COMPASSIONIZER

The latest EP release from Russian Rio/Avant band Compassionizer is somewhat unusual in that it is a tribute to George Harrison, the Beatle I have often felt is overlooked as a composer. Here the quartet of Serghei Liubcenco (guitars, rubab, drums, doira, percussion), Leonid Perevalov (bass clarinets), Ivan Rozmainsky (conception, keyboards) and AndRey Stefinoff (clarinets, bass clarinets) are joined by cellist Darya Barabenova as they work through five Harrison classics in an instrumental/modern orchestral manner. They have transformed these well-known pop songs into something which is far deeper, yet somehow maintaining the light and passion of the original while also taking us on beautiful journeys which show hidden meanings and beauty.

The result is something which will be immediately be enjoyed by fans both of The Beatles and Compassionizer, two musical outfits which generally have nothing in common at all. The new arrangements have been undertaken with care so they do nothing to diminish the originals but instead lift the songs to new heights and will introduce them to a new audience. I always used to think the ultimate cover version of "Here Comes The Sun" was by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel but now I am not so sure as this is sheer brilliance. The only issue I have with this release is that there are only five songs and a playing time of just 23 minutes, but hopefully this introduction (which is available as a free download from Bandcamp) will inspire people to investigate first this and then their other releases. Superb.

I have just listened to An Ambassador in Bonds. This work has raised a bunch of emotions. There were positive feelings like magic and wonderfulness and uncertain ones like humility, fearness, searching and curiosity. A work like this can create any kind of atmosphere and change the mood of listeners.It can be both calm and pacifying or stress and tension. All instruments play their own role and they are laconic together. A listener can find episodes in their life which can be accompanied by the compositions from the album. It is a big and worth-listening work that can make your passion for progressive rock stronger.

Earlier this year Compassionizer returned with a single lengthy track, more than 20 minutes in length, which they released free of charge as an EP. It is the same core quartet as with the previous album, but this time we have a viola player as a guest in the form of Lyudmila Poletaeva. Again we are firmly in the world of modern classical combining with RIO, but there are also times when percussion provides a strong focal point. Although there are only five musicians this time around, both Ivan and Serghei are multi-instrumentalists who bring many different styles and textures to the arrangement. There is far more space within this recording, with the clarinets almost plaintive and calling at times, allowing the listener to be fully immersed in what is taking place.

This never feels like a collection of different songs cobbled together, which is sometimes the case with longer numbers, but instead always feel as if the music is following a logical progression even if the listener is unsure what that actually is. This is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of work and a wonderful introduction to the band and what they are trying to achieve, so given it is available free of charge why not jump over to Bandcamp and give them a listen for yourself?

Released towards the end of 2022, here we have the third album from the Roz Vitalis side project, Compassionizer. This time around Bayun the Cat has been reduced to being one of a number of guests, but the rest of the core band has stayed the same with Serghei Liubcenco (electric & acoustic guitars, rubab, doira, other percussion & drums, whistles), Leonid Perevalov (bass clarinets), AndRey Stefinoff (clarinets) plus of course Ivan Rozmainsky (Roland Juno- D, Pribor Neofit, Arturia MiniBrute & other synths, kalimba, vibraphone, marimba). Ivan is involved in a few bands these days, which allows him to progress his music in different directions in different ensembles, and in many ways this release is one of his most interesting yet.

The use of guests providing both trumpet and violin has allowed him to increase the sonic depth he has available to play with, and he has taken the opportunity to move Compassionizer even further into Rio/Avant while also bringing in huge elements of modern classical music. There are times when I am reminded of After Crying, but only if they had been working with Art Zoyd, as they investigate what different instruments can do in a somewhat baroque or even chamber music setting. It is quite possible that many will feel he has crossed right out of progressive rock altogether with this release which would certainly find as many fans within the avant modern classical as it will to those of us who enjoy RIO. One never knows quite where the music is going to lead, or indeed which instruments will be leading it, with Ivan the master conductor and arranger ensuring it somehow all fits together seamlessly. The Russian progressive rock scene is still producing some wonderful music and Ivan Rozmainsky is at the forefront of much of this, and this album clearly demonstrates why as it is a wonderful introduction into his world.

"As Smoke is Driven Away" is an album with its roots in Indian meditations and branching out into ambient. The mini-album consists of one 20-minute long composition, alternately changing with various kinds of meditations, while maintaining a gloomy and intense coloring. An amazing interweaving of clarinet, synthesizers and recognizable keyboards by the leader of the project Ivan Rozmainsky, which have long become the hallmark of his bands. The general, rather uncharacteristic gloominess of the music is manifested here with might and main with its dark apocalyptic landscapes, replacing one passage after another. The entire viscous and dense sound palette is made at the highest level, which will not leave indifferent even those who are not ardent adherents of the genre. And for fans, this is another must have masterpiece for a collection, not to mention a clear and interesting cover. The music itself will tell the rest, since it is amazing.

Compassionizer has recently presented a new album called As Smoke Is Driven Away. It consists of a single track giving its name to the whole album. As many of the compositions of this talanted team this piece of progressive rock can be called a meditation having a plot. And may be more than other works since the authors entitled their work as the Mystery of the Victory of Good over Evil which imposes not just a plot but a quite specific plot, may be the most ancient one. The team is detailed and inventive in depicting the both sides of this eternal battle. As always the album features a great team-work with an amazing contribution made by the guest Lyudmila Poletaeva as the Viola. A new amazing success of Ivan and his team.

Compassionizer have returned with a conscious experiment in long form progressive rock with their As Smoke Is Driven Away EP. For the first time they have recorded a sidelong suite, one consisting of an esoteric and evocative soundscape defined by the band's brilliant clarinets and meant to symbolize the Mystery of the victory of good over evil. The track develops in surprising fashions, yet remains tightly cohesive in its course. I found the synths across the suite to also be particularly resonant, especially in the final minutes of the piece. As usual, Compassionizer as a whole have delivered excellent performances with this EP, as has their guest viola player Lyudmila Poletaeva. As Smoke Is Driven Away leaves me hungry for more from the band and excited for the possibilities as they begin to release longer songs.

Good, good. My favourite is such mysterious dizzy elegance.

An over-20-minute suite "As Smoke Is Driven Away" released on April 20, 2023 features neo-classical agents and repetitive but transitional processes in a delicate manner, in addition to their mystical chamber rock as usual. This delicacy launched by them would mean fragile smoke modifying and vaporizing itself ... from the very beginning we get veiled deeply in soft smooth clarinet-oriented aroma. Their brilliant sound creativity is fascinating as well. It's also good that Lyudmila's viola playing is not only soft and gentle but also sharp and critical. Ivan's Kalimba produces a sublime atmosphere massively with comfortable instability. In the middle part uptempo percussion sounds induce credible ethnicity. The last run consists of slight anxious fancy and clear future hope and anticipation. Guess they might say that 'smoke' be something like anxiety under the tough situation nowadays. It sounds like the artists and the audience are trying to break the situation away and grab bright tomorrow together, at least for me.

Found another niche in the conventional avant-progressive scene.

An epic 20 minutes instrumental track with classical influences which creates a dark ambient mood. This time the trio spin off of Roz Vitalis has two important guests: Andrey Stefinoff at Clarinets and Lyudmila Poletaeva on the Viola. I don't know much about them, but their work is excellent.

In a dark ambient situation, clarinet and viola are a perfect addition for setting the mood.

Percussion appear here and there and fit always well in the soundscape. Unusually, Rozmainsky's keyboards are just in the background, While the lead is alternatively taken by the other instruments.

Back to the classical influences, I think I hear a bit of Debussy mixed with a bit of Stravinskij, in particular in the section around minute 11, but I'm not familiar enough to classical music to be sure about my impressions.

There's also room for a real Avant section started by the bass which gives the abbrivium to the return of the repeated 11 to 13 notes of the main theme which are overplayed by the other instruments.

In the past I've often used the adjective "dreamy" in describing the music I was hearing. This is the case, too. The suite developes like a dream, with increasing dramaticity but without forgetting the principal themes in a way that gives consistency to the whole.

The clarinet solo backed by bells in the last two minutes of the suite has made me remnind of GonG's "Flute Salad". It hasn't the same humour, it's quite dark also, but technically speaking I see some similarities with the GonG of the FLying Teapot trilogy in this final part.

Unfortunately, it ends suddenly leaving the listener with a sense of suspension. Another 20 miutes long "side B" would have been appreciated.

It's a "Name Your Price" on Bandcamp. Give it a try

Compassionizer begins following Roz Vitalis in 2020. Ivan Rozmainsky of said group is helped by Leonid and Serghei to compose a musical score eyeing Univers Zero, Henri Cow. I also note Le Orme, Gentle Giant, King Crimson; strange sounds, almost detuned melodies diffusing an uncontrolled musical atmosphere, finally that is at the beginning taken by this tumult of this 3rd album of singular chamber music.

'Only One Road for the Wayward' arrives with an intimate piece; a gloomy air, a jazzy atmosphere in the middle followed by sound effects of spatial synths and wind instruments, modern folk, on an acoustic Sigur Ros 'The Invasion of a Crying Shame' duo or clarinet triplet for a medieval journey; the image a cover of Morte Macabre on the pestilential, stressful, depressing end of the world. 'Black Sky White' relieves with a creaking violin aided by clarinet, harp, acoustic guitar; the troubadours escaped from the cover of the first Dead Can Dance; it wanders on a tuned, improvised non-suite; we are between the Asian, Andalusian folklore of the arid mountains and that of the wild Pyrenees. 'I Need You to Help' for a moment of peace; a welcoming flute, the less dark sax, a few bells from the percussion, fresh, almost jovial title. 'Narrow Is the Road' continues with the same instruments we've grown accustomed to, otherwise it's a break; the sound is no longer grating, just expressive; sound that makes you see an aggressive fly flying.

'In Things Too High for Me' 3rd floor ringtone, ah a marimba, a diffluent flute, a monolithic synth invading beeps; a title where the instruments seem to find their place gradually as if on a playing field. Its also disconcerting where rubab, doira, tbilat come to jam with the clarinets; Balkan folk in the background, invading synth with a percussion which reassures by the rhythm. 'Looking from the Dome' superb intro too fast because after chiseled violins come to help the electric guitar to transport you in a fiery state of casualness; I begin to understand the photo of the cover even if we stay on the melodic edge. 'Kramatorsk' if you pass the 3'20'' it's good; air difficult to access, harder than zeuhl, with trumpet, swirling clarinet and a percussion which gives a rhythm; in the middle of a burlesque western, in 'Delicatessen' with the musical saw; it's hypnotic and cacophonous indeed, even the doors can't close; intense work of Crimsonian research. If you manage to exceed 10 minutes, it means that you find the album exceptional, stronger than on 'Starless' for example; the end is restful. 'Road' for the finale which puts you at peace, which relieves your spirit, with a restful, solemn flute.

Compassionizer with its avant-garde sound, you will have understood it, delivers complex chamber music on abrasive, exhausting structures from which finally emerges a music made of bits of folk, of random atmosphere; a very avant-garde chamber program that deals with the importance of choosing the right path and the consequences and constraints associated with it. Compassionizer has created a bewitching album for those who still dare to take the time to listen to something else and differently.