The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - From the Stairwell

A seductive beauty lingers in the shadows. She whispers softly in your ears and you cannot resist.  You follow her as she walks up those stairs. Carefully watching her every step..

"From the Stairwell" is one of those definite inner cinema albums. It's all about the atmosphere, soundscapes and a sensuality that sounds, in lack of a more original word, feminine. 

It's important to clarify that there are dozens of different moods, not all dark, neither is everything lush and exoctic. "From the Stairwell" really is a subtle rollercoaster, but a rollercoaster nevertheless. What unifies all the moods and holds the album as a whole together is the great musicianship and pure beauty of the sounds they produce. 

The overall flow is so tightly woven, it's hard to understand how there still can be any dynamic at all. But with a rollercoaster, of course there's dynamic. Moods shift form and shape, instruments float in and out of the music. Sometimes the instrumental bleakness is worthy of the darkest of nights. Then Charlotte's voice appears out of nowhere, replacing the bleakness with beauty and melancholy. Sometimes leading and singing lyrics but never trying to outshine the other musicians. As a logical consequence her voice blends in as just another instrument in the mist on tracks like "Giallo". 

Words are just another tool to convey the poetry that is the music of "The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble". "From the Stairwell" is never a "vocal jazz" record. A much better label would be "journey jazz" or "mood jazz".  And that still wouldn't do this music justice. The range in moods is also matched by the range in styles. One moment you'll hear influences from the "Kava Kon" remix collaboration from 2009 in form of an exotica style touch (On "Giallo" and "Les Étoiles Mutantes" for example). The next moment you'll hear dark ambient soundscapes with plucked basslines straight out of Agent Dale Cooper's journey into the "Black Lodge" (On "Past Midnight"). The finale of "Celladoor" is every trip hop producer's dream of brass instrumentation and beats climaxing, albeit with an organic jazz drum sound.

With a duration of one hour and two minutes spread across eight tracks there's a lot to dive right in and enjoy.

Though I mentioned a few song names it's hard to pick any standout tracks really. What we have here is one piece of work. Of course you will prefer some tracks over others, but I really can't see why someone would reject to take the whole one hour long journey with The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble.

This is a band that really grew to become one of the finest European bands in my book. "From the Stairwell" is a perfect ten. A sure recommendation for everyone reading this.  

cd time: 1:02:43

Personnel:

Gideon Kiers : Beats / FX

Jason Köhnen : Double Bass / Fretless

Hilary Jeffery : Trombone / Oscillator

Charlotte Cegarra : Vocal FX /Various instruments

Eelco Bosman : Guitar

Sadie Anderson : Violin

Nina Hitz : Cello

Standout tracks: 

All of them. Again. I'm not lazy. The music's just too good.

links:

official website

on last.fm

on youtube

Death Ambient - Drunken Forest

  A sound comes closer from the distance. Warmth swells around you. Water drips from the leaves just like the sweat from your face drips constantly.  The walk through the forest lead you down a strange path you never took before. It sounds crazy but you can't stop but thinking that the forest around you breathes, moves, watches your every step. The humidity is overwhelmingly high. A haze of sound is audible but it’s hard to recognize any instrument you know.  

The beauty of this place seems endless and so does your disorientation. As you look back over your shoulder you see the trees apparently grew together and build a massive wall. You have to move deeper and deeper into the Drunken Forest..

"Drunken Forest" is the collaborational band/project of Ikue Mori, Kato Hideki and Fred Frith. All 3 are quite profilic musicians of their own and quite busy. The tzadik site claims the creation of "Drunken Forest" took 6 years. After hearing this album over and over again since it’s release in 2007 I'm extremely glad they took enough time to come up with such an amazing album.

"Drunken Forest" is an ambient record in the truest sense of the word. This music evokes strong images and keeps flowing for it's entire duration (54:13). Moods are constantly changing, from the mist and dripping water of opening track "Lake Chad" to the more mellow but hazy tones of "Thermohaline" and the tragic hymn "River Tigris" sporting a great violin melody. "River Tigris" is also one of the few songs which features percussion performed by Jim Pugliese. He does a great job here in creating some of the more dynamic moments regarding tempo variation but still manages to stay in the mist of sound wafting around you, only serving the atmosphere.

Ikue Mori does what she does best. Squeezing sounds out of her laptop, based on her drummer and drummachine-manipulating past, which sound more organic and fluid than anything you'd associate with drums or laptops. She is a true master of sound manipulation and probably the most important improviser using a laptop as instrument of choice. Fluid soundscapes and rhythmic klicks and bleeps sound as if her laptop is a strange device making all of nature's true sounds audible instead of sounding like a machine.

Frith's performance might seem unimpressive compared to the sheer range of extended techniques, rhythms, melodies and sound experimentations of his solo guitar work. Nevertheless he's exactly the right guitarist for this album. Having explored so many techniques, genres and formats Frith is more aware of how to create soundscapes than any other guitar player on this planet. It would be easy to screw this record up by unneccessary soloing and showing off technically. But Frith steps back, letting every melody or sound evolve slowly, with great patience and sense for pacing. 

Kato Hideki is the one giving this record a great sense of melody and beauty which isn't present in a whole bunch of avant-garde music. He plays an insane amount of instruments here (tzadik lists Acoustic And Electric Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Analog Synthesizer, Violin, Banjo, Mandolin, Accordion, Ukelele, Electric And Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals, Soprano And Alto Recorder, Glasses, Ice And Water and I’m pretty sure he plays Shakuhachi also. Though it could be sampled.). Most of his melodies sound like sketches of something bigger. Little fragments of melody, recalling traditional japanese music are filtered until they become a part of this surreal piece of music. It is not until "River Tigris" when you realize this music really has a monumental quality once the thickness of sound is lifted for a short, majestic moment. But still you can't help but admit this was in the music from the very beginning

Use of melody is sparse though every song is melodic. The pacing is just very slow. But believe me it is incredibly effective and will take you on a trip right into the mirrors of your mind. The music is full of warmth and mysteries to unravel like a documentation on japanese bamboo forests directed by Salvador Dalí. Just imagine that put into music. If you like atmospheric music to the slightest degree you need to hear this album. It's a masterpiece. My personal favourite record of 2007.

I suggest experiencing this record via a good stereo system in a dimly lit room or with good stereo headphones. Everything else won't do it justice.

Cd time: 54:13

Personnel:
Fred Frith: Electric Guitar
Ikue Mori: Laptop Computer
Kato Hideki: Acoustic And Electric Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Analog Synthesizer, Violin, Banjo, Mandolin, Accordion, Ukelele, Electric And Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals, Soprano And Alto Recorder, Glasses, Ice And Water
Special Guest
Jim Pugliese: Percussion

Standout tracks:

Lake Chad 4:45

A Cocktail of Chemicals 3:39

River Tigris 3:59

Drunken Forest 6:02

Coral Necropolis 6:46

Links:

Death Ambient:

on last.fm

on Tzadik Records

Ikue Mori’s website

Fred Frith’s website

Kato Hideki’s website

„River Tigris“ fan video on youtube

Rashanim - The Gathering

2009 saw the release of this impressive all acoustic record from Rashanim. The usual brand of “instrumental-world-music-surf-folk-klezmer-rock” they usually play isn’t heavily distorted anyway. Still this set of unplugged pieces reaches an intensity not found on their previous recordings. (That said, these also range from good to excellent but don't seem as focussed)

Stylistically Rashanim take you from the fast flamenco vibe of the opening track “Judges” to acoustic rock interludes (for example the 1:57 long “Elijah’s Chariot”), guitar ballads and the slow motion “doom” country of Deborah. What unifies all of these songs is a sparse use of motifs. One or two per song, some subtle soloing here and there and you get a record focused on creating a dense atmosphere instead of virtuosic but meaningless wanking. Repetition and variation of themes is a concept you’ll find in every song on this record on a level so high, it never gets boring or actually feels repetitive. 

There’s not a single guest spot on this album. Nevertheless you’ll hear a lot more than just guitar, bass and drums. Bandleader Jon Madof occasionally pulls out a banjo and drummer Mathias Kunzli adds cowbells, plays his drum set a few times with brushes and even plays Jaw Harp. But the versatility of Shanir Blumenkranz shines even more on this record. Playing all kinds of stringed instruments (Acoustic Bass Guitar, Bass Banjo, Tiple and Chonguri) isn’t enough. He even pulls out a Glockenspiel and a Melodica. Not to mention that all 3 bandmembers create a haunting flair with beautiful chanted melodies on the closing tracks Jeremiah and Joshua. 

Even though moods and styles vary the whole albums feels very homogenous. Probably due to the small number of musicians involved. Probably due to Jon  Madof’s skills as a composer. I’d say both factors make for the stunning result. There’s a huge sense of discipline and effective use of sound present on this album. This sometimes reminds me (positively) of Ennio Morricone’s work. That said Rashanim definetly have a sound of their own that sounds very honest and passionate.

 Every song seems to be a short story told to you while sitting near a campfire. (The album artwork really suits the music here!) Mythical images will occur in your mind. Images of nature and a clear night sky. Remembering things you’ve longed for since a long time ago.  A definite amount of melancholy is contained in these melodies and performances. But after all stories are told “Joshua”s finale with those haunting chants will assure you, it’s sweet melancholy. And you’ll most likely press repeat to re-experience that journey.

Cd time: 47:54

Personnel:
Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz: Acoutic Bass Guitar, Bass Banjo, Glockenspiel, Melodica, Tiple, Chonguri, Vocals
Mathias Kunzli: Drums, Percussion, Jaw Harp, Whistling, Vocals
Jon Madof: Guitars, Banjo, Vocals

Standout tracks:

Kings 5:44

Ezekiel 3:50

Amos 5:01

Jeremiah 4:27

Joshua 5:28

Links:

Rashanim:

on last.fm

official website

on Tzadik Records

Myspace Page