Alexei Sipiagin is a Russian trumpet player at the pinnacle of American jazz. He plays in top bands such as the Dave Holland Sextet. And he's about to release a new recording of his own, called "Mirages".

But 30 years ago -- growing up in the Soviet Union -- Sipiagin was a long way from the jazz clubs of New York. He lived in Yaroslavl, a provincial city about 150 miles northeast of Moscow.

Alex Sipiagin

Alexei Sipiagin DID do something about it. He returned to the United States in 1991.

Six years later, he was a US citizen - and an American jazz musician.