are included as part of the IO Russian package that is available all major cable network distribution systems such as Direct TV (all areas except New York) Time Warner, Cablevision, Comcast and RCN. In the Tri-State area, RTVi programs can be viewed on Time Warner Cable channel 521, Cablevision channel 1182, RCN channel 530, DirecTV channel 2148, on Comcast and other channels depending on the area.

5 Duets with My American Idols, (released by Sony Red, 5/19) Oleg’s fourth album as a recording artist, is a dream come true and culmination of two years of recording with an all-star cast of noted rock n’ roll and pop artists that Oleg convinced to record duets with him of some of his most cherished American songbook

classics including; the late Ben E. King, B.J. Thomas, Lainie Kazan, Bobby Rydell, Chris Montez, Peggy March, Lou Christie, Tony Orlando, Gary U.S. Bonds and Melissa Melissa Manchester. The album also features several solo tracks performed by Oleg and a special introduction by the legendary Connie Francis.

6 Oleg had dedicated most of adult life to sharing his love and appreciation for the classic American songbook and preserving the legacies of many of the artist’s who popularized standards around the world. The timeliness of his “Duets With My American Idols” is a subtle reminder that many of those artists and songs will be soon be lost to generations to come unless the songs are kept alive.

7 Oleg is a one-man “songapedia,” musical historian and a avid collector of archival music memorabilia (albums, books, post cards). The first American song he remembers hearing was “Hello Dolly” by Brenda Lee at age four, and by his early teens he could recall by memory lyrics, arrangements, composers and artist of over 15,000 songs. He fell in love with many noted American, European and European artists and songs recorded in the golden decades of popular music from 1940 – 1980, and a range of genres, including American Songbook classics, rock n’ roll, jazz, rhythm & blues, contemporary pop and disco.

8 When Oleg was 16 years old, his keen gift and memory of music earned him a featured performer slot in two popular psychic shows: Miracles Do Not Exist! and “I Simply Read Your Thoughts! ” which toured all over Russia from 1979-1992. Audiences were given a large catalog of songs, and like a mentalist, he would randomly ask people from the audience to pick any song and keep it in their mind. Within seconds, Oleg would correctly name the song they picked. At time, he performed as many as 40-60 shows a month.

9 Oleg fluently speaks and understands 6 languages, (including, Russian, English, Ukrainian, German, French, Yiddish, ..) and sings in 15 (including English, Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish, Yiddish, Japanese, Swedish, Hebrew, Yakut, Romanian, Polish, Georgian, and some others) His dream is to one day record his album in several of those languages.

10 Over the past 5 years Oleg has been developing his live show with sold out performances at the Metropolitan Room in NYC and other venues (The Laurie Beechman Theater, The Millennium Theater in Brooklyn, and Joe’s Pub ) and markets including the Catalina Jazz Club in Southern California, Marco Polo Cabaret Room in Miami, ST. Petersburg Night Club in Denver and many private functions.

Biography

Oleg Frish is a native of Russia and naturalized American citizen (2000) who has developed a distinguished career as a noted international celebrity television broadcast host, journalist, recording artist, performer and music historian. Next year he will celebrating his 25th Anniversary since moving to America and launching his career as host of his own television talk show in New York.

Oleg was born in the USSR into a family of musicians. His mother, Svetlana Frish, is a pianist and his father, Eugeny Frish, was longtime head of the popular Seagull Choir and an important member of the artistic community, raised two sons and Oleg is the oldest.

Back In The USSR – Oleg Frish in the All-Russian Encyclopedia of Variety

At the age of 16, Oleg entered Tver State University and also went into entertainment. Among his first jobs, was that of a “singing psychic.” As part of his act, he would guess what songs people in the audience were thinking about, and then he would sing them. In 1980, his “musical mind reading” skills lead to national recognition and in 1985 he received accreditation from one of the Soviet Union’s top cultural institutions, the Ministry of Culture of the USSR.

Oleg Frish sings in 24 different languages including Russian, English, Ukrainian, Japanese, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish and Yugoslavian.

In 1978, he moved to Moscow, where from 1978 to 1992 he was the writer for Soviet Variety and Circus magazine, a prominent performing arts magazine that covered the fields of music, variety and circus. He wrote such compositions including: The world in three minutes, A wonderful gift, “Psychological Experiments” – what is it? Art or trash?, Somewhere in this world, I can see how the planet spins, In a country which calls upon the distance, and We recorded time period.

In 1984, he earned induction into the Soviet branch of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

In 1989, he earned a degree in the History of Variety and Cultural Arts from The National Research Institute of Arts Studies and developed an interest in promoting Russian “stars of the past”. He then toured domestically and internationally, lecturing on show biz history to students and the general public, and gained a reputation as an expert in this area of study.

oleg-frish-home-02

In 2000 and in 2004, he was officially recognized in the All-Russian Encyclopedia of Variety, which dedicated an article to his accomplishments for his work as historian and lecturer throughout Russia.

Here In The USA – Television and Radio

In 1992, as the Cold War barriers were eased, Oleg Frish decided to move to the New York area, because at that time New York City was by far the biggest metropolitan entry point for Russian-speaking émigrés, especially Brighton Beach, Staten Island and Brooklyn.

In 1997, he became writer and host of the radio series “Walking The Streets of Moscow” for WMNB in Fort Lee, NJ, interviewing a wide variety of Russian-born entertainers including such Russian notables as Tatiana Samoilova, Elena Kamburova, Alla Pugacheva, Iosif Kobzon, Irina Ponarovskaya, Tamara Miansarova, Natalya Varley, Natalia Kustinskaya and many others who are celebrities for the Russian-American community. He also interviewed American singers, musicians and actors on The People’s Wave Radio 930AM in New York.

Earlier this year, Oleg performed dates at the first annual New York Cabaret Festival, Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, NJ, the noted Feinstein’s/54Below night club in New York City, at the The Kozlov Club in Russia, and this summer he made his performing debut in Sydney, Australia at The Foundry 616. He’s returning to The Kozlov Club in early December. He’s also going back into the studio in begin recording some new music.

Television

THE FRIDAY NIGHT WITH OLEG FRISH ON RTVI (RUSSIAN TELEVISION INTERNATIONAL)

THE FRIDAY NIGHT is produced by RTVI. It’s a half hour one-on-one show format that features Oleg interviewing a major celebrity guest 52 weeks a year. Throughout his career, he has interviewed hundreds of major stars including; James Brown, B.B. King, Connie Francis, Engelbert Humperdinck, Paul Anka, Al Martino, Jack Jones, John Kander, Jerry Herman, Marvin Hamlisch, Petula Clark, Michel Legrand, Yma Sumak, Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, Brenda Lee, Vikki Carr, Keely Smith to name a few. The show is broadcast in Russian (voice over).

RTVi (Russian Television International) an international Russian-language privately owned television network with studios based in New York, Tel-Aviv, Berlin and Riga.. RTVi’s European feed is not available in Russia, but they reach a global audience of more than 50 million viewers. RTVi’s principal audience are millions of Russian-speaking viewers outside Russia, in some cases it’s the only TV channel available for Russian-speaking communities. There is a population of over 3 million Russian-Americans and immigrants living in the U.S, and over 350,000 living in New York. All of the network’s programs are included as part of the IO Russian package that is available all major cable network distribution systems such as Direct TV (all areas except New York) Time Warner, Cablevision, Direct TV, Comcast and RCN. In the Tri-State area, RTVi programs can be viewed on Time Warner Cable channel 521, Cablevision channel 1182, RCN channel 530, DirecTV channel 2148, on Comcast and other channels depending on the area.

OLEG FRISH HAS INTERVIEWED OVER 2000 CELEBRITY GUESTS ON HIS TELEVISION SHOWS OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, HERE’S A FEW OF HIS FAVORITES

Oleg-Frish-tv-host-and-Engelbert-Humperdinck

Celebrity guests pictured above are credited by rows from the top to the bottom. Row 1: B.B.King, Brenda Lee, Kenny G, Petula Clark Row 2: Whoopi Goldberg, Al DiMeola, Andy Williams, Donna Summer Row 3: Engelbert Humperdinck, Jose Feliciano, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka

“Time Out”… NTV (NATIONAL TELEVISION), RUSSIA

“Time Out” was a popular weekly television news and entertainment program that Oleg Frish hosted and produced under his own production banner, Time Out Media in 2005. The Sunday evening show was broadcast on NTV – one of Russia’s leading television channels. The network’s programs were broadcast in 19 countries and reached some 50 million people. They also had headquarters in the US.

“Time Out” encompassed a variety of different topics including music business, unusual happenings, interesting activities, unique locations, celebrity news and interviews as well as reviews and recommendations of different newly released CDs, DVDs, movies and concert tours.

During the five year run of the show Oleg interviewed many major stars and celebrities including; B.B. King, James Brown, Whoopy Goldberg, Claudia Schiffer, Paul Anka, Connie Francis, Neil Sedaka, composers John Kander, Jerry Herman and Johnny Mandel, Vicky Carr, Petula Clark, Yma Sumak, Shirley Jones, Keely Smith, Anita O’Day, Gloria Gaynor and Engelbert Humperdinck, and others have appeared on the show.

Hosts

Oleg Frish Time Out Oleg Frish is the Executive Producer as well as the Host of the program – a very bright and creative personality in his own right. Oleg has lived in the US for 15 years, all of them working in the Russian Radio and television. He also hosts a weekly music program on Wednesdays on Radio “VSE” -87.7FM.
In Russia, Oleg was a celebrity – an actor, a singer, a magician, and a journalist with his own unique show full of wit and whimsy, singing songs in 26 different languages and showing his enormous memory. He also wrote for the prestigious entertainment and cultural publications.
Oleg Frish was the first Russian reporter and host to start producing radio and television programs about famous American and European legends of jazz, pop and rock music from B.B.King to James Brown to Mireille Mathieu and Connie Francis just to name a few.

gleb-savchenko-timeout Gleb Savchenko was the first Host of “Time Out”. Before hosting this program Gleb lived in Moscow, Russia where he graduated from the Russian Theatrical Academy. He appeared in numerous music videos of major Russian pop stars, worked as a model and participated in ballroom dancing competitions.
In America Gleb has shot ad campaigns, appeared in such famous magazines as “Cosmopolitan”, “GQ” and “Men’s Health” and participated in major designer runaway shows. He also hosted concerts given by American stars in major New York venues and prestigious jazz clubs. Now Gleb Savchenko is doing well with his dancing and acting career and is happy with the opportunity for a new creative output he received in “Time Out” on NTV.

“TIME OUT” IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS THAT OLEG HAS UNDERTAKEN SO FAR. NOT ONLY DOES HE HOST THE PROGRAM, BUT HE ALSO PRODUCES IT.

In America, Oleg was able to realize his dream by bringing to the Russian audiences and Russian market legendary names known all over the world.

Paul Anka, Gloria Gaynor, John Kander, Gerry Herman, Leslie Gore, Neil Sedaka, Yma Sumak, Shirley Jones, Vicki Carr, Nancy Wilson, Claire Barry of the Barry Sisters and many more has been interviewed by Oleg Frish!

Radio

STANDARD TIME WITH OLEG FRISH (2011 – 2014)

oleg-frish-radio STANDARD TIME WITH OLEG FRISH was broadcast on WNYM Radio (970 khz AM Radio licensed in Hackensack, NJ (and serving the New York Metropolitan area). It was a weekly music show that aired on Saturday nights. Each show featured music and a celebrity music guest segment.

Over the three year run of the show some of the celebrity guest included; Brenda Lee, Gloria Lynne, Peter Cincotti, Bobby Vinton, Peggy March, Roseanna Vitro, Trini Lopez, Gloria Gaynor, Gleb Savchenko, Bobby Rydell, The Four Freshmen, Connie Francis, Marlene Ver Plank, Jacob Collier, Halie Loren, Chris Montez, Jimmy Cavallo, Giada Valenti, Cary Hoffman, Christine Vivona, Nancy Ames, Joey Reynolds, Nancy Wilson, Marieann Meringolo, Sue Raney, Laura Fygi, Bernie Furshpan, Tony De Sare, Dodie Stevens, Lyn Stanley, Ken Slavin, Anne Phillips, Audrey Morris, Theodore Bikel, Michelle DellaFave, Helen Merrill, Raquel Bitton, Tatevik Hovanesian, Jane Morgan, Cynthia Holiday, Vince Giordano, Karen Wyman, Kid Kyle James, Don Cherry, Carla Valenti, Wanda Jackson, Marieann Meringolo, David Silverman, Johnny Tillotson, Bobby Goldsboro, Jon Hendrick, Lesley Uggams, Sheila Jordan and Iris Williams.

THE MUSIC HOUR WITH OLEG FRISH (1998-2005)

Was broadcast on the PEOPLE’S WAVE Russian language radio (930AM WPAT station), on every Wednesday at 8pm. This was the first program in Russian fully devoted to American music. The program featured music and entertainment news, music quiz, concert recommendations and a well known guest.

The most of guests were live from the PEOPLE’S WAVE studio on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, NY. Such celebrity guests as Connie Francis, John Kander, The Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Pat Suzuki, Nancy Wilson, Deborah Cox, Patti Page, Brenda Lee, James Brown, Paul Ellington, Jerry Herman, Johnny Mandel, Anita O’Day, Chris Connor, Blossom Dearie, Lesley Gore to name a few.

ALL ABOUT MUSIC! (1992 – 1998)

ALL ABOUT MUSIC was broadcast on WMNB – the first Russian subscription radio station, from Fort Lee, NJ.

The program featured famous Russian singers, musicians and entertainers who, either were on tour in the USA or moved to the US. The most notable guests were Alla Pugacheva, Philipp Kirkorov, Valentina Tolkunova, Aida Vedishcheva, Nina Brodskaya, Emil Gorovets, Natalia Varley, Oleg Popov, Georgiy Vitsin, Tatiana Lebedinskaya, Igor Butman, Tatevik Hovanesian, Guili Chokheli, Edita Piekha and many others.

Radio Play

WPAT
WNYC
WNYM
WABC
WKRB
Sirius XM ( 60s on 6)
Russian Radio in Chicago
Davidzon Radio WSNR
WKNY
WWPR HD2
WMIB HD2
WIOQ HD2

About Duets With My American Idols

On Oleg Frish and His American Idols, Oleg realizes one of his dreams: to share some of his adopted country’s most heartwarming standard tunes with some of his singing heroes and idols. Oleg’s tastes range wide. He coaxed Melissa Manchester into playing Ginger Rogers to his Fred Astaire on A Fine Romance. Oleg and Lainie Kazan, the voluptuous Broadway sex bomb turned comic yenta of the big screen, team up for a raucous, half-Yiddish sendup of Hello, Dolly! (Oleg has sung in a staggering 24 languages.) In duets with Tony Orlando (On the Sunny Side of the Street) and Gary U.S. Bonds (You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You), he recreates the swinging sound of Rat Pack-era Las Vegas.

Sunny (sung with B.J. Thomas) and The Way You Look Tonight (with Peggy March) have a 1970s AM-radio smoothness.
Happily, Oleg gives himself several solos. On Till There Was You, he sings in a mellow, swing-era foxtrot style. Dancing on the Ceiling gains new life in a ‘60s girl-group-style arrangement. And on go the surprises in a CD that will keep you smiling, by a man whose charm is hard to resist.
“Oleg Frish. Duets With My American Idols,” was released in May 2015 via his own imprint Time Out Media, and was distributed by BDG/RED Distribution, LLC (a division of SONY Music Entertainment Sony Red). The album currently available for purchase.

Track List

01-Connie-Francis-Intro

02-You-are-Nobody-Till-Somebody-Loves-You

03-The-Way-You-Look-Tonight

04-Day-By-Day

05-The-Things-We-Did-Last-Summer

06-Sunny

What a Difference a Day Makes

08-Hello-Dolly

09-Till-There-Was-You

10-Sunny-Side-of-the-Street

11-A-Fine-Romance

12-Dancing-On-The-Ceiling

13-When-You-are-Smiling

14-Bagel-and-Lox

15-Volare-with-Bobby-Rydell

My Solo Recordings

These songs are not often heard nowadays. That is why I have decided to record them.

The Things We Did Last Summer (written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne) – I heard this touching ballad sung by Helen Merrill many years ago. While working on the album one day, I found this song again. Listen to my version. I hope you will like it!

Bagel and Lox (written by Sid Tepper and Roy Bennett) – This is a particularly funny song from the 1940s. I met Sid Tepper when I filmed him for one of my TV programs. He was a surprisingly upbeat and humorous man, despite his advanced age (he recently passed away at age 96!). A man with a prodigious memory, he remembered all his songs and performed them by heart! Do you think that this song could become a hit again?

Dancing On the Ceiling (written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart)- Originally recorded by Fred Astaire (Of course he would be in a song about dancing) and Ella Fitzgerald. Arranger Bob Mann offered this retro styled arrangement to me. I really loved reminiscing and recording this lovely song, so please take a chance and dance with me!

Till There Was You (written by Meredith Wilson) – many had performed this romantic song (that was originally written for the musical, “Music Man”) The Beatles, Shirley Jones and Peggy Lee may have all covered it, but for me it’s always been Sue Raney’s song. At 17, she became the first person to record this song. Another great American standard!

Previous Solo Albums

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Bring Me Sunshine (2010).
Recorded with the Patrick Williams Big Band at the Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

oleg-frish-strange-love-cd

Strange Love (1998).
Popular Russian songs

CD’s are available upon request if you email request with a mailing address using information listed on Contacts.

Videos

Press/Media

Music Connection

LIVE REVIEW: OLEG FRISH AT FEINSTEIN’S 54 BELOW IN NEW YORK, NY

Material: Born in Russia into a musical family, Oleg Frish was immersed in music from a young age, where, despite the iron curtain, he managed to become well versed in The American Songbook, rock & roll, jazz and swing. Considered a historian, he has become an ambassador of the music he reveres, a role he has parleyed into a radio and TV personality and eventually, performer. One could describe Frish as a male “chanteuse” with a repertoire traversing several genres over four decades showcasing songs like “On The Sunny Side Of The Street,” “The Things We Did Last Summer” and “Hello Dolly.”

Musicianship: Frish’s innate musicality is most evident in his phrasing, which is natural and intuitive. Wisely adhering to material that serves his voice best, he does not step out of his vocal comfort zone, which keeps his performance consistent. Frish assembled a world-class band spearheaded by Alan Farnham delivering nothing short of great playing and supportive arrangements, which paired well with Frish’s vocal style.

MORE MEDIA:

Band Blurb, April 2016
Indie Music Reviews, April 2016
Muzik Notez magazine, April 2016
Music Existence, April 2016
SKOPE Magazine, April 2016
Vents Magazine, March 2016
Artist PR, March 2016
Jam Sphere, March 2016
Rate The Tracks, March 2016
Oleg Frish’s Dream Comes True With New Duets Album – NewsUSA, November 30, 2015
Syndicated by NEWS/USA Wire service nationally (11/30/15), Secured 1040 Placements and reached a total of 61, 437,103 monthly visitors, Some of the top media outlets (500,000 to over 2 million) included; Boston.com, Denver Post, International Business Times and The Times Herald-record (New York), Lexington, Kentucky Herald-Leader, Madison County Record (Huntsville, AR), Mercury News (San Jose), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, News Okay (Oklahoma City), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Providence Journal Bulletin, StarTribune (Minneapolis), The Arizona Republic, The Buffalo News, and The State Journal-Register.
Blend New York, July 15,2015
Talking Broadway – Sound Advice Reviews, July 10,2015
Correspondent News, July 14,2015
Smooth Jazz.DE (Germany), July 14,2015
Huffington Post, June 3, 2015
Films In Review, June 2, 2015
PR.COM, May 30, 2015
Music Industry News Network, May 28, 2015
The Official Site of the Russian Consulate General, May 25,2015
Cabaret Scenes, May 23,2015
New York Social Diary, May 20, 2015
Jazz Times, May 18, 2015
Amused Now, May 18,2015
Public Radio International (on WNYC), May 11, 2015

Contacts

Time Out Management
PO Box 245646, Brooklyn, NY 11224-0023
Phone: 1 (718) 368-9292 | Fax: 1 (718) 368-2022
Email: music@olegfrish.com