UpSide 3. Octopus.

UpSide 3 is a new project by Dmytro Aleksandrov, this time he addresses a more compact composition than that of Skhid-Side, and at the same time a freer language. A trio is an optimum option when you have a lot of topics for a conversation, but at the same time you need brevity. And – this is a challenge. Reduction of the composition has logically resulted in that sounding of all the instruments involved acquired more voluminous tints – as a result, both the monologues, and dialogs and joint conversations sound very saturated. Refined and simple, free and expressive – this program has already had time to acquire the name of a "truly European" one. I first heard it from an open scene in spring 2008, and the wind was warm, and the space was long, and the music was – indescribably wonderful. Just like this – it rejected all words, embarrassed, conjured and dipped into the twilight silence... Strictly speaking, UpSide 3 is that happy occasion when the result is bigger than the sum of constituents. I was thinking after the concert that it should have been really a pity if they did not manage to record and release all that miracle – and here it is, the response: the album "Octopus" has seen the light of the day. This seems to be the first trio jazz album released in Ukraine in the composition "bass clarinet (soprano saxophone) – contrabass – drums". This is also the first album where Dmytro Aleksandrov plays the bass clarinet, and plays it in such a cool and inspired way that only the saxophone parties compel us to remembering that he is a masterful saxophone player. Moreover, for Oleg Markov this is the first full-fledged studio album, and for Denis Dudko – a pleasant convincing return to jazz. So, by all means "Octopus" is one of the most significant events of this year in Ukrainian jazz, and simply – an extremely good disc.