Russian violinist Valentina Goncharova is having something of a renaissance these days. She had an album come out earlier in the year which were unpublished (you can find Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here). Now, we have a full album of recordings last heard on Leo Records many years ago as part of a box set called Document – New Music From Russia – The 80’s, a pinnacle of Russian avant-garde music. The recordings have been lovingly remastered, and the drony sound is magnificent.
First, a disclaimer: I am posting this review with the understanding that Leo Records has licensed this astounding collection covering the career of the late enfant terrible of Russia’s then-thriving avant-garde music community, Sergey Kuryokhin, to Old Heaven Books Records in Shenzhen, China. If this is so, it’s wonderful to know that Sergey’s reach will continue to grow almost three decades after his passing. Collaborators on this box set include Igor Butman, Sergei Belichenko, Valentina Ponomareva and Boris Grebenshchikov among others. I’m excited to see Old Heaven Books continue to branch out.
417.3 appeared on my radar about 7-8 years ago when I was trying to explore more about Russian post-rock. They are a heavy instrumental band, but not overly “mathy” or anything like this. 47 is a one-track single with the sort of shimmering guitar playing that one would expect from post-rock bands, as it seems to be the calling card of the non-metal end of the genre’s spectrum.
Composer and producer Sergei Guselnikov is based out of Russia, and he sent me one of his latest releases. As far as the music goes, the first two tracks are strong post-metal / post-rock, but what really intrigued. me was the last one, which was airy, atmospheric, and features the vocals of Daria Shakhova, who also fronts Hale De Mars. Also featured are the contribution of the Brandy Kills vocalist Igor Shapransky on the second track, and as I’m new to his work, it’s great motivation to learn more about all three musicians featured on this EP.
Kosta Trokai is a Russian violinist whose work I’ve followed for several years now. He has a massive catalog behind him and it straddles comfortably between classical music and free improvisation.
Odessa is a city that both Ukraine and Russia, as well as its many Jewish and even Tatar inhabitants, claim to be its own. Never mind the political hideousness of today, and let me present you with one of the most fascinating releases I’ve heard in contemporary classical and jazz scenes. Vadim Neselovskyi is a pianist who hails from Ukraine, and has collaborated with giants such as Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and John Scofield, among others. This paean to the city of his birth is a magnificent blend of modern classical music and the sort of jazz which…
Vtoroy Etazh Porazhayet (2nd Floor is Striking) are a Moscow post-punk outfit, and it seems both Russia and Belarus are producing a lot of these days. They are released by the French record label Belka Records. Their sound will appeal strongly to those who are into the post-punk renaissance of the past five years or so.
Roz Vitalis are a progressive rock band out of St. Petersburg, Russia, who have wowed audiences worldwide by blending symphonic prog with slightly more avant-garde tendencies. The tracks here are recorded live, but don’t let that dissuade you from trying out this album. The sound is crisp and full, and the performances are a nice development from their studio work.
A fascinating release from our friends at Antonovka Records. From their Bandcamp website: “Nagaybaks are an ethnic group that descends from the Christian Tatars and shares the same self-name with them — “Kreshenner”, which means “Baptized Ones”. There are about 10 thousand Nagaybaks in total, they live primarily in the Nagaybaksky district of the Chelyabinsk region, in the South Ural area. In the Russian empire the Nagaybaks belonged to the Cossack estate. Many of their villages were named after European settlements, at which the Nagaybaks distinguished themselves in the battles. Fershampenuaz is the capital of the Nagaybak district, it got…
24 Rush Hours is a series done by Zga composer and multi-instrumentalist Nick Sudnick, and this is #15 of 24. The two long pieces are a pastiche of art-rock (think Rock-In-Opposition like Art Bears or the composers Alfred ’23’Harth and Heiner Goebbels). Add an element of Bertolt Brecht-like lyrics for theater and you have a fine series of avant-opera Sudnick keeps producing..