Andrew Arnautov, known in the US as Andrew Valentine, was born on August 27, 1967, in the city of Rostov-On-Don (USSR). Ever since he first picked up the guitar at the age of 8, Andrew knew he wanted to be a jazz musician, but at the age of 13, he came across a really old electric bass, and it was determined. He’s going to stick to it for the rest of his life.

Andrew started his formal musical training at Rostov College of Arts in 1983 (Rostov-on-Don, USSR), that is where he first picked up a double bass, and later he got transferred to Gnesins State College of Music, located in Moscow (USSR) in 1986. While studying in Moscow, Andrew frequently played at the “BLUE BIRD” jazz club, where he participated in jam sessions with the jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Pat Metheny, Paul Horn, while they were passing thru Moscow while touring Russia. After getting his bachelor degree in music performance in 1990 from Gnesins State College of Music Andrew Arnautov relocates to the United States, where in 1991 he was granted a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music (Boston, Mass., USA).

At Berklee he studied bass with Oscar Stagnaro, and music production with Chaka Khan’s producer Richard Evans. While living in Boston, Andrew occasionally performed with trumpet player Roy Hargrove, Latin jazz vibraphonist Victor Mendoza, as well as leading his own original projects, i.e. “Common Ground”, with Misha Tsiganov on Piano, and Alex Tsiganov on vibes.

While permanently living in the States Andrew Arnautov got to perform with such jazz legends as piano players Hank Jones, Alfredo Reyes, drummers Paul Wertico, Kenwood Dennard and Bobby Sanabria, percussionist Ray Barretto, saxophone player Archie Shepp, guitarist Charlie Byrd, violin player Vassar Clements. He toured with the “Jamaica Funk” song creator trumpeter Tom Browne, with whom he appeared at Montreal Jazz Festival; also, Andrew started his own Salsa Latin jazz group “West End Mambo” .

In 2002 he performed in Athens (Greece) with Rudy Calzado, Cubarama and Buena Vista Social Club. The same year Andrew relocated to Ukraine (Eastern Europe); he became a frequent guest at various European jazz festivals with his own original projects. Among others was a performance at “Jazz Koktebel 2005” with his “Valentine Quartet” featuring Lew Soloff on the trumpet. He also appeared as sideman for a featured guest stars like saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Sonny Rollin’s pianist Mark Soskin, with whom Andrew recorded an album “Mark Soskin Quartet Live in Kiev”, which was released on “Comp Records”. While staying in Ukraine Andrew cooperated and played with many prominent jazz musicians among them Getz Grunberg, Alex Fantayev, Natasha Lebedeva, George Haslam, Frank Lacy, Francois Jeanneau, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Johnny “V” Vernazza, Pyatras Vishnyauskas, Ronnie Burage, Volodymyr Solyanyk, Andrew Kondakov, Nazgul Shukayeva, Dwight Trible, Joel Holmes, Frank Parker, Yuriy Seredin and many others.

In 2003 Andrew moves to Mandeville (Jamaica) where he taught music at “Cybil’s Music Studio” and collaborated with the chairman of “Bob Marley Institute” Astor Black.

Since 2013 Andrew Arnautov is living in the States and in Ukraine, where he put together his original Electro-acoustic World Music Project “Triangular Matrix”, that plays music that crosses over Trip-hop, Acid jazz and Eastern ethnic styles.

In 2013 he joined the recording of Soundtrack to Ukrainian historical drama “The Guide”, also playing a part of double bassist in the Movie.