DE LUDO GLOBI

1. "De ludo globi - Pars una" (20:05) cool opening with. a weave of kalimba, glockenspiel, trumpet, breathing saxophone, and electric guitar single notes, all processed to give it a swirling, dreamy feeling. More percussion instruments, violin, flute, bass, and, ultimately, lead Ernie Isley/Ray Gomez-like electric guitar join in during the second minute before some of the other instruments step out. Alexander "Ernie" Kuzovlev leads the way for a bit before an array of spacey synths, rolling guitar chords, tom-toms, and bass form a nice rondo-like weave for a minute or so until the tuned percussives and violin take on the responsibility of holding the entire song fabric together, Then, at 4:30, starting with Ivan Fedotov's snare play and taking off with brother Arkady's Caribbean bass line, the band moves into a very OZRIC TENTACLES-like jungle-space jam. At 4:45 the band steps up and morphs the music into a very with Alexander Kuzovlev's electric guitar taking the first extended solo. I'm not sure how to explain this, but this section is so 1970s jazz-rock fusion and yet at the same time, somehow, symphonic, cinematic, beautiful, and more "classic" jazz. I am entranced. A bridge at 6:25 moves us into a completely different rhythmic structure for the foundation while Alexander's electric guitar turns more aggressive John McLauglin- or LARRY CORYELL-like while violin, trumpet, and synths retain the OZRICS/GONG-like spacey sound palette. The next extended section reminds me of some of my favorite "smooth" melodic jazz-rock fusion from the 1970s--JEAN-LUC PONTY and LARRY CORYELL. (I love the fully-drenched Mellotron low end!). From the mid-tenth minute, over the next seven or eight minutes, a beautiful violin- and guitar-led symphonic "Mellow Mahavishnu" motif is extended and explored: the melodies here are so beautiful--so very very similar to CARAVAN's timeless mid-section ("Pengola/Backwards") from their 1973 song, "L'auberge du Sanglier/A hunting we shall go/Pengola/Backwards/A hunting we shall go (reprise)" from Girls Who Go Plump in the Night--the inspiration from which I welcome into any modern prog artist's repertoire of "things to explore." I just love how the drummer, horns, and bass hold sacred the space for Alexander and especially, violinist Vitaly Borodin, while Alex and Vita tug at the listeners' heart-strings with their wonderfully melodic soaring and soloing. At 15:35 the band stops and allows the single-note sounds of multiple instrumental dronings to fill the gap before the next motif starts up--but, no! There is no "next motif"! This is it: a long, prolonged weave of sustained-but-shifting single note drones, forming different chords with each instrument's note change, all the way to the song's end! Well, that was unexpected! (I love it when a band can do that to me! Even with my fifth and sixth listens I find myself unable to "see the plan" or "expect the unexpected" as I approach that sixteenth minute!) I can not see (or hear) a flaw within this song. It's just so magical and unexpected! I think I'm listening to my favorite prog epic from 2023! (39/40)

2. "De ludo globi - Pars duo" (20:23) opens as if its own entity, building slowly like an old jazz (or new FROGG CAFÉ) fusion suite. The horns are very prominent from the opening--trumpet, sax, and electric guitar all eventually teaming up to carry the melody line forward as the rhythm section beneath morphs and shapeshifts. In the third minute the rhythm section's groove is set and its time for some solo play above: flute, saxes, electric guitar, synths, violin-- everybody seems to get a turn. The background horn play in the fifth minute is great as the percussive synths carry forward the tune's center. At 5:19 Alexander's guitar steps into the front to issue some impressive pyrotechnics. As the support crew maintains its flow of slow chord progression I find myself reminded of both Antoinio Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Ketil Vestrum's last two WESERBERGLAND "symphonies": 2020'S Am Ende Der Weltand 2022's Sacrae Symphoniae no. 1, but then the tempo changes in the eighth minute, Alexander's guitar play stops--as does the accompanying flute and horn play--as a slow "unwinding" of space synths occurs over the next minute. Midway through the ninth minute a new, slower pace from the rhythm section is rejoined so that saxes and synths can solo a bit, until 9:40 when the drums and bass doubletime (with some very interesting snare and cymbal play from drummer Ivan Fedotov) while the rest of the band continue to develop a kind of big band sound. At 11:30 there is yet another spacey crash and decay/delay. When the instruments pick themselves up again it is with a very cool violin-led Jean-Luc Ponty-like jazz-folk motif. More solo ED WYNNE-like electric guitar wailing in the fifteenth minute while Ivan continues to get the most out of his batterie--all while the bass player maintains a calm, steady, slowly rhythmic melody beneath all of the cacophony going on over him. In the seventeenth minute it is Arkady Fedotov's slow and steady bass line that powers the music forward as individual horns and synths continue to throw in their melodic riffs like marshmallows and moths to a campfire. (Great sax and synth work here, btw) At 18:00 suddenly everybody (very sneakily) congeals to issue forward one single whole-band SEVEN IMPALE-like melody while the Fedotov brothers held everybody together from beneath. (You go, Ivan! I haven't heard this interesting drumming from you in quite a while!) The full band continues to build upon and carry forward the short jazzy melody line with many individual instruments going off script to add their own independent harmonies and melody embellishments as the army progresses insidiously to a very mysterious and sudden 10-second pause--from everybody!--at 19:36. Then, at 19:47, as suddenly and unexpectedly as the pause, arises a quick re-entry to the cacophonous crescendo--as if nothing whatsoever had occurred to interrupt the flow of time (and history). the full band comes back playing another couple of rounds of the same exact theme as before, and then, it's done! Weird! But wonderful! (37.5/40)

Total Time 40:28

It has taken me a while to get to know this wonderful album (longer epics and mesmerics are like that), but I'm so glad to have this one in my music collection. I'd fallen off the Vespero bandwagon after their wonderful 2020 release, The Four Zaos, and, though I really came into this with little or no expectations, it's really nice to hear a band still performing at such a mature and highly creative level. There aren't many modern prog bands whose core membership remains stable and committed, but this is not the case with these now-veteran collaborators of Vespero-- and I think it has really showed in the steady development of this band into creators of continuously more creative, sophisticated, and engaging musics. And to see how far the individual instrumentalists have come in both skillfulness but also the ability to work collaboratively within the collective weave and cohesive goal of a "finished" end product. Marvellous!

Though I love the first 15 minutes of the opening epic, I am equally enamored with the final nine minutes of the "Pars duo." Definitely an amazing album--and definitely my favorite performances by each and every one of the amazing band members. Mega kudos to The Brothers Fedotov, Alex "Guitar" Kuzovlev, keysmaster Alexey Klabukov, reed marvel Alexey Esin, and violinist extraordinaire Vitaly "Battle of" Borodin! You have definitely given us a masterpiece for the ages!

A/five stars; a true masterpiece of sophisticated and original (though nostalgic) instrumental jazz-rock fusion; an essential addition to any self-proclaimed "prog lover"'s music collection. This may well be the BEST album I've heard from 2023 (though not my favorite--that's still Oiapok's OisoLün).