Record Reviews

MARIA NECKAM ~ UNISON SUNNYSIDE 1321 (Barcode: 016728132121) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the 3rd album by Austrian-born living in the US singer / songwriter Maria NeckamFind albums by this artist, who has been "making waves" for quite a while now and rightly so, as she definitely is one of the most original and idiosyncratic musical discoveries of the last few years. Although obviously cross-genre and completely free of any conventions, it is quite obvious that she has a deep empathy towards improvisation and the Jazz tradition, which lie beneath her stunning output. The album consists of fifteen original compositions by Neckam, almost all of which are over five or six minutes long (totaling 75 minutes), which leaves a lot of space both for her vocal delivery and instrumental presentation by the great ensemble of musicians, which accompanies her. The core ensemble is a quartet with pianist Aaron ParksFind albums by this artist, guitarist Nir FelderFind albums by this artist, bassist Thomas MorganFind albums by this artist and drummer Colin StranahanFind albums by this artist. Several other players (saxophones, trumpet, cello and piano) participate on selected tracks. Neckam also wrote all the lyrics, except for three of the pieces, where she uses (not surprisingly) poems by the 14th century Persian poet HafezFind albums by this artist or more contemporary poetry by Rainer Maria RilkeFind albums by this artist and Pablo NerudaFind albums by this artist. Neckam utilizes her voice both to deliver the lyrics and use it as an instrument, with her vocalese improvisation being one of the highlights of this album. Her vocal delivery is quite unique, with a slight, but charming, foreign accent, which adds to the overall mystique. The accompaniment is brilliant from start to finish, subdued and supporting when needed, with some excellent solos and always greatly sensitive and aesthetically pleasing. Considering the fact that this music can be devilishly complex and unpredictable, the overall delivery here is simply stunning. But it is the actual music, which is the true forte of this album. Neckam´s compositions are simply outstanding in every respect; amalgamating Jazz with contemporary Classical, Progressive Rock, World Music influences, shades of the Blues and so on, she is simply floating somewhere in her own universe, completely beyond categorization and eschewing all conventions. There is an intrinsic elegance, artistic beauty and intellectual challenge herein, coexisting peacefully with each other, which is a rare quality in any Art form. But of course there is a price to be paid for such lofty qualities; this is definitely not "easy" music, and therefore it is destined to attract mostly the open-minded and cultivated ears of music connoisseurs, which is often hard on an artist expecting a wide recognition of his work. Regardless of the album´s commercial prospects, Neckam can certainly feel proud to be the creator of this musical gem, which certainly deserves to be listed among the best albums released in 2012, and there are only a handful of these. Considering the fact that she is, after all, just starting her wondrous musical journey, may I be allowed to wish her Godspeed!

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

TRZY DNI POZNIEJ ~ POKOJ JEJ CIENIOM FOR TUNE 0034 (Barcode: 5902768701364) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the third album by the Polish female vocal trio Trzy Dni PozniejFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Marta Groffik-PerchelFind albums by this artist, Marta PiwowarFind albums by this artist and Joanna Piwowar-AntosiewiczFind albums by this artist. On this album the trio is accompanied by violist Pawel OdorowiczFind albums by this artist and electronic sound devices operated by Joanna and Pawel are also employed. The album presents eleven pieces, eight of which were composed by Joanna and three are Polish folk melodies arranged by the ensemble. Joanna also wrote all the lyrics except for one piece which uses a poem by Rainer Maria RilkeFind albums by this artist. The concept of this song cycle can be describes as "for women by women", as it is dedicated to the singers´ grandmothers and is inspired by works of two extraordinary Lower Silesian women: the writings by poetess Anna Louisa KarshFind albums by this artist, who lived in 18th Century Prussia, which ruled parts of Lower Silesia at the time and the memoirs and poems by Ester GolanFind albums by this artist (born Ester Dobkowsky), who survived the Holocaust as a child in England while her Jewish family perished, and who lives in Israel since 1945, famous for her interfaith dialogue activities. The musical content is a completely cross-genre amalgam of a myriad of different references, including Polish folklore but also ambient / electronic music, minimalism, contemporary choral music, alternative Pop, Jazz improvisation, grunge Rock and so on. The melodic scope is mostly melancholic and introvert, which fits the overall contemplative nature of this project. The lyrics are all quite poetic, inspired by folkloristic motifs but using a modern free form verse, often ignoring rhyming rules and full of other linguistic peculiarities. The most striking effect of this music is of course the exquisite usage of unisono parts performed by the three vocalists. I admit the fact that I have a soft spot for the human voice, but the sheer beauty of these three voices combined is almost superhuman. Joined by the eerie electronics and other background sounds the vocal parts are so effective, that they become irresistible. Of course one has to appreciate, on the intellectual level, the attention that went into combining all these elements together to create this astonishing effect. The contrasting viola parts are also wonderful ingredients of the entire soundscape. There is no doubt that this is one of the most intriguing and fascinating albums released in Poland in 2014. Different and separate from any form of mainstream music, intelligent, passionate and uncompromising, this should be model for others to follow. This is a music for all seasons, which combines the respect for the past with the burning desire to innovate and create; music which escapes all genre limitations and is simply universal. My wholehearted gratitude goes to the brave women behind this music and to For Tune for bringing it to the attention of the world. God bless!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend