Prolusion. The band, FROMUZ (i.e. From Uzbekistan) is comprised of former and current members of X Religion and Vladimir Badirov Project. This DVD was recorded and shot (by 4 moving and 6 stationary cameras) during their live performance at the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan on April 7, 2005.

Analysis. The Fromuz concert DVD, "Audio Diplomacy" begins with the mostly tonal (a-melodic) intro of the Intro, utilizing quite a number of sampled sounds. Photos of the four musicians, with their names, slide in from the side over a black screen. The lights come up on stage, as the musicians take their places and send the music into an up-tempo jazz/fusion piece. (This is an entirely instrumental DVD/album.) Throughout the concert, Fromuz prove themselves to be first rate players with much versatility. From Fromuz (track 2) runs the gamut, beginning in jazz/fusion, segueing into guitar blues, followed by some blistering guitar work and then later through some classic jazz keyboard styling with walking bass, before returning to the original theme and sound. The sound quality throughout the DVD is excellent, which is sometimes a complaint I have with live recordings, but not here. Everything is crystal clear. As a band, their sound is very fresh and crisp. It is somewhat difficult to put a label on their music, because they move fluidly from style to style, sound to sound. Comparisons to Djam Karet and even Gordian Knot could be made, but the similarities are transitory. The music of Fromuz resembles them in their ever shifting compositions, yet the band definitely retains a flavor of their homeland, as could be compared to the work of X Religion. Certainly there are flavors in this delicious recipe from Badirov's "Greetings from Nostradamus" and Al-Bird's "Sodom & Gomorrah XXI", yet Fromuz remain distinctly themselves. Gameplay Imitation is the track whence the DVD/album derives its name. During this track, Popeloff and Khalmurzayev leave their instruments, draw back the gauze curtain and proceed to pantomime a game of chess over a cube that is painted like a die on 5 sides, but like a chessboard on the 6th. It is a rather minor moment in the concert and seems rather an obscure basis for the title. Remark #12 is an acoustic guitar strum-fest, which provides a bit of a breather for the audience from the complexity of the music thus far. Indeed, it is played while Khalmurzayev, Badirov and Mara-Novik wet their whistles at a table off to one side while Popeloff strums. The ending has a nice slow motion fade before Spare Wheel gets rolling with its funky bass and drums intro before Khalmurzayev's synthesizer solo establishes the infectious theme, which I have found going through my head numerous times since I first viewed the concert. This is a high-energy number, which goes through numerous sections, Khalmurzayev and Popeloff trading the spotlight. Dual Ad Libitum is just as the title implies, ad-libbed, with two players, Popeloff and Badirov. The track opens with flowing chords and the sound of blowing wind. Popeloff is playing a guitar synth sounding like keyboard for the first phase. Badirov meanwhile is playing a variety of percussion, including cowbell and cymbal, whose pitches are altered by partial immersion in water. Visually, this is one of the more interesting tracks, particularly due to Badirov's constant moving from instrument to instrument: congas, bodhran, small chimes, shakers and even something that looks like a helmet which he drums barehanded. Popeloff uses a variety of sampled sounds, even some that sound like breathy exhalations and vocalizations, besides the synthesizer-like keyboard (remember, this is the guitarist) to produce the melodies which play cat and mouse with Badirov's percussion. The shots of the players are occasionally superimposed and inter-cut with artsy, grainy graphics: degraded type, sometimes numbers and geometric shapes on a distressed field of blue or illegible alphabets over warm hues of orange and sienna. The drumming is excellent. Dual Ad Libitum focuses on the two stars of the show, guitarist and drummer. I say this in no way wishing to demean the contributions of either Khalmurzayev or Mara-Novik, but merely as observation of which players received most attention by the close-up cameras. I would like to have seen these guys get more screen time, especially Khalmurzayev, who appears the victim of bad camera angles (most shots over his shoulder). Mara-Novik is extremely understated in his stage presence, especially considering the edgy and energy filled music the band plays much of the time. He is the least flamboyant of all, deceptively relaxed and sedate in his posture, as his fingers do all the work, unlike some players who seem to use their entire body to pull music from their instruments. Familiarization Results is another high-energy piece that moves kaleidoscopically through sections of various themes and tempos. This is another track, which should delight fans of LTE, with the frequent changes and John Petrucci-like guitar work. The playing is extremely tight in its precision, yet very fluid. A beautiful classical theme, played by strings via Khalmurzayev's keys, opens Harry Heller Theater. The pastoral setting doesn't last long, though, as a heavy, driving percussion with tape loops of crowd sounds sets up for a the next section, a soulful guitar solo. This piece is, as the saying goes, as changeable as the weather. Visually, the concert is shot from a variety of angles (as noted above), sometimes through a course, gauzy curtain (eventually drawn), which hangs between the band and audience. Slow motion and delay effects are used a bit too frequently, when I would have preferred to see more real time playing. The lighting is ever shifting and gives a good feeling of being at a live performance, which many of us may never have the good fortune to attend. (I would love for Fromuz to come to the States for some of the Prog Festivals.) Since there is no spoken interaction recorded between the band and the audience, the viewer is left to just the music, though Badirov has much charisma working his drum kit and assorted percussion. He exudes joy through his playing. Popeloff has a quiet intensity in his playing, moving freely around the stage, but never affected as are some guitar heroes. As mentioned, Mara-Novik comes across like George Harrison, the quiet Fromuz. His stage presence is confident and assured, but unassuming in nature. Khalmurzayev, wearing a neckerchief, appears to be, perhaps the most flamboyant of the group, seeming to enjoy his time at center stage during the act with the chessboard. In any event, there is no doubt that this is a group of musicians serious about their craft, who enjoy sharing their talents with the crowd.

Conclusion. This is extremely fresh Prog, chocked full of tempo/time changes, with lots of variety in style. It should be a sure pleaser of fans of Dream Theater (without the dark and heavy sound), Spock's Beard and LTE, or on the other side of the Atlantic, the Alexander Kostarev Group. This is definitely in the vanguard of the new prog sound with top-notch improvisation within interestingly structured compositions ranging in power and precision. Fromuz is inventive and yet also pull in some of the ethnic flavor of their region. There is just a touch of Symphonic Prog (some soaring melodies that should please fans of that brand of prog) and dashes of standard and fusion jazz. I highly recommend this outing.

KW: May 1, 2007