Serhii Artemov In Memoriam

Serhii Artemov: In Memoriam
Misha Lyshenko/Ukrainian Institute
40 Pages
ISBN: 978-617-7699-56-8
Ukrainian Institute
2024

One day Serhii Artemov was playing jazz, exchanging musical ideas with his fellow musicians as he had done for years. The future looked bright for the young composer and bassist from Dnipro. The next day he was exchanging gunfire with the Russian army that had invaded his Ukrainian homeland. Overnight, he was fighting for his country's future.

Serhii Artemov was no soldier. The double bass and the bass guitar were the tools of his trade. Yet there was no doubt in his mind as to the right course of action when Putin's armored columns rolled across the Ukrainian border in February 2022, igniting the largest and bloodiest conflict on European soil since World War II. Artemov wasted little time in volunteering for his military's assault brigade, taking the fight to the Russian army. He lost his life in combat near Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, on 18 April, 2023. He was 29 years old.

Serhii Artemov: In Memoriam, an initiative of the Ukrainian Institute in collaboration with musician/composer Misha Lyshenko, pays homage to a young musician cut down in the prime of his life. Testimony from former bandmates and friends, fellow musicians and colleagues in the music industry combine to portray a multifaceted, multi-talented individual, one who refused to be beaten by life's cruel vicissitudes (he was orphaned at 16) and who instead radiated modesty, kindness and joy.

Along with these personal recollections, the book contains detailed musical scores to ten of Artemov's compositions (of which 8 are previously unreleased) along with commentary on their origin and character. The notes accompanying the composition "Digital Monks," to cite one example, explain how Artemov took as his initial influence the music of Medeski Martin & Wood and the melodic spirit of John Scofield. What emerges from the texts and scores when taken together are the broad range of influences, rhythmically and melodically speaking that fired Artemov's imagination and colored his music. Titles such as "Solitude," "Ballad," "Tangerine Moon" and "Tibetan Singing Bowl" are also suggestive of a romantic at heart.

In addition, QR codes direct the reader to videos of Artemov's various groups: Danylo Vinarikov Ensemble; Dark Side Trio; Elevation Trio; and Vibe Trio. Some of Artemov's compositions included here were not recorded during his lifetime, though this book may just provide the inspiration for others to pick up the mantle.

This volume may be slim, but it resonates with Serhil Artemov's passion for music and with the love and respect that he inspired in those who collaborated with him. Since his passing, concerts and jam sessions have been held in Artemov's honor, including at at NUEJAZZ festival in Nürnberg, Germany. It is not the only posthumous honor accorded Serhii Artemov. A medal for military service to Ukraine was accepted on Serhil's behalf by his brother, Andriy Artemov—a recognition that will no doubt have tremendous significance for his family. But it is Serhil Artemov's music that will provide his wider lasting legacy. Thanks to the Ukrainian Institute's publication his music will now travel well beyond Ukraine's embattled borders.

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Interested musicians or music teachers can request a PDF of the book (a limited number of physical copies are available) from the Ukrainian Institute.

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