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Artist: Calvin Jones
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Calvin Jones:

After the Conquest

American composer and pianist Calvin Jones and his wife, a native of Kiev, Ukraine, were awakened in their apartment on February 24th at 5 am to the sound of loud sirens and bombs going off around them. Since their narrow escape from Kiev, they have moved from Romania to Montenegro to Greece in order to find a semi-permanent home, hoping they can return back to their apartment in Ukraine one day.

Since then, they have been assisting other escapees and supporting those left behind. “It has been heartbreaking to see so many people killed, injured, and displaced by this senseless war. We are and have been working to get as many people out as possible, assisting those having to find new homes and getting supplies like food, water, and medication to people still in Ukraine – and there are so many needs right now. We are working with individuals and organizations on the ground to try to meet as many of these very practical, material needs as possible. We have been in touch with so many people who continually risk their lives taking supplies to elderly, infirmed and others who desperately need help. They are the reason we decided to dedicate the video of ‘After the Conquest’ to them. They are real heroes and have been mostly overlooked.” says Calvin.

The music video features footage recorded by a Ukrainian who stayed behind and has documented much of the destruction. The footage centers around the Kiev, Ukraine area and shows how businesses, homes, apartments, vehicles, and nature have all been destroyed because of missiles, gunfire, and tanks. It also features Calvin performing his arrangement of “After the Conquest” with the Lviv Virtuosos Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine. “This video is extremely important to us to show what’s happening from the perspective of people who are still living in Ukraine. Journalists tend to gravitate to areas where the most damage is located, but we wanted to represent how the millions of little ways that everyday life, as people have experienced over the last several decades, has been devastated and ruined.” added Calvin.

Calvin Jones:

Shchedryk - Carol of the Bells

American composer and pianist Calvin Jones never thought he’d find himself in the middle of a war zone but at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 24, 2022, he and his wife Inga, a native from Ukraine, were awoken by loud sirens and bombs going off around Kyiv, Ukraine and close enough to their apartment to have them react immediately. Suspecting the worst, they both frantically put what they could in their car while gathering news that Russia was bombing their country. Both quickly packed the car and started their dangerous and arduous journey to the border where they would find refuge at a friend’s home in Bucharest, Romania. Spending a few days there to collect themselves, they grabbed a replacement digital piano in Bucharest, strapped it to the top of the car and pressed on to Montenegro – all while spending much of their time helping others evacuate and assist those who stayed, including elderly, orphans, caregivers, musicians and others. “The situation is dire. We are desperately trying to get resources to those stuck in Ukraine and help as many people as we can out and to safety,” says Calvin.

Last week Jones released ‘Shchedryk” (Carol of the Bells) for the very first time and will give 100% of the proceeds to two charitable organizations helping victims of the invasion; Loads of Love and Music Mission Kiev. To download the song click here (calvinjones.com/ukraine). All monies collected from downloads will be distributed directly to the two charities. The song is available for download via Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon and CalvinJones.com.