Short Reviews [Fair Wind Pleases - 2022 - "Live at the Babooinumfest #17"]

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.