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

Ned Rothenberg - Ryu Nashi/No School-New Music For Shakuhachi

Ned Rothenberg released two great albums on Tzadik Records in 2010. One being "Quintet for Clarinet and Strings" with the Mivos Quartet and himself playing clarinet. The other being "Ryu Nashi/No School-New Music For Shakuhachi".

"Ryu Nashi" is a concept album focussing on the traditions of the shakuhachi (a traditional Japanese bamboo flute) and some of Rothenberg’s own, unique views and techniques, making this record more than a traditional Japanese piece of music.

The album features five players. Riley Lee, Ralph Samuelson and Ned Rothenberg play a variety of shakuhachis, Stephanie Griffin plays viola and Yoko Hiraoka sings and plays Jiuta Shamisen. Ned Rothenberg plays two shakuhachi soli (track 1 "Emergent Vessel" and track 4 "Shadow Detail"). The other tracks are duets, fathoming the possibilities of the shakuhachi in combination with the viola, the shamisen and in a shakuhachi duet.

The recurring theme holding this record together conceptually and acoustically is obviously the shakuhachi. Its tonal expression is dominated by long, slowly changing tones. Hearing the three players on this album I can’t help myself but feel they are somehow more aware of what they play, than many other musicians. Here is no place to hide behind shredding a fretboard like a maniac. No filters, samples or overdubs to make your sound thicker and more polished. This music is pure, handcrafted and honest. 

Overall the album is slow but nevertheless there’s a great sense of dynamic going on. Rothenberg uses space very knowingly and let’s the music breathe and float through the room. Players circle around each other more in a fashion of meditating together, than having a jazz like dialog. Then one instrument steps back, with the other instrument soloing more playful than before.

Regarding this careful pacing, "Dan No Tabi (Journey on a Staircase)" is the most dynamic song presented here. Fitting the title there are quite a few up and downs and the violin sometimes strives to dominate the song, tempting the shakuhachi to play some quicker and higher notes. The shakuhachi succeeds, increasing it’s range but never sounding frantic or hectic.

Rhytmically "Naki Tokoro Nite (Where there is neither)" is the most interesting song. Showing the experimental interests and of Ned Rothenberg, it doesn’t utilize the 2/4 meter of most traditional Japanese music. Instead Rothenberg uses the meter of the tanka poem(5-7-5-7-7), opening and closing the piece for most of the songs rhythmical structure. 

Both "Naki Tokoro Nite" and "Dan No Tabi" use some traditional western elements, such as counterpoint composition. As traditional this record seems on the surface, it’s nevertheless an avant-garde perspective on an 1200 years old instrument.

Rothenberg is really lucky to have these highly talented players on this record. Knowing that, he uses their contributions to create a highly fascinating record with a lot of fine nuances. Despite the variety of Rothenberg’s compositional approach "Ryu Nashi" clearly shows his love and respect for the instrument.

If you’re even loosely interested in the shakuhachi or Japanese traditional music this record is highly recommened.

Cd time: 55:04

Personnel:
Riley Lee: Shakuhachi
Ned Rothenberg: Shakuhachi
Stephanie Griffin: Viola
Yoko Hiraoka: Jiuta Shamisen, Voice
Ralph Samuelson: Shakuhachi 

Standout tracks:

Naki Tokoro Nite (Where there is neither) 12:26

Dan No Tabi (Journey on a Staircase) 22:45

Cloud Hands 8:41

Links:
Ned Rothenberg:

on last.fm

on Tzadik Records

official website

El-P free track from Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 sessions

El-P leaked a track from the sessions to his recent album just a few hours ago via twitter. A download link can be found here. A relatively short track, albeit clearly showing why El-P is short for El-Producto. This is definetly beyond the borders of hip-hop and should be taken as what it is by everyone; good music.

And the title really is priceless: "Lab Rat Bravely Escapes On Hovercraft Only To Crash Directly Outside of Gates"

cover of Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3

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