Clockwise
Release date: April 30, 2021
Label: Rainy Days Records
Clockwise is the soulful, moody sophomore release from the celebrated Evgeny Ponomarev Quartet. Over the course of the past four years, Ponomarev’s Quartet released their critically acclaimed debut record, N.N Song and performed at revered venues and festivals throughout Saint Petersburg and Moscow, (The Small Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, the New Stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre and Igor Butman Club to name a few). Their eagerly-awaited follow up album Clockwise speaks to the group’s stellar interplay and the leader’s nuanced, cohesive compositional prowess. Ponomarev is accompanied on this release by saxophonist Andrey Polovko, bassist Grigory Voskoboynik, drummer Peter Mikheev, with guitarist Pavel Ilushin, cornetist Peter Vostokov and trombone and tuba player Anton Gimazetdinov featured on several of the album’s tracks. Click here to view a promotional video of Clockwise.
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.
Evgeny Ponomarev is a Russian pianist, composer and arranger. Born in Leningrad, USSR (later to become St.Petersburg, Russia) in 1983, he started studying classical piano when he was 5.Later, as a Mussorgsky College of Music student, Evgeny has chosen jazz as his main focus and started making his way into St. Petersburg jazz scene and community. Always keen on traveling and playing different styles of music, Evgeny ended up becoming a Musical Director at Royal Caribbean Cruises, where he spent several years running the live music program and conducting the ship’s orchestra.
In 2017 Ponomarev wrote a new program for a jazz quartet comprised of his long-term musical partners — Andrey Polovko (saxophone), Grigory Voskoboynik (double bass) and Peter Mikheev (drums). 2 years later Evgeny Ponomarev Quartet released their debut album “N.N. Song” which received “Release of the year” award from the country’s main jazz station “Radio Jazz”, Moscow. Quartet’s second album “Clockwise” is due to be released on Rainy Days record label on April, 30 2021.
Meanwhile Evgeny continues balancing his work between leading the quartet, being an in-demand sideman for a number of permanent and session projects and teaching Arrangement class at the Mussorgsky College of Music.
D. OSCAR GROOMES
O'S PLACE
"Ponomarev's piano work is excellent throughout the set.." Read the full review in the Summer 2021 O's Place Newsletter.