LIVE AT THE BABOOINUMFEST #17

A bit rough but pretty charming their stage is. They say the album "Live At The Babooinumfest #17" was recorded as their fourth opus (and third live album) at the Prog festival in June 2022. Regardless of saying, it's been tough for all of us to live in an ordinary manner but we can notice they have been active on stage for the audience and also for themselves via the creation. This album consists of smooth, mystic melody lines filled with their original chamber-musical vision. It sounds like they gently talk to the audience with a couple of instruments. Namely their melody lines and rhythmic bases are complicated and eccentric but at the same time it's easy to find the audience would not feel such a complexity nor eccentricity.

This texture can be heard for example through the second track "Let It Shine" featuring Ivan's beautiful but dynamic piano storytelling. Slightly tribal, oriental atmosphere in "Wavering" reminds us that some mixed emotion might be in their inner mind, and we can feel the mutual understanding with them on and in front of the stage.

In conclusion, let me say their sincere and sensitive performance on the stage should relieve and encourage us under such an unstable (mentally, economically, and diplomatically) situation and with uneasiness in unfavourable development all over the world.

Here we have the latest release from the trio of Yury Khomonenko (drums and percussion), Ivan Rozmainsky (synth piano) and AndRey Stefinoff (clarinet). As can be seen from the title, this was recorded at the last Babooinum festival held in Saint Petersburg, on June 22nd, 2022. I have known Ivan for years due to the band Roz Vitalis, and over the years he has also been working with other musicians, taking music in different directions and here he describes the music being delivered as chamber prog - clarinet/piano/drums-based music - with the spirit of creativity, improvisational energy, unpredictable developments, unanticipated turns and twists, strange modes and chords and odd time signatures.

None of the music on this album is available elsewhere, but that is probably as for the most part this sounds completely improvised. Although Ivan normally takes the melodic lead in Roz Vitalis, here his role is to set up repeated patterns which then allow Yury to come in underneath and find his spot with AndRey taking the lead with long fluid melodies. There are certain sections that sound more as if they have been charted, but for the most part this is eclectic avant garde music which is somehow bringing together modern classical, jazz and progressive rock. There are times when they come together in passages of sheer brilliance and beauty, and others where there is a little more of a struggle as together, they look for the right direction, but they always find a way forward. This is not music to ever be played in the background but instead needs to be on headphones when the listener has the time to be able to pay close attention and get inside the minds of the musicians and understand what they are attempting to achieve.

While the band have made this album available free of charge to both listen to and download, people can also make a contribution if they wish and all monies raised will go towards the financial support of Ukrainian refugees living in Hamburg, Germany.