twenty-one today
In celebration of their twenty-first brithday, ex-refuseniks and legends of Russian progressive rock Vezhlivi Otkaz toss a sound salad to Gorky MKhAT.
TEXT FRANCIS MERSON feedback
In the late eighties, Vezhlivi Otkaz, a group of ex-MIFI students, were the musical embodiment of a “polite refusal” to yield to Soviet ideology. Nowadays, their music is, in many ways, a period piece, and would fall under the category of progressive rock — a convenient label for any ensemble that thinks outside of the square. But it is free jazz, rather than rock, that is the wellstone of Vezhlivi Otkaz’s inspiration, as their melodies burst with unpredictable rhythms and unexpected atonal modulations. But it’s hard to generalize about a group that has gone through so many diverse phases. They began in 1985 as a reggae-ska band, before going totally avant-garde and adding elements of performance to their concerts — the band would dress in ripped tuxedoes and throw pieces of raw meat into the audience. But the chaos of the group’s live shows is in diametric contrast to the almost academic order of the group’s music, where every instrument plays a distinct role in a delicate balance of sound. Vezhlivi Otkaz writes whole scores, not just chords and melodies, and even their improvisation is subjugated to the strictest musical organization. Singer/guitarist Roman Suslov is the group’s unofficial leader, and is responsible for lyrics like “Leave the city/ Stupid people/ Run naked and hide in the woods.” Apart from dispersing sensible advice like this, Vezhlivi Otkaz are also known for their bold experiments with language. For a time the group sang songs written in “concrete poetry,” where words are replaced by meaningless phonemes — “Ai-rah, ra-doo, ib-rah-hee,” that sort of thing. Funnily enough, this technique stood them in good stead during their European tours in the early nineties. The group has not performed together for over three years, and Suslov, now a horse farmer, is returning from a complete break from music. But the group should be in fine fettle for the Gorky MKhAT concert on March 24 — they have been practicing and preparing for the last few months. The concert will consist of some new compositions as well as old favorites, and will kick off at 8 p.m. Tickets go from 500 to 4,000 rubles. |
