11 Apr

Tamara Lukasheve Quartet – Homebridge (released on 25th of January 2019) Label: Traumton, IndigoCD 165782

By grzech In Music Reviews / No Comments

Ukrainian Singer, and now also long time German resident, Tamara Lukasheva is the most striking new discovery and an incredible talent I recently came across and given her quality it might easily stay like that the whole year long. First, her vocal skills are phenomenal, then add to that the Voice, which is capable to surprise you anytime she would feel like taking a little part improvised. And, if it wasn’t yet enough for a single artist, on top of that you are getting a sensitivity which crosses between the usual heritage and cultural background. That last point is possibly most responsible for the freshness of that recording to the greatest degree.

From an opening Night and the Moon, sung half in Russian half in English, she sets an incredible romanticism over the entire piece. Music alone, but also her lyrics which had been balancing between an oriental ballad and melancholic Dumka, trying to describe the sense of loneliness.

Then comes tittle song, the Homebridge, lovely romantic ballade with fantastic piano accompaniment by Sebastian Scobel. Very touchy composition of her own, showing an incredible versatility.

But nothing would prepare you to what comes after with a song called Alte Hauser, which a nothing but sensational tour deforce balancing between folk spirit of the village song and TNT loaded Boss nova, with counter points that someone would suspect Laureen Newton about singing it. Clarity of her voice and theatrically – architectural structure is absolutely innovative and mesmerising with its thin balance between incredible infantilism and fully mature psycho – drama. This song is one of 3 on that recording which are refering to the poetry of prematurely died, autistic poet Asja Klimanova, Lukasheva’s friend to whose memory this recording is dedicated. Let’s focus on them for a while then as they are sort of sub-chapter for what is happening here in general.

Where are you going Yanichku is another one, with brings that feeling of naivety and the way she sings those word s to challenge our sensitivity and ability to understand something what clearly stays alive in her memory but reminds sacred for the listener to whom only artistic Tamara’s translation is available.

Last one, called I will stop disappearing, comes after her own titled Awake, which creates wonderful emotional platform between her own expression and the magic hidden in the little poet’s thoughts. It is sad and more epitaph than the others, with both lyrics and the nocturnal piano and double bass inclusion framing it. It is sung, as others in original, but transcriptions are available for listener to unknowledge the meaning of the words. That is just the right choice as the natural melody of the Russian language is inseparably integrated with the whole tissue.

Another person mentioned in dedication is Lukasheva’s great master and friend, Yuriy Kuznetcow, the great worldwide recognised Avantgarde pianist, Band leader and animator of contemporary music movement in his and her native Odessa. His composition, The Moon is Clean is very nostalgic and healing and the accompanying lyrics are bringing the same feeling of Russian nostalgia, so well understood and executed here.

The most vigorous pieces are two interpretations of the traditional songs. First, titled In As moll, is probably the most technically difficult song here and I do see very few vocalists who would have tried to do so. She puts all she’s got into it with the range going way above 3 octaves and high notes sung long lasting and kept perfectly clear. This is enough to fine line top class singer and she is already there on the beginning of her carrier, which I am going to watch carefully.

Closing Marisija is more conventional alike composition for piano Trio arranged with space given to the singer, but her, here keeps mixing scat with the same propulsive, shortly accented way of singing she introduced earlier in a mentioned Triptych opening additionally enriched with syllable-tonal patterns playing with the rhythmic frame of the composition.

It is congenial and breath taking, what more can I say.

27 Mar

RaaDie – Vast Potential (released on 25th of January 2019) Label: Traumton, IndigoCD 165792

By grzech In Music Reviews / No Comments

I am not following the music of Austrian Trumpeter Lorenz Raab too close, but I had the pleasure of seeing him twice on stage. Once with his Blue Trio and another time with the xyBand which also contained his duo partner and E-zitherist and famous looper, Christof Dienz. Those two are familiar with each other for a long time. I like Raabs warm tone and melancholic approach as well as his experiments with electronics which I consider to be very tasty, purist and always well balanced and done with purpose without over doing things.

Dienz is another story but his creativity and synchronicity with Raab are obvious hence why we got this recording here, which is the best confirmation of what I say above as it brings all

Those strengths which always had been a common denominator in their mutual co-operation. Both of them are Romanticists, who like to float in the space without making music too thick. There is a lot of air in their play and it always was, whatever separate or together.

Six out of nine compositions came from Christof. Those which wrote Lorenz are much easier to recognise to me as they had this foggy picturesque like way of sketching landscapes with his brass, which is always present in his projects. Here the view is clear, and melody leads the listener through the piece. Zitherist approach is more medieval, aliquots alike – philosophically. More accompanying musically. But Dienz’s inclusion brings a lot of an empiric sense of hollowness if you know what I am trying to express?

His own music takes deeper into the experimentation, as it is him who creates the landscape, hence Lorenz has no other choice than to follow, the bit like with dancing, where a couple contributes but one clearly leads when another follows. Let’s take the Underwaterfish as an example, brilliant title if you think about and absurd sense of it. The abyss created by rhythmic, looped patterns are closely filled with Rabbs long notes into the borders that Dienz created.

Summer in Winter is another great example where paternal presence of the Zither notes are making a framework. Here however choral characters of the patterns are allowing Raab to climb on his notes like an Ivy in any direction he likes. That loose tempo gives him more opportunity to build up wonderfully dreamy and melodically engaging shiny brassy soundscape.

The most interesting Raab’s composition to me is the one called On the Other Side. It is very Gothic and sounding close to Godard’s Castel del Monte project. It brings wonderful tension into the piece, which consequently builds and finds excellent climax on the end.

From Christof compositions the one titled Hey Lo! is my favourite. It is almost like a rock ballad crafted with his synthed line up of instruments, but it makes the best melting pot for both musicians and allows Raab to show wide range of his trumpet and equal ability to shine in heights as he does in mids.

It is very contemplative and funky recording and more you listen to that the more unusual sounds reach you, showing that it is actually more complex than first impression might tell.

24 Mar

Clara Haberkamp – Neon Hill (released on 2nd of November 2018) Label: Traumton, IndigoCD 168702: Vocal, Jazz

By grzech In Music Reviews / No Comments

Berliner Jazz pianist Clara Haberkamp is known to me from her own Trio recording. I had a pleasure to review her last Orange Blossom CD, some 2 years back and I liked it a lot, it intrigued me enough to go back in time and check her other 3 recordings for other German labels: Laika. Here we have a different approach as pianist, who doesn’t hide the fact she Loves to sing as well, is presenting herself in this solo project as the singer and a song-writer.

Like previously majority of the material is her own, except Alone, with lyrics by Edgar Allan Poe and closing Someone Like You being the music of Vangelis. Let’s start with those two then. First, as might be expected they’re bringing some deep and meaningful words to the surface, very reflective and autumn alike. The musical mood she has wrapped it with is very gentle and suits expressed emotions very well. Vangelis’ ballad is a wet hot pop song covered by many, including Adelle for example to use the freshest memory. Saying that, this was pretty boring obvious and typical Brit-pop style. In comparison Clara’s approach lacking that obscurity and with changing tempos and narrative vocalise, brings a lot of life and freshness to an otherwise well-worn song. With phrasing she reminds me a bit of Peter Cincotti, who also has that crispy heights bringing sort of breezy feeling to the tissue.

Getting to her own material, as it had been already proven before, she is a damn good writer.

She has got that easiness of putting words together in the way than they reach you deep inside of your emotional structure and in the same time she doesn’t overuse the words. Keeps it simple. With a melody which the lyrics brought continues its life in the piano phrase. Such is an opening Lighted Crow.

In others, like for example Wild Rose, the piano introduction sets the pace of the song which simply drifts on that few chords. Again, the simplicity, honest articulation of the lyrics and meaning of the words are making it all happen.

What makes it touchy is the fact that those lyrics are very self-exposing. Not in the way she exhibits herself. Even if she does, it is not what first comes to mind. It is more like telling the stories which are universal truths about all of us. Therefore, it is not difficult to identify yourself with them. As they are touching reflections that are left in all peoples heads.

On the same time all those stories are kind of sounding from the distance and giving you that feeling of being alone with your thoughts which is coming out of that recording once you get used to the lyrics and keep listening to it repetitively. It is especially touching in the piece called Pink Overture, which is probably my favourite on that session. This is a song without words and it really doesn’t need any. The piano invocation gives you that feeling of intimacy which are coming from her lyrics before and after. That music drifts in such a natural way like a heartbeat. And like breathing comes without questioning.

Dare to indulge yourself in this fragile word of feelings, anxieties and reflections and you will be rewarded hundred times.

26 Feb

Kaleidoscope String Quartet – Reflections (released on 26th of October 2018) ,Label: TRAUMTON, Indigo 158672

By grzech In Music Reviews / No Comments

This is a second time when I am listening to KSQ music, both recordings had been cut off for Berlin based independent Traumton records label. Bern based Quartet appeared to me as highly virtuoso formation from the very first time and this latest appeal only affirm that conviction. Three years passed since and to be perfectly honest I listened to that music a lot meanwhile, so seeing that new one coming was nothing but the water for my hunger-mill.

Here we have a mix of both: compositions coming from the band members as well as other composer’s literature, for example their compatriot Nik Bartsch, one of another favourite young band-leaders. Or Mathias Ruegg, legendary founder and director of the Vienna Art Orchestra. Let’s start from those then. Modul 17 originally written for Ronin appeared at least few times on their recordings. It is very minimalist piece of music, with repetitive rhythm and very precise timing. Quartet arrangement is very lyrical, and it drags out a lot of melody from the music. Original is more mathematical in its precision. By the harmony built on strings the music gets drive from bowed chords in unison rather than Nik’s piano chops. Music sounds a little like a Different Trains (by S. Reich) performed by Kronos Quartet, to make some valid point of the reference.

Alles Walzer, as it is a case with an orchestral piece sounds much bigger and multi melodic as might be expected. The richness of the original demands from musicians even more creativity and to cover those needs the music is performed not just with the traditional Quartet expression, but also with use of voices merged with the bowed them as well as a lot of percussive effects added to the tissue. But it also draws a lot from a Balkan folk in the same time and those Rubato movements are bringing some nice colourants. The same can be said about quotes from Vivaldi and Menuhin, put into the tune with very specific sense of humour.

Another minimalist piece I enjoyed a lot is a closing Iceland. It tastes like a breeze and the sense of sort of like being hung in a fog is beautifully brushed by the bows. Illustrative nature goes further with the motoric movements between the melody lines acting little bit like choruses in the symphonic piece. In climax violin solo makes fantastic harmony with remaining three voices coming into the culmination with perfectly controlled tension and certain trace of distortion to counterpoint a purity of coming after unison.

But my absolute favourite of that recording is the one called Introspection, from the pen of violinist David Schnee. It is wonderful melody which flies over the accompaniment of the others playing gentle pizzicato in the background to join the conversation later, one by one. The tension and an emotional balance of the tune is insanely beautiful and the merge of freedom with slightly Appalachian, slightly Balkan with the classical chamber music bowing routine and romantic articulation is nothing but hypnotising you. Listening to it is like spinning around in the middle of the meadows and watching the sun through the closed eyelids.

01 Feb

[February the 1st release from TRAUMTON: Veronika Harcsa & Bálint Gyémánt Shapeshifter]

By grzech In All That Jazz / No Comments

Release: February 2nd

Veronika Harcsa & Bálint Gyémánt Shapeshifter

With two albums to date (Lifelover and Tell Her), duo Veronika Harcsa and Bálint Gyémánt have thrilled the press and audiences since 2014. “Allaboutjazz.com said: Harcsa is an amazingly versatile musician, a brilliant vocalist and gifted entertainer in the best sense.” The MDR said: “Harcsa’s voice oscillates in very different colours. […] Once she sounds like the jazzy sister of Alanis Morissette and the next moment she becomes a spherical siren. “And in the magazine Audio was read:” Tell Her is a commitment to the artistic peculiarity, but beyond that a chamber music laboratory of styles that enchants and shapes the fragile texts, the clear, radiant timbre of the voice and the cautious yet complex music. Fascinatingly barren and powerful at the same time. “

31 Jan

[February the 1st release from TRAUMTON: Minua – Still Light]

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Minua – Still Light

When two guitarists and a woodwind decide to start a trio, they probably have unconventional sound ideas. Why else dare such an original band idea? When Luca Aaron, Kristinn Kristinsson and Fabian Willmann first played together in 2014 in a rehearsal room at the University of Basel, they immediately felt a deep bond. “It was almost like salvation to find people in high school life who wanted to play something else,” smiles Aaron. The trio’s strong, multi-directional design will feed on various influences. Some have inspired everyone, others are more personal. To name the most important ones: post-rock, minimalism à la Steve Reich, Nordic melancholy and Scandinavian folk, as well as unusual timbres and blends, created through advanced playing techniques and targeted electronics.

27 Jan

Fabiana Striffler – Sweet and So Solitary (released on 28th of September 2018), Label: Traumton, IndigoCD 162272

By grzech In Music Reviews / No Comments

“And now Something Completely Different “, as Monty Pythons used to say. I didn’t quote that without reason however. The mix of gags, skills, techniques and endless looking for a way to expand self-expression results it creating recording which challenges the listener by constant shift of gears and moods. First to start with is that Fabiana’s Trio is unusual itself containing a violin, piano and vocalist. Second to occur is that all those musicians do have solid classical conservatory background, but despite that they have a great need to explain their inner/other selves and boundaries of their artistic personalities. The more you listen to that music the more obvious it becomes. The more also you peel out as complexity of the compositions and multiple techniques and expression are attracting the attention first and kind of protecting the core.

Just to give you a clue, an opening Intro is a lovely harmony merging vocalise of Frederike Merz with leader nostalgic bowing. It lasts hardly a minute and leaves you with a hunger for more. Coming after Milky Way is another little jewel, even shorter, played on the prepared strings and made of gentle distortions which all together become a harmony. Takes skill to make it so profound and so grotesque in the same time.

Two next pieces are outstanding show off for Merz’s vocal qualities. First Morning Star, makes a fantastic expression in a Schumann ’esque style with outstanding freshness coming out of perfectly articulated lyrics and synth’ed guitar accompaniment.

Second called Sennergluck, mixes things from all over the world. You can hear Appalachian strings there starting with pizzicato intro making tapestry for a joyful vocalise and flying from folk infantility to seriously elegant string phrasing. With piano counterpoint it almost turns into an elegant dance.

First of the highlights comes however with sung in Spanish Madness of a Full Moon Night, with lyrics adopted from Diego L.Monachelli. Here the romanticism of the trio approached in connection with unexpected twist of the rhythm and the melody lines are making it into a proper Cabinet of Dr.Caligari’s. Merz’s dreamy vocalisation of the poem, sung with a truly operatic extension of the vocal powers and huge range swivels between German expressionism and the straight beauty of a I. Albéniz’s songs.

Another comes with Eigensinning, the piece ecstatically spreading between the sound of the modern string quartet and Ibero-influenced flamenco rhythms with gypsy libertinism mixed with a Balkan vitality. Singing here m, again is again a proper tour de force and it becomes obvious that Fabiana wrote these pieces with Merz’s voice in mind. The same applies to The Spaceship Over Nusa Penida, the minimalistic piece with a spirit of Terry Riley flying over the notes and bravado conversations between the violin and vocce, flying from scat to onomatopoeic drama ala Lauren Newton.

But the coolest momentum comes when the recording reaches its climax with the title Sweet and So Solitary. This Noir song with theatrical Voice Theatre accompanied by decadent piano and some seriously disturbing fiddling moves from the Blues to the Rumba, with the ecstatic momentum touching the Circus of Madness and the Freedom of God’s Creation

17 Jan

[January the 25th release from TRAUMTON: RaaDIE – Vast Potential]

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Release: January 25th

RaaDie – Vast potential

If you think you already know all sorts of unusual and unusual combinations of instruments and styles, you can now – for fun at least – think for a minute: have you ever heard of an album by trumpet and e-zither? The idea may seem a bit oblique at first glance. Translated by Lorenz Raab and Christof Dienz, however, it sounds as conclusive as it is exciting.

16 Jan

[January the 25th release from TRAUMTON: Tamara Lukasheva Quartet – Homebridge]

By grzech In All That Jazz / No Comments

Release: January 25th

“Big, colorful ear cinema” (WAZ, Essen)

Tamara Lukasheva is considered beyond her generation as one of the outstanding voices of German jazz. Her unusually agile vocal expressiveness, which has been precisely refined over the past 15 years, not only leaves a deep impression on the jazz-savvy audience. Lukasheva’s music is independent and variable, moving in the field of tension of strong melodies, Eastern European influences, dynamic improvisation and emphasis.

31 Oct

[ November the 2nd TRAUMTON release: Clara Haberkamp – Neon Hill ]

By grzech In All That Jazz / No Comments

Release Date: 02.11.2018

A voice, a piano, and a couple of songs – that doesn’t sound like much, but in Clara Haberkamp’s case it is enormous.

In the past years the Berlin-based pianist most notably appeared with her trio with drummer Tilo Weber and changing bass players. She made no secret of the fact that she also likes to sing and does it very well. For the first time much less the jazz pianist, but rather the singer-songwriter Clara Haberkamp takes center stage on Neon Hill. In an almost magical way, her songs are catchy and complex at the same time. You definitely can’t sing along the first time, probably not even on the second or third listen, but already at first contact with the eardrum, the songs unfold their acoustic and spiritual bouquet that wants to be heard again and again.