Live in Vilnius Album

Improvising music is probably the best example of kind of art where both individuality and collectivity can be expressed in one single piece. In this album, however, one can find how differently musicians act regarding of circumstances they play – solo and in ensembles - and how spontaneous collaboration can be productive when improvisers from different places of the world gather to express their creativity in music.No doubt that for two Russian musicians - saxophonist Ilia Belorukov and pianist Roman Stolyar -  there was nothing new in playing duo together – before concert in Vilnius they already have had opportunity to play (and even record) together in trio Dots & Lines. Besides, each of them is quite experienced improviser, whose manner of playing music has been formed under many different influences – from classical music to rock, from noise to ethnic music. Also, there was definitely nothing new for two outstanding Lithuanian musicians – drummer Arkady Gotesman and trombonist Skirmantas Sasnauskas – in a situation when they meet “strangers’ right on stage and play with them – they did that dozens of times before. But in the world of improvising music everything is new when one starts improvise – with no plans, no scores, no agreement with his own self or with other participants of improvising ensemble. Every piece played by such kind of ensemble will never be repeated in its exact shape – and only recording can remind us how that was. Well, here is live recording of fifty-minute performance of absolutely spontaneous music – a result of sudden collaboration of four musicians from Russia and Lithuania which happened in Vilnius at one warm December night. Enjoy.
Roman Stolyar - piano, recorders, melodicaIlia Belorukov - alto & baritone saxophonesSkirmantas Sasnauskas - tromboneArkadij Gotesmanas - drumsLive at St. Catherine's Church, Vilnius, December 12, 2008Mastered by Ilia Belorukov, December 2009