Leonid Vladimirovich Ptashka (born May 3, 1964, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR)

jazzman, pianist-virtuoso, one of the most famous Israeli Russian-speaking musicians who popularized jazz in Israel in the 1990's and early 2000's. Included in the list of 100 best jazz musicians of the XX century according to the American Biographical Institute. He collaborated with such jazz musicians as Al Foster, Herb Alpert, Freddie Hubbard, Valery Ponomaryov, Igor Butman, Bill Evans and others. For his emotional manner of performance and workshops improvisation was nicknamed the "destroyer of the piano", besides playing drums and melodion.

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In 1994, Ptashka organized the first jazz festival in Ashdod. Three years later he again began to come to Russia and take part in international festivals. Thanks to the growth of his popularity in Russia and the CIS, in 2000 Ptashka was invited to America to play jazz in the White House (at the same time the American Biographical Institute named him in the list of the best jazz musicians of the 20th century).