Record Reviews

NAXOS ~ COEXIST – LIVE AT POLIN MILO 302 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the second album by Polish World Music ensemble NaxosFind albums by this artist, led by the charismatic musician of Greek origin Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist. Other musicians in the ensemble include vocalist Rasm Al-MashanFind albums by this artist, keyboardists and vocalist Konstanty JoriadisFind albums by this artist, guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Lena RomulFind albums by this artist, bassist Piotr OlszewskiFind albums by this artist, drummer Kamil SiciakFind albums by this artist and percussionists Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist and Anna PatynekFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original pieces, four of which were written by Kurtis, another four by Joriadis, one by Anthimos and the final one co-composed by Joriadis and Al-Mashan. Following the ten tracks recorded live at Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the album includes a lengthy bonus track by another ensemble led by Kurtis, called Drum Freaks, originally released on the album "SmyrnaFind albums with this title". The music of Naxos is a perfect amalgamation of the beautiful Mediterranean music sources: Greek, Turkish, Arabic and Jewish, spiced with Rock and Jazz delicacies. Spectacularly performed by these highly talented musicians and fronted by the incredible vocal abilities of Al-Mashan, who not only sings beautifully but also is able to improvise with her vocals like al great Arabic singers, this music is a delightful musical trip to the heart of the Middle East. Of course reading about this music is not a substitute for listening to it and therefore I wholeheartedly recommend attending a Naxos concert anywhere possible, with a guaranteed satisfaction, and in the meantime getting a copy of this wonderful album and enjoying it to the max. Hopefully Kurtis and his cohorts will soon surprise us all again with some new music they so beautifully weave. In the meantime efharistó, shukraan and dziękuję my friends for the fabulous work and hope to see you all soon.

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NAXOS ~ THE TRIP AROUND THE BRAIN WARNER MUSIC POLAND 0825646292103 (Barcode: 0825646292103) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by the Polish ensemble NaxosFind albums by this artist, led by the celebrated musician / personality Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, one of the pioneers of World Music and World-Jazz Fusion in Poland, who was a member of the legendary ensemble OssianFind albums by this artist in the 1970s and many other groups over the years. It was delightful to meet Milo in person just a few weeks ago in Warsaw and talk about the old times and the future, which for him is always full of bright things. I remember him taking part in my production of "The Book Of JobFind albums with this title" in 1985, under insane circumstances, and his worm personality didn´t change one iota over the years, which is truly remarkable Kurtis is one of several Polish musicians of Greek origin, same as guitarist Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist of SBBFind albums by this artist fame, who also participates in this recording. Other members of the ensemble include keyboardist Konstanty JoriadisFind albums by this artist (also of Greek origin), female vocalist Rasm Al-MashanFind albums by this artist (of Yemenite origin), percussionist Adeb ChamounFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin KajperFind albums by this artist and bassist Marcin PendowskiFind albums by this artist. Several guest musicians participate on selected tracks. The album presents thirteen tracks, most of which are credited to Kurtis and Joriadis, either separately or as co-composers. The music has a distinctive Mediterranean flavor, mixing Greek and Middle Eastern influences, rhythms and melodies into a lively and fascinating amalgam of cultures. On the Polish scene that kind of music is definitely quite unusual and exotic, but where I live this is basically a part of our everyday milieu and this kind of music can be heard all day long on the radio or on stage in music venues, big and small. This kind of synthesis has been the most distinctive characteristic of Israeli music over the last few decades, and it´s really heartwarming to hear it happening in Poland as well. Kurtis is doing his pioneering work again, and deserves to be encouraged and praised for it, especially in view of the impressive outcome, not to mention the popularization the idea that diverse cultures can work together for a common goal, as much aesthetic as practical. This music has no boundaries and should appeal to every open-minded fun loving person on this globe. The streets of Athens, or Beirut or Tel-Aviv swarm with fun loving people and their music reflects their love of life and the ability to live life in full, if only allowed to do so. This album could be a perfect soundtrack of that desire to simply enjoy life. Of course a glass of ouzo, arak or raki (preferably all three) definitely makes listening to this music even more enjoyable. So ευχαριστώ πολύ, my dear friend, I am looking forward to many more such great musical gifts in the future.

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JORGOS SKOLIAS / ANTONIS SKOLIAS ~ KOLOS HEVHETIA 0101 (Barcode: 8588005257428) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock-World Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is a wonderful duo album by Polish vocalist / composer Jorgos SkoliasFind albums by this artist and his son Antonis SkoliasFind albums by this artist, who sings and plays drums and percussions. Together they perform nine original songs, all co-composed by the father / son team, which feature lyrics in the Greek language. Three of the songs have lyrics by the Greek poet Konstantinos Petrou KavafisFind albums by this artist, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, and who is now recognized as one of the finest Modern Greek poets. Another four songs originate in songs Jorgos remembers from his childhood. Jorgos Skolias is one of several musicians active on the Polish scene, who belong to the Polish Greek community, members of which arrived in Poland as political refugees escaping the persecutions following the end of the civil unrest in Greece after WWII and the defeat of the communists in 1949. Poland, a "young" socialist country at the time, opened its doors to the Greek exiles and they became integrated within the Polish society, producing such great musicians as Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist, Milo KurtisFind albums by this artist, Konstanty JoriadisFind albums by this artist and others. The album is a bold statement of originality; featuring just vocals and percussion where the limitations seem insurmountable, and yet the duo manages to create a fully fledged bona fide magical musical environment, which seems completely natural and misses nothing. Of course Jorgos Skolias is a phenomenal vocalist, a fact known to all his followers since many years, who is able to use his vocal chords in ways nobody else tried before. His ability to create wordless vocalese is a class in itself and he is able to carry a melody like an entire set of instrumentalists. In some ways this album is another facet of his work with the Oles Brothers and their trio called Sefardix, which features vocals supported solely by a rhythm section, which also works out fabulously. It is quite impossible to label this music stylistically, and perhaps this quality is one of its strengths. There are Folkloristic elements here, but also improvisation, Rocky rhythms, Jazz & Poetry manifestations and a whole bunch of other elements, all beautifully amalgamated into a musical experience, which is fascinating from start to finish. Skolias manages to create aesthetic tension and his deep throaty voice has simply no parallels. Kudos to Jan SudzinaFind albums by this artist and his fabulous HevhetiaFind albums on this label label for releasing this music, which has no chance in a commercial environment in spite of its intrinsic values; this tribute to the Greek and in fact the entire Mediterranean group of cultures shows the diversity of the European Culture and the magnificent ingenuity of musicians, who are able to completely ignore imaginary boundaries. This is definitely a unique gem, which will award its listeners a stunning experience, full of surprises and delightful thrills.

Updated: 12/04/2016Posted: 12/04/2016

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