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An Ambassador in Bonds

by Compassionizer

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about

"Minimalistic, introvert, challenging and beautiful, the new album by Compassionizer is for sure one of the best albums of the year. I personally like it more than their first effort, because it has a cleaner and more accesible sound.
This work is full of details, and several listens are required to fully appreciate them, as it mixes neoclassical, chamber, world and ambient music, with hints of Canterbury here and there (check that first half of the fourth track!).

Favourite tracks: Follow after Meekness, the gorgeous Caress of compassion Part 4, I am sitting on the pier and Bear ye one another's burdens.

Highly recommended!"

(c) Soul2Create
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2600642

***

"Compassionizer bring us a unique blend of ambient RIO, and yes, that's possible, yet seems contradictory. And within the blend, there's this wonderful feeling of total composition, derived from improvisation.
The traditional classical music, small ensemble, is so wonderfully augmented, and at times led by, electric guitar and single note Moog type lead and bass synth lines. Within this wonderful conceptual composition is a new beginning for music that is felt, thought deeply and intelligent.

For me, this is an answer to question that I have had, and that is: Yes, there's new directions in progressive music, if one just opens their mind and lets these unique "blenders of styles" into your heart and soul.

Thank you Compassionizer for bringing this to us in times of need for light and inspiration."

(c) tmay102436
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2604544

***

"Since Roz Vitalis mainman and keyboard player Ivan Rozmainsky and I first started corresponding some years ago we have become friends (in the modern and digital manner) and I have followed his musical career with great interest. Named after the 2007 Ros Vitalis album, Compassionizer are seen as an offshoot which allows him to move in slightly different musical directions and on their second album he is again joined by Serghei Liubcenco (electric & acoustic guitars, bass, rubab, doira, other percussion & drums) and Leonid Perevalov (clarinets). Also credited as members are Bayun The Cat (synth bass, tbilat, cowbell) and AndRey Stefinoff (clarinets) while Oleg Prilutsky again guests on trumpet.
Any album which starts with harpsichord (the real thing as opposed to synth, one can hear the slight percussive noise from the instrument as well as the notes) is going to gain my attention from the off, and yet again Ivan has created something which is very special indeed. In some ways this feels like chamber music from a different age, but then we get transported into something which feels far more like strange krautrock with ethnic percussion, or firmly into RIO, or music where the keyboards are very much taking a backseat to bass clarinet or driving percussion. It is an incredibly varied and quite unusual album, which has far more in keeping with modern classical music than it does with rock and is fascinating as one never knows where it is going to go next.

Rozmainsky is an exciting composer who keeps pushing the boundaries of what is expected from him, and yet again here we have an album which is full of depth and power which is worthy for those who want to undertake a voyage of discovery."

(c) Kev Rowland
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2819113

***

"Simple and relaxing but complex and mysterious. Such a phrase could be fit for a COMPASSIONIZER's musical attitude. "An Ambassador In Bonds" was released in October 2021 as their second full-length opus, which the frontman Ivan (ROZMAINSKY) recommended for us with much confidence. The trio launch a mystic, flavourful soundscape full of bright, gorgeous melody lines and percussive, tribal rhythm bases, plus their unique aromatic atmosphere. As the depressive painful sleeve pic says, their sincere serious play in this creation gives tough messages and difficult problems to us the audience under the pandemic situation. But at the same time, we can feel they would mention via this album that all of us will overcome such a crazy troublesome circumstance together. At least for me, it sounds like this creation involves lots of positive suggestions like the clear blue sky in the future. Never be hasty but strictly done ... this could be the most important manner for us all.
Their rigid settled attitude and opinion can be heard via the titled track in three pieces. An ambassador is coming near us slowly with crazy melodic distortion like a heavy, difficult orders and requests. Leonid's slowtempo, tragic, but stimulating saxophone should be impressive really. The melody lines are repetitive and simple but who cannot get absorbed into their inner space? The last physical approach in Part 3 shakes our brain in a spacey hallucinogenic manner. The departure "Follow After Meekness" consists of light-tasted, ethnic, and epic phrases. Their percussive plays are comfortable, although some complicated dissonant structures come and go over. We can get impressed especially in colourful sound appearances all over the track, regardless of the word meekness. The stream created by their instruments is soft, smooth but not easily analyzable ... such a fascinating visual and auditory world goes forward with stepping firmly until the eclectic epilogue "Bear Ye One Another's Burdens" featuring jazzy movements, psychedelic vibes, oriental moments, and electronic madness.

Fundamental chamber music produced by the fantastic trio should locate the audience out of the conventional sense. Beyond expression."

(с) DamoXt7942
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2601067

***

"Remembering the kind of music that Yes were doing back in the Seventies, Steve Howe writes that he used to think about it as a sort of "soft rock" (no kidding!). Maybe the tag "progressive rock" had not evolved yet, or they were just leaving behind the then well-known genre definitions, in any case, what it really matters is how comfortable you feel with the new step that an artist takes at a given moment of time. And I can say that I like this step, the new album by Compassionizer.
Even when this sophomore effort by the Russian combo shows a definite spiritual concept emerging from the track titles and the ascetic atmospheres imposed by the keyboards, we don't have to fear the weight of any religious tradition. The search for spiritual enlightenment develops itself in a very creative and self-contained way, in a chamber-rock fashion that adds ethnic instruments to the classic ones, without ever disdaining the melodic element.

Whenever you like to feel and breathe a lot of tonal and rhythmic space inside and around the music, anytime you are concerned with its scope and transcendence, then this record may be an excellent addition to your library."

(c) Heart of the Matter
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2598477

***

"Compassionizer, the latest music project related to Russian prog musician Ivan Rozmainsky, has been rather interesting to follow along so far. Their expansive, atmospheric compositions have felt so far removed from many conventions of progressive rock as a whole, and yet, there's nowhere else I'd really consider putting them either. The rich instrumental palettes that often evoke a range of deceptively intricate, complex soundscapes ended up making their first album, Caress of Compassion, a good album that often felt like an exploration into mysterious lands underpinned by a distinct melancholy. An Ambassador in Bonds is really the album that's sold me on Compassionizer however, as it demonstrates a strong sense of tonal variety without feeling like a total departure from the core sound established in order to facilitate this. While Caress of Compassion felt like it was exploring the endlessly large world around us and how overwhelming it can feel at times, this one feels far more personal and introspective, maintaining a a degree of darkness while also balancing this with a powerful sense of drive, optimism and ambition.
As a whole, I find that this album kinda lacks a sense of individuality between a lot of the tracks, clearly bringing forth a variety of instruments in each one, but remaining fairly similar in terms of what each song is trying to achieve. While this makes it a bit harder to pick apart specific moments too well, I don't mind either, as this works very nicely as a singular, cohesive experience anyway. That's also not to say that this is completely devoid of such qualities either however. Follow After Meekness sets the stage so well and reflects some core songwriting conventions Compassionizer utilises in their music. The track has a distinct ebb and flow to it, being unafraid to densely layer countless elements in such a way that there's a lot of nuanced interplay at hand, but also being able to take a step back and allow things to breathe, especially notable in the isolated harpsichord melodies that build upon themselves in a very satisfying fashion. Different Sides of Ascension is one of my favourite songs here for what it represents. It feels like the strong juxtaposition between the upbeat, pastoral atmosphere and melodies and the eventual uneasy sense of dread that engulfs everything in the song mirrors the creative experience in a lot of ways, and the give and take nature of it. Moments of amazing inspiration and greatness can feel followed up by self-doubt or bad circumstances, but what this song also highlights is that the beauty of that original spark remains just as powerful, with a constant sense of hope and passion being something important to hold onto. This sense of underlying beauty and optimism in even the darkest, bleakest sections of music here is ultimately what makes me appreciate this album as a whole so much, as it manages to feel so uplifting and empowering without feeling as if it's trying to mask challenging aspects of reality in art, it shows optimism without naivety, and I love that.

While the album as a whole finds itself following this pattern regularly, I feel like this emotional core focusing on an unflinching artistic drive is conveyed with enough power to warrant its length. Each individual track also contributes to the greater whole in the way that each one seems focused on capturing different points in the highs and lows in life. This is why you get tracks like part 2 of the title track feeling as impactful as they do. The central melody from the brass feels like it should sound very grandiose and majestic, yet it's filtered through this malaise, it sounds warped and wrong, as if it's a desperate attempt to reach a certain sound while feeling unable to actually achieve it. This tone is reinforced by the droning clarinet harmonies that are laden with minor imperfections and squeaks in a way that nothing else on the album is. As to not dwell too long on negativity, you've got an immediate jump into more energetic territory, but funnily enough, I am Sitting on a Pier cleverly lacks a strong sense of emotion for the most part. It's driven, sure, but it feels deliberately empty, as if it's moving forward for the sake of it, as if it feels obliged to, simple empty forward momentum, and as a result, this feels like one of the most impactful songs on the album that is strengthened by the way the remaining content of the album slowly introduces a warmer tone to complete the ultimately positive message that this pushes to the forefront throughout.

I feel like writing down my thoughts on this album have helped me appreciate it way more than I could have imagined . While this is texturally rather similar to Caress of Compassion, the meaning and message behind this, or at least what I gathered from it, feel so well-realised with this one. It of course doesn't hurt that the music itself sounds extremely solid, with its complexity bringing a lot of nuance into every facet of the album while sounding extremely elegant and tasteful in its presentation. It took a few listens for this to click with me, but I really love this and am looking very forward to whatever comes next .

Best tracks: Different Sides of Ascension, Follow After Meekness, I Am Sitting on a Pier".

(c) Kempokid
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2608498

***

""The wind bloweth where it listeth" may be the best epigraph to the entire works by Ivan Rozmainsky. Yet paradoxically this album combines a free flight of the musical thought in every individual peace, typical for this artist, with an elaborate and strict design of the collection as a whole. It is why some compositions require to be listened several times for better understanding them in the context of the whole album. Yet although each element of the entire construction plays its role perfectly, some of them do it especially well. A real gem of the album is the opening peace, Follow After Meekness, with its mysterious sound and nervous pace. To continue this journey we travel up Different Sides of Ascension, another masterpiece, truly inventive in depicting the stages of the human spirit's adventure, to justify its title. A warm, mundane (in a good sense of this word) and very human sound of Hard-Won Humility (may be my favorite peace of the whole album) can adorn any prog rock collection. Definitely an amazing work by Ivan and his team. Hopefully, we will keep on enjoying the different sides of ascension of these great artists to new peaks of the musical perfection."

(c) Vanamonde
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2607996

***

"I have just listened to An Ambassador in Bonds. This work has raised a bunch of emotions. There were positive feelings like magic and wonderfulness and uncertain ones like humility, fearness, searching and curiosity. A work like this can create any kind of atmosphere and change the mood of listeners.It can be both calm and pacifying or stress and tension. All instruments play their own role and they are laconic together. A listener can find episodes in their life which can be accompanied by the compositions from the album. It is a big and worth-listening work that can make your passion for progressive rock stronger."

(c)OlgaVladimirovna
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2971934

***

"Compassionizer is a project of Ivan Rozmainsky (Roz Vitalis) and other musicians. The band was started in 2020 during the lockdown, and promptly released their debut album Caress Of Compassion which – I have to confess – I forgot to review. Now they are already back with their second longplayer An Ambassador In Bonds, and just like the first time they once offer some finest grade instrumental chamber prog music. There are guitars, bass, synthesizers and drums, but they are only a part of the ensemble augmented mostly by regular and bass clarinets, Eastern and other assorted percussion instruments, rubab (an Eastern string instrument that at first sounded like a banjo to my ears) and harpsichord. The songs never adhere to typical rock structures, but owe more to modern classical music.

The opener Follow After Meekness starts with harpsichord before the rubab and synths join in, and then there comes the clarinet, which is a very featured instrument on this record. The synth bass halfway into the song reminded me of Peter Hammill’s In Camera from 1974. At eight minutes this is one of the longer tracks. The following Different Sides Of Ascension is a rather friendly piece with a cheerful clarinet melody. Caress Of Compassion (Part 4) might be considered a link to the debut and is a rather melancholic yet beautiful piece of music. The Man That Sitteth Not In The Seat Of The Scornful has a gloomy beginning and even comes with slightly distorted electric guitar. Its final half comes again with a mighty synth bass that I really have found a liking to. An Ambassador In Bonds (Part 1), first part of the title track trilogy, is rather abstract sounding, but the following An Ambassador In Bonds (Part 2) comes with a genuine coalminers’ brass band feeling. I Am Sitting On The Pier has a wonderful synth sound that reminds me of the stuff that could be found on Robert Wyatt mid-eighties to early-nineties albums. Hard-Won Humility is at seven minutes yet another longer piece full of blissful melancholy. An Ambassador In Bonds (Part 3) reuses the title track’s leitmotif but turns really eerie towards the end, adding some unexpected echo and dub effects to the otherwise very acoustic music. The album concludes with the thirteen-minute-long Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens, a nice ending to a really intriguing album.

An Ambassador In Bonds is not an easy album to get into. I must have listened to it quite a number of times now, and always discover new details. The overall chamber prog sounds comes with a healthy dose of avantgarde, some Rock in Opposition flair and here and there a few Canterbury touches. If you like the more adventurous sides of artists like Robert Wyatt and Henry Cow, then you should be delighted with An Ambassador Of Bonds, an album where many songs are titled after Bible verses. Ivan Rozmainsky is possibly Russia’s best kept secret. Once you come across his Bandcamp page, you will be surprised at how much music he has recorded and released so far, and even more astonished that he still manages to come up with great music after so many years of busy activity."

(c) Pascal Thiel
www.disagreement.net/reviews2021/compassionizer_anambassadorinbonds.html

***

"The new album of Compassionizer project "An Ambassador in Bonds" seems to be medieval style. I mean spirituel music that used to sound in temples. Not necessarily in christian church, but in temples all over the world. It is music of spirit. It is full of the sublime motives of the journey of lonely soul in effort of reaching it's god. This music doesn't belong one precise culture - it can be Indian, Chinese, Mexican, African, European or any else. It doesn't belong to place and time. It seems to be wind instruments, percussion and bells that creates this effect. But the music is not only music ? the soul of musician is the thing that feeds the roots of such full-of-existential-experience music. It is special and obvious for people that survive in the contemporary world full of anxiety that this music is a kind of ray in the darkness and can bring hope to the heart of listener".

(c) Elena Read
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2634269

***

" "An Ambassador in Bonds" is the second album of the solo project of Ivan Rozmainsky titled Compassionizer. Released not so long ago, it resembles the conceptual continuation of the previous release "Caress Of Compassion", in fact this title is not only the name of the first album, but also the name of three tracks from it - three parts of the title composition.
On this disc we have all the best traditions of previous years, just as surprisingly woven together. But, unlike the first album, the music became sharper, and at the same time, as it were, more "directed upward", carried away into the distance, through the "fragments" of percussion. The leader of the project, as well as the leader of Roz Vitalis, Ivan Rozmainsky, I believe, being a deeply religious person, wanted to put into almost every composition a kind of "opening gate" effect for unfortunate souls dreaming of compassion. The composition "Hard-Won Humility" conveys this feeling especially sharply. This track, in my opinion, is the leitmotif not only of the album itself, but of the entire work of this wonderful collective as a whole. Sadness, harmony, compassion ? these features are revealed here by the depth of musical accords and nuances, where each note is someone's soul.

But in any case, it is extremely difficult to understand such music "on impulse", "light-mindedly"; it requires considerable effort, or careful attention to beauty. But if for some reason you stumbled upon this review, then you should start acquaintance with the works of Ivan Rozmainsky from the Roz Vitalis's album "Revelator". This album is, in general, the starting point in the process of moving to a new crystallized style and sound of both the later Roz Vitalis and the fresh amazing projects of Ivan Rozmainsky Compassionizer and Fair Wind Pleases - in all their complexity and versatility. If this is too difficult for you and not available enough - stick with Revelator.

And finally, it is no coincidence that I remembered Roz Vitalis. It is the last composition on this reviewed album "Bear Ye One Another's Burdens" - with a characteristic prog-rock sound - as if it echoes the previous works of this wonderful collective, in all its splendor. Listen to the entire album for a full palette of exquisite aesthetic nuances and facets."

(c) Devolvator
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2651902

***

"I didn't find progressive rock until 1984, when Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show sprang it on me at the same time as every other form of rock and metal from Steely Dan to Venom, but I was never in any doubt that it was a gamechanger a decade earlier. I imagined people who had grown up knowing exactly what music was (whatever they grew up listening to) hearing it for the first time and being shocked into wondering what was happening. In the eighties, however, it was just prog rock, as we had come to terms with what it was, put boundaries around it and labelled it off.

I mention that because this second album from Compassionizer, a musical project built around the keyboardist Ivan Rozmainsky, feels like it has to be prog rock but maybe isn't, as it ignores just as many traditions as it adheres to. This doesn't sound like Yes or Genesis or King Crimson, if they're what spring to mind when you think of prog rock. Maybe there's some Canterbury here, especially on The Man That Sitteth Not in the Seat of the Scornful. Maybe there's some krautrock in here, on An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 3), with what sound like seagulls flying out of the synths. However, I'd suggest that it doesn't sound like whichever bands you think of in either of those genres either.

So what else could it be? It isn't jazz, either, even though the main instrument is often the clarinet of Andrey Stefinoff. Yeah, I said Compassionizer was built around a keyboard player and it is, with those keyboards primarily being synths and also frequently harpsichord, as at the very outset on the intro to Follow After Meekness, but this isn't remotely Vangelis or Jean-Michel Jarre. Maybe there's some Tomita here, not that you'd ever confuse the sounds, as the main reason it isn't jazz is that every piece feels carefully built and every moment is precisely what Rozmainsky wants it to be. He's not just playing with the air to see what happens when he does interesting things to it.

And that makes me wonder if the closest comparison ought to be to contemporary composers, not that this is classical music, even with so much harpsichord and clarinet, but it is very deliberate in its composition. Rozmainsky doesn't seem particularly interested in songs with hooks, far beyond this being entirely instrumental; he's much more interested in riffs and rhythms, as well as more esoteric things like contrasts and layers, making a lot of this play out to me like a folk prog take on Philip Glass albums like Glassworks. And there are responses. This album often feels as if it's really a conversation between instruments, especially on An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 1).

If musical experimentation for its own sake sounds like an emotionless endeavour, I should point out that this is very emotional music. Different Sides of Ascension, as the title suggests, plays in a lot of different tones that elicit very different emotions. It moves from cheerful celebration into darker, more thoughtful tones but reemerges somewhat into the light before it ends. I am Sitting on the Pier is wistful. Hard-Won Humility is questioning.

Surely the most striking piece here is the title track, which appears in three very different parts. The first is thoughtful and it shifts from gentle to volatile, with the most overt guitarwork on the album. The second is martial and processional, unfolding in bold brass. The third, later on, returns to pensive and adds playful to the mix, before it gets really interesting with the introduction of an array of layers, undulating like an ocean. I should add that everything here is interesting, so when it gets even more interesting, we ought to pay attention.

If there's a problem here, it's that all these pieces of music feel like they ought to run forever, but they end and usually sooner and less clearly than I wanted them to. It's immersive stuff and I just wasn't ready to climb out of any of it. At least, there's an earlier Compassionizer album for me to check out, 2020's Caress of Compassion, and a whole slew of albums by Rozmainsky's main band, a possibly similar chamber prog outfit called Roz Vitalis, who have released ten studio albums and nine live ones since their founding in 2001, including a 2007 album called Compassionizer. I guess it may be the key to this."

(c) Hal C. F. Astell
www.apocalypselatermusic.com/2021/11/compassionizer-ambassador-in-bonds-2021.html

***

" Ivan Rozmainsky is back with his new band, Compassionizer. Their 2020 release, Caress of Compassion, received a lot of respect (as do most of Ivan's projects). "Ambient RIO"? Are they going for the John Zorn look?
1. "Follow After Meekness" (8:15) an unusual collection of themes and sounds--as if we're being led through a fun house or house of mirrors at an amusement park. (13.25/15)

2. "Different Sides of Ascension" (3:54) almost like a traditional Christmas song being offered for year-round/every day use--and perhaps played by UNIVERS ZERO. (8.75/10)

3. "Caress of Compassion (Part 4)" (3:35) pretty but perhaps a little too bare and under-developed/unrefined. (8.25/10)

4. "The Man That Sitteth Not in the Seat of the Scornful" (3:34) cutesy and yet slightly unnerving. (8/10)

5. "An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 1)" (5:00) This is the first song in which the "John Zorn" alarm went off. To be sure, it's soundtracky and "unsettling dream"-like. I'm not sure I can appreciate it much less like it: it's so personal/subjective. This ambassador must be a hedge fund operator. (8/10)

6. "An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 2)" (3:05) UZed comes to mind during this whole-band synchronized chord production. It is, surprisingly, engaging and certainly very interesting. This ambassador is a realist--and a team player. (9/10)

7. "I Am Sitting on the Pier" (3:12) a bit of an Asian flavor to this one: a pier in Hong Kong? The shift at the one minute mark is cool--as is the one 30 seconds later and again at 2:45. My favorite song on the album. (9.25/10)

8. "Hard-Won Humility" (7:17) the opening two minutes of this song remind me of Eric Satie, but then there is a cinematic shift in instrumentation and pace--a drive that reminds me of a motorized gondola in the canals of Venice. At 3:35 another shift takes us on land--in a Gator ATV! into the jungles alongside the Nile River Valley! At 5:10 every thing stops, we get off, and we look around at the spacious star-filled night sky (thanks to piano and clarinet). Interesting journey! Very cinematic. (13.25/15)

9. "An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 3)" (4:10) harpsichord! plus clarinets and electronic keyboard MIDI flutes and tuned percussives. The harpsichord is quickly lost (or abandonned) (too bad: I love harpsichord), replaced by clarinets and all electronic sounds/noises (bells, buzzes, sounds meant, I think, to imitate animal noises). Definitely the ambassador to some Banana Republic. (8.5/10)

10. "Bear Ye One Another's Burdens" (13:20) establishes a rather engaging melodic structure--over jungle rhythms-- despite the pitch-bending nature of many of the sounds. At 3:27 we open a door into a totally different section of the jungle: with a banjo and chain-saw-like electric guitar! (It's the Texas bayou!) At 5:40 slowly picked zither notes run solo until an eerie synth-wash chord takes over at 6:15--all by itself. At 6:55 a heavily-reverbed electric guitar arpeggio and strummed chord announce the labyrinthine entry into yet another section: Laurie Anderson's Blue Lagoon! A trumpet at 9:50 announces the emergence of a royal procession--riding on lumbering elephants! Another entertaining and cinematically evocative musical journey. Like any dream, some parts are surreal, absurd, and/or beautiful and, thus, memorable, while some parts are banal and forgettable. (26.5/30)

Total Time 55:22

I can see where the "avant garde ambient" description came from. Nothing here is too fast, dissonant, or muddled to be straight avant, and the music is generally low-key and slow, yet there is often a slightly unsettling melodic line or odd combination of instrumental sounds. My usual issues with Ivan Rozmainsky releases are not so present here (i.e. sound engineering choices, qualitative inconsistencies in the levels of both composition and performance), though the typical scatteredness in stylistic musical choices could be said to be here--are what, perhaps, give the compositions their dream-like cinematic qualities.

B/four stars; an interesting musical listening experience that I would recommend to others--with the precautionary warning that one should probably give it your full attention for at least the first listen as there are instances and events that might prove jarring or even alarming if one were not braced in the safety of a chair or tub."

(c) BrufordFreak
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2650883

***

"In late 2020, I reviewed the debut album from Compassionizer. Anyone who read that review will know that the files I reviewed from were not fully titled, so I was perhaps coming to the music from a different angle than had I known the full titles. And yet, much of the time what I heard in the music really wasn’t far from what I think I would have heard had I known the actual titles and I somehow reached the same place, which says a lot for how vivid the imagery evoked by instrumental music can be, and how great a composer Ivan Rozmainsky is. Although I probably should have known (from my knowledge of Roz Vitalis), it didn’t occur to me how much of the album is wrapped up within Christian imagery. Perhaps because I’m an agnostic atheist, I simply don’t recognise this way of thinking unless it is presented overtly. Upon discovering the full titles of the tracks of Caress of Compassion, the Christian imagery does become overt. Yet, lest this puts anyone off (and it shouldn’t), it is not overbearing. Rather, it seems to me that Rozmainsky uses the Bible as an analogy for events and circumstances occurring contemporaneously.

I’m going to quote my opening paragraph to my previous review, as I think it is still appropriate here: “Compassion sounds like a warm and fuzzy word. And yet, when you think about it, it is almost the opposite. Compassion is essentially the sympathetic consciousness of and concern for the suffering, distress and misfortunes of others. Its Latin roots translate it almost literally as ‘suffer with’. Not so warm and fuzzy then? I mention this because it is something I hadn’t thought about before listening to Compasionizer’s debut album, Caress of Compassion. I was expecting something cosy and comfortable, warm and inviting, and what I heard did not always match those expectations. So, then a ‘Caress of Suffering’, an almost paradoxical combination of ugliness and beauty wrapped up in twelve exquisite and atmospheric tracks, at once subtle and grandiose.”

The caress of compassion is possibly a nod to the compassion of Christ, which can also be called the suffering of Christ. But that Christian imagery is not so much the message of the music (at least, as I hear it), so much as a means to an end. I still reached that end without that means, but it’s interesting now to look back and listen again with fresh ears. The first track of Caress of Compassion, I knew only as “Whole” when I was reviewing it. Its complete title is actually The Whole Creation Travaileth in Pain Together, which is a near quote from the Bible equating life as we know it to childbirth. It’s a hopeful message of salvation that neither ignores nor dismisses human suffering. Pain is real, and we all experience suffering. There is acknowledgment that pain is not pleasant, and that suffering is miserable. The analogy is to a woman in labour, because we all know that no woman wants that pain, itself, but she is willing to endure it because of the joyful result it brings. That is a universal message, regardless of whether you are theist or atheist, gnostic or agnostic.

Compassionizer’s latest album begins with a similar message. Like The Whole…, Follow After Meekness appears to be an abbreviation of a Bible passage. Meekness is one of six traits that are suggested we follow, the others being righteousness, godliness, faith, love, and steadfastness. Meekness in this sense is often given as gentleness, and could even be called… compassion. So, in a sense (even if it is one only of my own thinking), it’s the perfect title for the second album, showing us what follows after (Caress of) compassion, as well as providing what seems to me to be the central theme and concept of this new album. To me, An Ambassador in Bonds seems to be a reaction to the world-changing events following the introduction of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The advice given in the Bible, of which following after meekness is part, is mainly about the avoidance of evil, of false doctrine, and pseudo-intellectual debates. I don’t think I need to say more, in that respect. Similarly, …Seat of the Scornful in its title might also imply not taking this “counsel of the wicked”.

But this is all speculation on my part, and I should probably attempt to concentrate on what I can actually hear, rather than what I infer. So how does An Ambassador in Bonds sound? Well, quite frankly, marvellous, and Follow After Meekness is not only an impressive introduction to the sound of Compassionizer’s latest offering, but is also easily one of my favourite pieces on the album. It’s a magnificent opening statement, which also makes clear right from the start, that the experimentation in instrumentation that was begun on the intermediate EP, Your Gold and Silver is Cankered, is continuing. The sound of the harpsichord which I enjoyed on the EP is integrated more effectively into Compassionizer’s sound for this album, and never sounds too much. Neither too present, nor overbearing, it provides one more layer of texture and colour to music that blends beautifully with all the others. The sound of An Ambassador in Bonds is fuller than its predecessor, but still contains all the elements of the debut that made it such a delight to listen to.

I love the nod to continuity and connection with a fourth part of Caress of Compassion, before An Ambassador in Bonds serves up its own multi-part title track. The whole affair continues the wonderful melange of styles such as ambient, avant and classical. There are hints of the fabled Canterbury sound, via Constantinople. I love the quite different ways the three parts of the title track approach its melody from quite different directions. And, in a sense, the track Different Sides of Ascension is the album’s sound in microcosm: on one side, there is a positivity and optimism that was almost entirely absent in Caress of Compassion; but on the other there remains an undercurrent of unease and uncertainty. But while these are, indeed, two different sides, the victor of the two is shown in the ascension – for An Ambassador in Bonds is ascendant, and jubilant. This also dovetails nicely with the idea of an ambassador in bonds within the Bible, as while it might seem paradoxical for an ambassador to be in bonds (just as the combination of outwardly contradictory and conflicting styles and moods of Compassionizer might seem paradoxical), the message still rings clear, and is delivered despite any barrier, and without prejudice.

The album concludes with Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens, which bookends the album nicely for me, with my interpretation of the album – even though it may not be the intended one at all. During the last couple of years, those who have followed after meekness, and not sat in the seat of the scornful, and those who have worn the masks, and been vaccinated. Not to protect themselves, but to protect others. Ultimately all precautions against COVID-19 have been based on selflessness, not selfishness. There have been two different sides of ascension, with those who have faced adversity with positivity and taken up the precautions offered – even when they offer protection more for others than oneself; and those who have expressed unease and uncertainty about those precautions, and even railed against them. I’d like to think that in the world, as on this album, the positivity seems to outweigh the uncertainty, and that the message of compassion and empathy and shared suffering is growing, despite any and all bonds. The bookending, for me, is not just with this album, though, but the predecessor as well. To return to The Whole Creation Travaileth in Pain Together, we are also waiting for the day when the suffering will end and all will be made right. With Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens, we are getting closer to that day.

I know there is probably a more personal meaning for Ivan Rozmainsky, and my own interpretation is likely way off the mark, but every listener takes ownership of an album in their own way, and this is how An Ambassador in Bonds speaks to me. An album of the times, for sure – but absolutely certainly also a timeless album that I shall treasure for years to come."

(с) Nick Hudson
theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2022/01/31/45128/?fbclid=IwAR1RHyJvz993HVwOCt-s6DfO_xFSnMiFvqupEke5WW2Qxs5flouJWuKSXp4

***

"The second full-length release from Compassionizer, An Ambassador In Bonds, follows 2020's Caress Of Compassion. Compassionizer are an off-shoot from Roz Vitalis, sharing some personnel, and the collective are named after a 2007 album by Roz Vitalis.

The musical pallet on An Ambassador In Bonds includes bass clarinets, clarinets, trumpet, harpsichord and other keyboards, guitar and some instruments that I've never heard of before such as tbilat, rubab and doira (look them up if you're interested, I did). So, you can guess this is not your standard prog fare, but then again Roz Vitalis are also an individual-sounding group.

Compassionizer produce music that encompasses neo-classical, chamber art-prog, folk, world music, some avant-prog and ambient. This release is fully instrumental.

The opening track, Follow After Meekness, tells you all you need to know their individual sound-world. It has the delightfully-strange feel of medieval minstrels let-loose with a mix of electric and acoustic instruments on an eclectic folk/classical hybrid melody. Starting with harpsichord, then moving on with rich, warm clarinets, bass synth and tribal rhythms. It sounds like a classical chamber music version of Änglagård.

As An Ambassador In Bonds moves forward, Compassionizer add enough twists and turns to keep one's ears glued to the speakers. Organ and percussion illuminate the sunny melody of Different Sides Of Ascension. Gentle acoustic accents flow through Caress Of Compassion (Part 4)'s haunted folk, while the splendidly titled The Man That Sitteth Not In The Seat Of The Scornful has an early Soft Machine vibe.

On Hard-Won Humility, wah-wah guitar lines and slinky synth bass give way to a Michael Nyman-style coda of parping clarinets. The closing track, Bear Ye One Another's Burdens, starts like the soundtrack to an achingly hip late-1960s TV show before ending like a jazzy Prokoviev.

But it's not all good for me. The three-part title track has some issues. Part 1 is a drifting ambient meets avant-prog dissonance that just does nothing. Part 2 recovers my interest slightly with its fanfare for multi-tracked wind instruments and Part 3 descends from Mellotron and clarinets into screechy, bird-like noises. Not for me I'm afraid.

Overall, Compassionizer's An Ambassador in Bonds is an interesting listen in its Änglagård-meets-Gryphon-in-a-baroque-theme-park way."

(c) Martin Burns
www.dprp.net/reviews/2021/170#compassionizer

***

"Ivan Rozmainsky’s Compassionizer returns with their second full length album, An Ambassador in Bonds. Unlike the dreary gothic atmosphere of their debut album, Caress of Compassion, An Ambassador in Bonds takes a more minimal approach to their neo-classical atmospheric music. Rozmainsky’s harpsichord playing features on a number of the tracks, bridging the past to the future. The ten instrumentals are a mixture of electric, electronic, and acoustic instruments, noticeably bass clarinet, clarinet, trumpets, and harpsichord. The music itself moves between neo-classical, jazz prog fusion, RIO, and ambience, quite an accomplishment! An Ambassador in Bonds is a metaphor for a person who carries out their mission in any area of creativity and faced with the challenge of overcoming different restrictions. If you enjoy non-trivial sophisticated music that defies description, be sure to check this one out."

(c) Henry Schneider
expose.org/index.php/articles/display/compassionizer-an-ambassador-in-bonds-6.html

***

"The album "An Ambassador in Bonds" is as good (and atmospheric) as the first one. The same turns and twists, the same "Petersburg" mood of the Silver Age of Russian poetry. Poetic images are felt in every note. If the poets of this era could clothe their words in music, then it would be just like that. The alternation of light and dark sections of musical constructions reminds me of Russian periods in general, without which they do not exist. Either wandering in search of the meaning of existence, then the joy of finding it run like a red thread through the tracks and lead the audience out of any dead end that prevents them from reaching the heights of flaming optimism. Listen to this! And you will have an even greater desire to learn, to work and to make yourself. Further wishes to this collective: "move" their works towards symphonic ones. And there it is not far from ready-made requiems."

(c) Naida Regent
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2598240

***

"Russian project Compassionizer is out with the album "An Ambassador in Bonds", and this striking construction is one that belongs inside a progressive rock context better than anywhere else. A description that strikes me as apt, as there aren't all that many rock music elements to be found here, although some do appear and then most notably on the concluding epic 'Bear Ye One Another's Burdens'. What the greater majority of this album revolves around is the combination of elements from four different types of music. The two most notable ones are classic music and ambient music, with the former adding more of a chamber music feel and the latter cosmic textures and then often of a darker toned variety. The additional dimensions here are folk music and jazz, and the specialty of the songs on this album is how all of these four styles are interwoven, floating in and out of each other throughout. Or rather three of them does so, as the cosmic sounds tends to be a bit more of a constant undercurrent. Some impulses from progressive rock and psychedelic music find their way into the material here as well, and the occasional addition of the organ adds a bit of a sacral feeling to the compositions when present. An album to seek out by those with a taste for music that is different in a number of different manners, and those with a passion for classical music and chamber music who also tends to enjoy musicians creating music in a true progressive spirit should feel right at home with this production."

(c) Progressor.Net
www.********.com/official.progressor.net/posts/5406017522744100?notif_id=1650093186382939&notif_t=page_tag&ref=notif

***

"Intéressons-nous aujourd’hui au groupe russe Compassionizer, trio formé autour d’Ivan Rozmainsky (claviers, percussions), Leonid Perevalov (clarinette, clarinette basse) et Sergei Liubcenco (guitare, doyre, rubab) – instrumentation peu commune pour une musique qui ne l’est pas moins, comme nous le verrons. Compassionizer est aussi le nom d’un album d’un autre groupe russe, Roz Vitalis, groupe auquel participe également Ivan Rozmainsky. Il faut certainement y voir une filiation. Si en plus des quelques instruments listés plus haut il y a aussi du clavecin, vous imaginez sans peine que le deuxième opus du groupe, « An Ambassador In Bonds » à toutes les chances d’être une expérience musicale inédite. Rassurez-vous, il s’agit bien de musique, et inédit ne signifie en rien un avant-gardisme abscons difficile à écouter. Imaginez plutôt une sorte de world music non localisée géographiquement, mêlant modalité, polytonalité, rythmes complexes, et bien d’autres choses encore.

Le plus simple est finalement d’écouter l’entame « Follow After Meekness » qui est une excellente introduction à cette musique, tour à tour classicisante, ethnique et psychédélique. Un motif lancinant au clavecin, puis une étrange mélodie à la clarinette, suivie d’un passage à la guitare électrique, et d’un roulement de tambour tribal, et puis on recommence. Plus directement accessible, « Different Sides of Ascension », fait entendre le chant décidé de la clarinette, et aussi quelques inquiétantes notes graves à la clarinette basse (un instrument assez étonnant).

image
On l’aura compris, « Caress of Compassion (Part 4) » reprend là on en était resté dans l’album précédent et vient clore dans la même atmosphère musicale cette suite en 4 parties. La piste-titre quant à elle est distribuée en 3 parties distinctes dont seules les deux premières sont juxtaposées. Ces deux premières parties font un large appel aux clarinettes, la 2eme étant traitée sous forme d’un choral aux vents uniquement. La 3eme partie débute avec une certaine similitude avec la première piste, mais reste dans des atmosphères très éthérées.

« I Am Sitting On The Pier » est un petit bijou avec sa mélodie modale et son rythme syncopé, et un passage tout en harmonies jazz. Plus développé « Hard-Won Humility » qui débute avec une simple mélodie presque a capella, laisse peu à peu se mettre en place une rythmique rapide et syncopée du plus bel effet. La toute fin reprend au piano le thème du début.

« Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens » est un long développement sonore qui débute sur une sorte de valse lente au clavecin, puis on passe subtilement sur un rythme à 5 temps du plus bel effet sur des sonorités cuivrées à la trompette. Plus loin on trouve un passage débridé basse et guitare distordue. Plus loin encore retour du tambour tribal et du thème initial à la clarinette. La toute fin se perd dans des atmosphères éthérées et lumineuses et la musique se clôt sur une longue tenue en mi majeur.

Aux qualificatifs donnés en entrée, on pourrait rajouter un certain goût pour le minimalisme et l’ambient music, tandis que l’instrumentation nous ramène à une sorte de musique de chambre moderne. Si l’aspect mélodique est somme toute assez présent tout au long de l’album, il faut plusieurs écoutes pour appréhender toute la saveur de l’univers musical d’Ivan Rozmainsky. Vous l’avez déjà compris, rien ici ne ressemble au rock traditionnel, fût-il progressif. La démarche musicale est sans doute proche de ce que faisaient des artistes tels que Peter Hammill ou Robert Wyatt. Bref si vous êtes amateur des musiques classiques dites modernes ou tout simplement curieux d’écouter quelque chose de différent, « An Ambassador In Bonds » est à découvrir absolument !"

(c) Pierre
progcritique.com/compassionizer-an-ambassador-in-bonds/

***

"Ivan ROZMAINSKY, le fondateur du groupe russe ROZ VITALIS poursuit son projet introspectif avec le deuxième album sous le nom COMPASSIONIZER. 'Ambassador in Bonds' est une collection de morceau instrumentaux fusionnant une instrumentation moderne ('Arturia Minibrute') et folklorique (un luth afghan ou une tambourine ouzbek) pour nous donner un son RIO médiéval et méditatif sur le thème de la compassion. Un opus sans doute né du grand confinement covidien, COMPASSIONIZER est riche et délicat mais un peu sombre et contraignant à mon goût. Oui, la pandémie invite à la patience, gentillesse et compassion mais tous ces musiciens en quarantaine devraient peut-être aussi nous apporter du soleil et des sourires. Enfin.

ROZ VITALIS a souvent été comparé à GENTLE GIANT mais on est loin de ceci maintenant.
Le groupe crée une texture intéressante avec une trame de jazz moderne sur un fond moyen-oriental par moment. Les pistes sont captivantes et les arrangements surprenants, le choix des instruments, les percussions subtiles et les apports de clarinettes demeurent très innovants. Il y a de nombreux morceaux. ‘Follow After Meekness’ donne un bon échantillon de ce qui vous attend avec son ouverture de clavecin puis son rythme un peu tribal et ses guitares complexes. Différent mais bien fait. On remarquera qu'on morceau complète une trilogie de l'album précédant 'Caress of Compassion' et que 'Ambassador in Bonds’, la pièce-titre y figure en trois parties. Très éclectique et intimiste. Un morceau qui m'a plu est 'Hard-won Humility' avec ses instruments à vent et ses cuivres en écho et son thème en arpège puis son luth oriental en duo avec des basses de synthé. Simple et efficace. La pièce la plus longue fait 13+ minutes et est empreinte de religiosité: Portez les fardeaux des autres! Même recette, des cuivres, des tambours, une sorte de danse un peu mystérieuse. On se croirait dans une fête sous une tente avec Alexandre le Grand.

Même avec toutes ses subtilités, cette inventivité et son message très spirituel, il en demeure que la musique de COMPASSIONIZER reste difficile à saisir, et pourrait ne pas plaire à tous. Il y a un côté un peu 'zeuhl' rugueux que je n'arrive pas à définir. Autrement c'est décidément un album différent avec de la beauté dans le détail et un engagement spirituel indéniable. Les musiciens sont excellents, la production réussie et la présentation soignée."

(c) Denis Boisvert
www.profilprog.com/reviews-2022-2/compassionizer

***

"Imbattersi, forse non troppo casualmente, in un’opera sofisticata come “An Ambassador In Bonds” dei Compassionizer provoca gioia e felicità. Per tanti motivi. Primo, sono dei musicisti veramente capaci; secondo, sanno trasmettere i loro sentori e senza strafare; terzo, sono un gruppo transnazionale che abbraccia ciò che ora è diviso, infatti provengono da Russia, Germania e Ucraina.

L’ensemble Compassionizer è un progetto nato nel 2020 durante il lockdown e prende il nome da un album del 2007 di Roz Vitalis, con l’idea metafisica che sia fare musica che ascoltarla dovrebbe contribuire allo sviluppo di qualità umane come simpatica, empatia e compassione.

Il titolo dell’album (il loro secondo) è una metafora di una persona che svolge il proprio ministero e missione in qualsiasi area della creatività e si trova di fronte alla necessità di superare vari vincoli. Esso contiene diversi strumenti, tra cui non solo sintetizzatori e chitarre, ma anche clavicembalo, clarinetto basso, clarinetto, tromba, doira, rubab, ecc.; quindi Oriente e Occidente. Suono insolito, composizioni polifoniche, tempi dispari, melodie accattivanti, stati d’animo oscuri, atmosfera ipnotica, ossia un incrocio fra world music, avant-jazz, camera avant-Prog, psichedelica ed elettronica. Questo, in sintesi, quello che vi aspetta ascoltando il disco in questione. Ma c’è di più, andando in profondità.

“Follow After Meekness” annuncia l’avvio delle danze con rintocchi di un piano interrogativo, ma subito dopo si mette in pratica l’alchimia sonora dei nostri, grazie a un coacervo di idee mescolate insieme sulla falsariga di un messaggio di coesione sociale.

“Different Sides of Ascension” corre verso l’azzurro, armonica e bilanciata come fosse un soffio di vento gentile. La linea di clarino è solenne, ma lascia spazio alle percussioni ora minacciose, ora soft.

“Caress of Compassion (Part 4)” pare una favola raccontata da chi ci ama, un forte messaggio simbolico che potrebbe essere portato al Cremlino d’oggigiorno. Non essendoci mai fine alla follia umana, chi può medicarla se non la compassione e il Bene supremo?

“The Man That Sitteth Not in the Seat of the Scornful” è dark e a tratti marziale, una traccia dove non c’è compromesso. Questa visione fa parte della natura, ma va stemperata con l’impegno. Ma ora siamo qui.

“An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 1 e 2)” sono il fulcro dell’album, due sguardi contrapposti alla mercè della pietà caritatevole che contraddistingue la maggior parte di noi. Forse. Il lavoro d’intersezione fra gli strumenti crea un insieme pieno e benevolo, a tratti liquido, che vuole raggiungere il cuore dell’ascoltatore. La seconda parte ha i fiati come elemento predominante, espressione di una processione d’anime che si ritrovano a parlare, proseguendo nel dialogo.

“I Am Sitting on the Pier” ossia metafora d’attesa e speranza. Rappresentata magistralmente dalla dolcezza e dalla concretezza degli strumentisti, vuole attirare a sè un migliaio di occhi per carpirne il messaggio.

“Hard-Won Humility” è sentore di sorpresa che si trasforma nel pezzo migliore del disco. Atmosfere simili portano in un mondo onirico difficile da ritrovare altrore. Le percussioni sono magnetiche, ma è il lavoro delle tastiere che provoca magia. Il wah wah della chitarra, dosato nei giusti termini, aggiunge quel tocco che completa il quadro insieme al clarinetto fatato.

“An Ambassador in Bonds (Part 3)” riprende da dove era finita la seconda parte, ed è ancora una volta la celestiale impronta che i Compassionizer vogliono imprimere al nostro sentore. Il loro intento, spiegato all’inizio dell’articolo, riesce in pieno nell’impresa prefissata.

“Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens”, ultima mastodontica traccia del disco, con i suoi oltre 13 minuti, mette in evidenza tutti i pregi dei vari membri del gruppo, in un gioco intrepido che vuole rimarcare le caratteristiche di ognuno, ma in maniera coesa e fantasiosa. Si attraversano diverse stanze della natura umana, in un paradigma che fa sembrare questo pezzo come un disco nel disco.

Per varietà, impressioni e volontà resta un meraviglioso esempio di cosa rappresenti la Musica attuale e vera. Uno sforzo stilistico senza pari. Un consiglio: fatelo vostro."

(c) Andrea Pintelli
mat2020.blogspot.com/2022/04/compassionizer-ambassador-in-bonds-di.html?fbclid=IwAR0FQQQmx-qu9vluJdQ0LC3sV9wV6lk_EAj3ULUojyltUp0_yKxBl_tkQBI&m=1

credits

released October 1, 2021

This opus is the second full-length studio album by Compassionizer.
If you like non-trivial atmospheric and sophisticated hard-to-define instrumental music that "An Ambassador in Bonds" can be your cup of tea!
An Ambassador in Bonds is a metaphor for a person who carries out his or her ministry and mission in any areas of creativity and is faced with the need to overcome various constraints.

Bayun the Cat – synth bass, tbilat, cowbell (1), recording
Serghei Liubcenco – electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, rubab, doira, other percussion and drums, recording
Leonid Perevalov – bass clarinets, some clarinets (5) and (8), recording
Ivan Rozmainsky – conception, harpsichord, Arturia MiniBrute, other synths, bell (3), recording
AndRey Stefinoff – all clarinets except some clarinets (5) and (8), recording

With thanks to:

Oleg Prilutsky – trumpets, recording
Kira Malevskaya - recording of harpsichord

Anatoly Nikulin – mixing and mastering
Vyacheslav Potapov (VP) - artwork

[7] is developed from Ivan Rozmainsky’s soundtrack to the poem of the same name written by Maria Leontieva. Special thanks for inspiration.

Released by ArtBeat Music

BIG THANKS TO THE UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT

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Compassionizer

Compassionizer - is experimental/chamber/avantprog project created by Ivan Rozmainsky of Roz Vitalis. Musicians focus on Melody and Atmosphere, but together with complex arrangements, unpredictable development of musical lines and odd time signatures. The essential goal of Compassionizer is to contribute to the development of such human qualities as sympathy, empathy and compassion. ... more

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