Forgotten Melody
Release date: April 2, 2021
Label: Rainy Days Records
Arseny Rykov’s Forgotten Melody is a stunningly contemplative and innovative work, featuring new and original compositions from Rykov. The composer draws from elements of the third-stream as well as from the styles of such heralded contemporary jazz pianists as Robert Glasper and Brad Mehldau to weave narratives of doubt, anxiety, and evolution. The composer and bandleader notes “From my point of view, an artist has a big responsibility in front of the audience. The responsibility of being sincere, honest, and consistent in what one creates and says. I want to believe that my music is able to unite people. Especially such multicultural and international music as contemporary jazz.” Alongside Rykov, Forgotten Melody features bassist Nikolai Olshansky and drummer Vitaliy Epov. Click here to view the promotional video for Forgotten Melody.
Rainy Days Records announces this thrilling release while fresh off the heels from a collaboration with video producer Alexander Malich, whose YouTube channel Hot Culture has become an online-destination for concert-goers when live attendance became impossible. This collaboration comprised of virtual performances from a bevy of Russia’s top jazz talent from the Rainy Days roster including Sasha Mashin, Azat Bayazitov, Evgeny Sivtsov, Andrew Krasilnikov, Makar Novikov, and Evgeny Ponomarev. These live performances were recorded, and subsequently released as a digital album on February 26th. Acting as a platform for Russian and international musicians, Rainy Days continues to facilitate the creation and presentation of innovative new works and foster unique collaborations of the finest musicians that Russia has to offer.
Arseny Rykov Trio is a project of a Moscow-based pianist and composer Arseny Rykov. The trio plays original music and has a recognizable style which is based on the interaction between the musicians as well as on the dense but informative structures of compositions. “There are a lot of influences in my music but there are two styles that made the biggest impact on me: ECM and classical music, particularly impressionists and Russian composers,” explains Arseny. For the trio music is not only the way to express themselves but also the way to bring people together and make them think about what is going on around the world during this epoch of social and moral anxiety.
D. OSCAR GROOMES
O'S PLACE MAGAZINE
"The goal of Forgotten Melody is to unite people and we suggest that it certainly imparts good feelings." Read the full review here.