Short Reviews [Compassionizer - 2023 - "A Tribute to George Harrison"]

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.