One of the missions Leo Feigin, founder of Leo Records, set for himself with his label was the dissemination of the music of improvising Russian musicians who had garnered very little prior exposure in the West.
Ganelin Trio, led by keyboardist Vyacheslav Ganelin, was one of the primary bands in this venture. This live double LP is a representative sample of their work, although it differs somewhat from their previous oeuvre in that Ganelin is heard in some of his earliest explorations of the synthesizer. To some extent, the group takes as its model
Cecil Taylor's early-'60s trio with
Jimmy Lyons and Sonny Murray. Aside from the similar instrumentation, the trio's use of space and lengthy explorations, not to mention aspects of Ganelin's piano playing, owe something to Taylor. But Ganelin's style is rooted more in European Romanticism, allowing for more fluid and "pretty" episodes, and he also retains a unique sense of playfulness and wit. His synthesizer work is effective, used more as atmosphere enhancer and abstract sound source than as a psychedelic organ. Tarasov's soprano and alto contributions are wry and slippery and Chekasin's percussion is fleet and precise, but both tend to be in supportive roles to Ganelin, who is clearly the driving force. Issued in a limited edition of 500 on LP. ~ Brian Olewnick