FAIR WIND PLEASES

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.

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.

[Originally published as a mini-review at The Progressive Aspect]

Fair Wind Pleases provided me with two of my favourite releases of 2021. Jump Into Autumn is described on the Bandcamp page as the third Fair Wind Pleases album, and second live album, but this is slightly misleading. The Wind of the Season, released at the beginning of the year, was largely recorded live. Only the guitars and bass clarinet for that album were recorded afterward (and in the case of the guitar, this did show through somewhat, as I alluded to in my review). For the performance captured on Jump Into Autumn, the drums and percussion are retained from the second album (absent from the debut), but the guitar features only on the last track (taken from a different performance than the remainder of the set, so in effect a bonus track of sorts). This means that each of the three Fair Wind Pleases albums released so far have a different dynamic and sound, which is quite neat. But the prominence and importance of the clarinet in this avant chamber prog group is what remains most enjoyable for me.

With three albums released in just over a year, and all originating from recordings of live performances, it's quite impressive that there is very little repetition. In fact, this is the first album that contains a track from a previous release (7, from second album The Wind of the Season). Preceding this is La Gentilezza, which is described as a Roz Vitalis cover. While true, it's almost overstating the fact, because (as far as I'm aware) La Gentilezza has only appeared as a piano solo leading into the following track on the Great Expectations Live album, where it worked almost as an extended introductory piece. Admittedly, this version is augmented by additional instrumentation, and approaches twice the length of the Roz Vitalis performance, so it is far more of a number in its own right. Following these two tracks is probably my favourite of the album - the second part of the title track. It has a martial beat that sounds more like children playing at being soldiers than the actual thing, reminding me a little of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, even if it doesn't sound like that in any shape or form.

The same is almost true of the next track, a cover of one of Le Orme's most famous songs. Fair Wind Pleases' cover approximates the shape and form of Amici de Ieri, but it's only just recognisable. I have to say I far prefer Fair Wind Pleases' interpretation and arrangement, which provides both elegance and edge that the original lacked. It's at this point that I have my only real complaint about the album, as the final track really does feel tacked on. The album could have ended beautifully with Amici de Ieri, and the transition to the next track - from a different performance, with a different line-up - is really quite jarring. It's a shame as the number itself (Impacted by Difficult Summer) is really quite beautiful. I guess I'd rather have heard this track with more from the same performance than added to the one that makes up the majority of Jump Into Autumn. I do like the contrast, though, between this track (with guitar but no drums), compared to the remainder (with drums, but no guitar). So my complaint is a small one, and this is another fantastic release from Fair Wind Pleases. I can't wait for the next one!

I have long been a fan of St. Petersburg-based outfit Roz Vitalis, and bandleader Ivan Rozmainsky has become a firm friend. One thing I have always enjoyed about his music is that he never feels the need to constrict or constrain himself to just one musical style, and in recent years has been involved with musicians in other groups, and here we have the second release from Fair Wind Pleases (I must confess to having not heard the debut). He has again aligned himself with bass clarinet player Leonid Perevalov who he works with in other bands such as RMP and Compassionizer, while the line- up is completed by Yury Khomonenko (drums and percussion), Andrey Stefinoff (clarinet) and Anatoly Nikulin (guitar).

One thing which is readily apparent is that while Yury provides the foundation (which also means there are sections where he does not play at all), the two clarinets and piano interweave spells, yet the guitar seems almost superfluous at times, almost as if it is a later addition. It was only when I was reading the information on the Bandcamp page that I realised that drums, piano and clarinet were recorded at Babooinumfest on 20th November 2020, which means they are live recordings. I am not aware if Leonid and Anatoly were not there that night, or if there were issues with the recordings/performances and they had to be re-recorded, but whereas Leonid fits in seamlessly, providing the bottom end which can be melodic in its own right, Anatoly appears to have difficulties at times in finding his own space. This is always a potential issue when an album is not recorded in an organic manner, especially when there is such a tight quartet, as what we have here is a band who are creating some wonderful sounds, moving in whatever direction they feel, but always progressing and experimenting.

Ivan is renowned as a pianist, and here he again displays his wonderful touch and musicality, intertwining especially with Andrey, with Leonid taking control of the lower register yet also allowing the others to play without him to create a hole for them to fall into. There is a feeling of restraint within the album, a control so that when the music swells it does so with passion and emotion, yet they never allow themselves to be fully carried away and instead keep everything on point at all times. They talk about the music being organic, and one can certainly feel how it grows and moves without ever being broken or interrupted. At times it is more like modern classical than progressive, different genres coming together in a manner which for me I can only imagine taking place in the Russian progressive scene which has been taking on far more prominence in recent years. Well worth discovering.

[Originally published at The Progressive Aspect]

I've been a great fan of Russian band Roz Vitalis for some years, but in 2020 I became acquainted with two other projects from Roz Vitalis main main, Ivan Rozmainsky - Compassionizer and RMP. Both of those featured Leonid Perevalov, of Yojo, on bass clarinet - an instrument which has always been a favourite of mine. And only months later, in 2021, we have a new album from Fair Wind Pleases, featuring both Rozmainsky and Perevalov once more. It goes without saying that my interest was piqued immediately. Like much Russian music, Fair Wind Pleases seems to draw as much from the East as the West, which makes for a quite interesting and intriguing sound, and this is evident right from the start, with The Unpredictable Autumn (Part I). It makes a wonderful opening statement, lulling the listener in gently, before almost assaulting them. But it's a gentle barrage that I welcome with open arms.

One thing I especially love about this album is how much clarinets dominate proceedings. Within the Compassionizer and RMP albums, Perevalov added some quite wonderful textures and colours to the music with his bass clarinet, and here its combination with Andrey Stefinof's clarinet does not so much provide addition as foundation - and it's absolutely beautiful to listen to. Clarinet and bass clarinet are almost constant in the mix, and conspicuous in their absence - so that when either returns it never fails to make me smile. The Bandcamp page states that unlike debut release Beyond the Season, this new release "features both drumming and guitar playing!" Now, no disrespect intended to Anatoly Nikulin, but the guitar is almost surplus to requirements. Nothing wrong with it, but for me, the guitar doesn't really add anything, and the album would be just as wonderful without it. I do, however, like the drumming and percussion from Yury Khomonenko. It's never too much, and often barely present, if at all. It's this restraint that really makes the drumming so important when it does take a greater role.

But I need to return to the clarinets, just as the music of Fair Wind Pleases always does. In a way, this is why I don't really understand the need for Nikulin. Rozmainsky's piano playing often takes on the role a rhythm guitar might, and the clarinets solo the way a lead guitar might. When Nikulin plays, I don't dislike what he does - and, don't get me wrong, it does work, and it does sound good. In fact, his guitar playing often provides an edge to the music that might not be created so strongly otherwise. It's not at all that I don't like his guitar playing, or don't recognise what it brings to the music, so much as I can't help but be aware that everything he plays might be played effectively without him. I'm aware of how harsh this sounds, so I apologise if any offence is caused, as it's honestly not intended. And, to be fair to Nikulin, regardless of how I feel about the role of his guitar in the mix, the mix itself is impeccable. So full credit to Nikulin for the mixing and mastering of the album, as it is perfect. Everything in its right place, as Radiohead would say.

The album reminds me a lot of the sort of improvisations King Crimson would perform live during the Larks and Starless period. I honestly am not sure how much of this album is improvisation and how much is composed, and that's one of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of the album. It often sounds quite spontaneous, and at other times much less so - but it always sounds fresh and exciting. I have no idea how I would describe the music. The band say it's a mix of the "neoclassical, avant-garde, ambient, progressive, post-jazz, chamber music, modern creative and other genres", which tells you everything and nothing at the same time. I don't think it really matters, as you really do have to listen to this album to appreciate just how great it is. It's alternately sparse and minimal, and dramatic and dense. It's expansive and expressive. The music paints a picture that is at turns subtle and vibrant, and which (for me) is impossible not to be swept away by.

An interesting aspect to the sound is that Rozmainsky has chosen to play a digital piano, which provides an almost odd counterpoint to the dominating sound of acoustic instruments. But it works so well, and sounds so good. While I suggested that the music is dominated by the clarinets, there is no avoiding that Rozmainsky is almost always there in a role that is absolutely integral. When I first listened to the album, I felt as if Rozmainsky was playing a supporting role, but although he perhaps is less prominent in the mix than the clarinets, there is no denying how much his piano playing brings to the music. In fact, if this were mixed differently, you could easily make Rozmainsky the star of the proceedings. The fact that he has allowed himself to be almost relegated to the background shows just how much importance is given to the woodwinds. And as much as I'm a fan of Rozmainsky, I think this was the right decision. Not because I don't think his playing here is lesser, so much as giving prominence to the clarinets provides a really neat point of difference for this album, that raises it above what it might be otherwise. There are moments where Rozmainsky takes the lead, such as in 7 and Waltz of Meek Lady, but for the most part, he plays the role of sideman, and does so admirably.

Ultimately, what Fair Wind Pleases really shows is an impressive knowledge of when to step forward, and when to fall back. Given how improvisational the album sounds at times, this shows how well the musicians must know each other, and be willing to let each instrument take precedence as it fits the music. It's a magical mix of melody, harmony, atonality and dissonance, with everything in balance, no matter how chaotic it might sometimes sound on first listen. And this is definitely an album which rewards repeated listens. As I've already noted, Niculin's mixing and mastering of the album is superb. Basically everything about this album is as good as it could be. I love it!

This is quite fascinating, especially for their very first release. Fair Wind Pleases "The Wind of the Season" is more mature than one would think, but I believe we're hearing some very talented, imaginative, players, performing their thoughts and passions through the RIO / Avante Music idiom.

My overall impression is that this is somewhat similar to groups like "The Archestra" and "Five Story Ensemble" - both connected to the very creative "Rational Diet." The instrumentation is very organic, with not too much "rock" in the RIO, but a lovely "open feel" and yet, dark. This combination is what makes this form of music so appealing when done with the taste that "The Wind of the Season" offers.

Even the more "free form" sounding elements connect nicely, giving that "give and take" that makes the music a pleasant struggle, with final release and beauty. The primary things you hear are clarinet and piano, but the other instrumentation is present and very supportive. The drums are used both rhythmically and melodically, in a nice, easy mannered presentation. The bass clarinet too, acts as two instrumental thoughts, holding down the "bottom end" like a bass guitar would, but also interacting with the piano and clarinet in complementary fashion. The compositions seem both improvised and composed - one of my favorite elements in RIO.

This all gives a wonderful magical feel, and I like this very much. Hopefully we will be hearing more from this wonderful group out of Russia.

Bravo "Fair Wind Pleases" - BRAVO!!!

Fair Wind Pleases is a quintet from Saint Petersburg who play what they describe as "non-trivial instrumental music at the junction of neoclassical, avant-garde, ambient, progressive, post-jazz, chamber music, modern creative and other genres". The instruments are bass, drums, guitar, clarinet, bass clarinet and a digital piano. The latter provokes the purist in me, but fortunately one doesn't think so much about that when the instruments are playing together. It becomes more striking with the solo piano intros like those to the second and fourth tracks. In any case, I can forgive it, and after all the musical ideas have more weight. The primary solo instrument is however the clarinet which is often counterpointed by the bass clarinet.

Jazz strikes me as the most crucial ingredient in this music, due for instance to the clarinet solos or the more wild parts of "organized chaos", with moments of atonality. But there is also a clear impressionist element to the music. Listen for instance to the beginning of the first track "The Unpredictable Autumn (Part 1)" where the music is mostly pentatone. Or what about the functionless unorthodox chord changes during the main theme in track four.

Track 3 deserves special praise because of its build-up, from a harmonic calm beginning to a more stormy and dissonant second half. An interesting element here is the guitar ostinate that sort of "goes against" the other instruments. This for me is the peak of the album

But generally this is a very pleasant listening experience. It's not a type of music I would consider myself an expert in, so it is not so easy for me to go in details with it (it is easier with more song oriented music), but I am still intrigued by what I hear. A more general characteristic of the music would be dualty - between calm and storm, or harmonic and disharmonic. If there is a minus, it is perhaps the fact that the tracks sound rather alike; for instance with the clarinet being the main solo instrument in all of them. A contrasting track, for instance with fewer instruments, or just with more emphasis on other instruments, might add some balance. And then again there is the digital piano. Apart from that I really enjoy what I hear. Good album that I wish I could give 3,5 stars.