Yuri Goloubev - Two Chevrons Apart (2020)

Born in Moscow, bassist and composer Yuri Goloubev has made the transition between a classical music career and jazz performance with unusual fluidity. He has featured on over 100 recordings. 'Two Chevrons Apart' features a quartet with Tim Garland, John Turville and Asaf Sirkis and is his first release as leader for Basho Records (he also featured on Gwilym Simcock's Blues Vignette album). Goloubev had a quartet with soprano saxophone in mind from the outset, the soprano providing the most suitable vehicle for the melodic content of this music. He has created a set of pieces that work together stylistically, emphasising compositional logic, lingering melodic lines and intricate harmony, making the music accessible without compromise. The ensemble features saxophonist Tim Garland and percussionist Asaf Sirkis, two musicians with whom Goloubev has frequently collaborated. They are joined by pianist John Turville. This is a unit of musicians with whom Goloubev feels completely comfortable and together, they are able to play in a more exploratory way. Goloubev's mischievous sense of humour also characterises the music. There is a love of wordplay and a fondness for comic imagery implied in the album title (an ironic response to the idea of being 'oceans apart') and the wryly named 'Dead End Date'. The piece 'Cemetery Symmetry' parodies image conscious musicians. Rather than writing 'bass-lead' music, Goloubev aimed for all musicians to have equal roles. He also seeks to distinguish between the accompanying and solo roles of the bass, accompanying in relatively conventional ways but seeking to emulate the phrasing of a wind instrument or the piano when soloing. Goloubev's music draws both from his experience as an improvising jazz musician and from his classical background, with the piece Beethoven and Schubert: Friends...? inspired by two sonatas. The combination of melodic and harmonic depth with playfulness should have wide appeal with audiences.