Ljova, Lost in Kino (Kapustnik Records, 2011)

As an in-demand classical violist, member of the New York gypsy band Romashka, and leader of his own group the Kontraband, Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin keeps himself busy.  Perhaps the most interesting facet of his work, though, is his scoring of the soundtracks to numerous films, from low-budget art house movies to more ambitious projects directed by people like Francis Ford Coppola.  On Lost in Kino, his third album, Ljova performs (with some help) two dozen of his original soundtrack compositions.

Lost in Kino is broken into two halves.  The lighter first half primarily reflects the Eastern European side of Ljova's musical background with contributions from his bandmates in Romashka, but is bookended by two bluegrass-flavored pieces featuring Mike Savino on banjo.  Because the pieces were composed for particular movie scenes, a lot of them clock in at less than a minute and end rather abruptly.  Even the longest track on the first part, "War Then Peace," is a composite of several different musical themes.  Taken together, though, the fragments connect like a gypsy Abbey Road.  The compositions may have originally been designed to reflect different moments in different movies, but collectively they present a quick sampling of the many diverse styles of Balkan and gypsy music. Romashka's performances are never less than first rate, and this portion of the disc makes for some fun listening.

The second half of the disc consists of generally lengthier pieces more serious in tone.  The music in this section is mostly classical in feel, although some of the tunes maintain the Eastern European influence and two are even Oriental in flavor.  The longer compositions can be considered on their own terms, and not just in the context of this album the movie they were made for. Of these, the highlight is a beautifully arranged extended instrumental called "The Coup."  Another very strong track is "Russian Winterland, "a very pretty waltz featuring Inna Barmash (Romashka's singer and Ljova's wife) singing the melody line the second time through.

Ljova's compositions range from very quirky and tongue-in-cheek to very meticulous and deliberate, with a lot of stops in between. One way or the other, his work is always intriguing and worth a listen. Lost in Kino manages to cover a lot of musical ground in a relatively short amount of time, but broad diversity and quality compositions make for an effective combination.

Overall grade: A-

reviewed by Scott

"The Coup"

Red Priest, Johann, I'm Only Dancing (Red Priest Recordings, 2009)

The Baroque period is the first musical era generally categorized under the broad -- perhaps overly broad -- umbrella of classical music. What I've noticed from my admittedly limited experience with Baroque music, though, is that the branches which led to later classical music and the folk traditions of Europe had not really diverged yet. For example, the oldest Swedish fiddle tunes tend to sound very Baroque, especially if they were composed for the nyckelharpa. And the most celebrated Baroque composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, composed his share of jigs. Red Priest, a British quartet consisting of Piers Adams on wind instruments, Julia Bishop on violin, Angela East on cello, and Howard Beach on harpsichord, specialize in contemporary interpretations of classical music. They take on the diversely flavored compositions of Bach with their latest CD, called Johann, I'm Only Dancing. They describe their approach to this recording as "rock-chamber-Bach," with an emphasis on the danceable elements of Bach's music. But while the album's title does suggest that the band know their rock and roll (it comes from a David Bowie song), I think the album will appeal particularly strongly to listeners with a background in instrumental folk music.

A common image of Bach, and certainly the impression left on me in my high school and college music classes, is that he was a stodgy maestro who hammered out these elaborate but somber minor-key pieces on a church organ. Red Priest understand that there is quite a lot more to Bach than that, and they succeed in conveying that to the listener. Some of the liberties they take would probably appall a purist, particularly the Latin syncopation in the first part of the "Brandenburg Concert No. 3 in G Major", but the rest of us can appreciate that it's OK when capable musicians have some fun while working out the arrangements. And ultimately, the whole point of the album is to show that Bach was a fun composer. Sure, he may have introduced layers of complexity into his music that were unprecedented for his time, but what folk fiddler or rock lead guitarist has never tried to cram as many notes as they possibly could into a solo? Bach could do that better than most people who've followed him, while maintaining very elaborate and precise chordal progressions, so there.

And yes, he even composed jigs. From the perspective of somebody who's spent a lot more time at Swift's Hibernian Lounge than at Avery Fisher Hall, Red Priest's arrangements of "Prelude in D Major" and "Introduction and Gigue" were major revelations. Red Priest are flexible enough as a unit to bring out the folk-sounding aspects of some of Bach's compositions. This perhaps best reflected in the toccata part "Toccata and Fugue in D minor," the opening line of which is recognizable even to people who otherwise know nothing about classical music. In Red Priest's arrangement, the melody is played on a recorder instead of a church organ. Instead of sounding memorably ominous, the piece winds up sounding light and airy; and yet, it still works.

It's always risky to take liberties with music that's succeeded quite well on its own terms for nearly three centuries. However, Red Priest know what their doing, and the music on Johann, I'm Only Dancing is really reverential to its source in spite of initial appearances. The music is performed beautifully, and the arrangements reflect a side of Bach that may be obscure to people unaware of the depth and variety of his compositions, but is nonetheless there.

Overall grade: A-

reviewed by Scott

Hughes de Courson, Babel (Virgin Classics, 2008)

Mozart is blended with Egyptian music, Bach is set to African percussion, and Vivaldi compositions are played like Irish reels. Operatic sopranos sing to the beat of dumbeks, Bulgarian choirs sing flamenco, and children sing and rap folk songs from around the world. Songs are sung in French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Arabic, Medieval Italian, and even a made-up language. Welcome to Babel.

He's not known in this country, but Hughes de Courson has been a part of the folk and classical music communities in France for over thirty-five years. He originally came to prominence as a member of the medieval rock group Malicorne, playing a variety of instruments both familiar and unfamiliar. (Anybody out there know somebody who plays the crumhorn?) More recently he has spent his time primarily as a producer and arranger; his most noteworthy credit from my perspective is the 2000 CD Ilmatar by the Finnish folk group Värttinä. His musical interests are as eclectic as anybody's, but he also has an artistic ambition to match it. Babel is actually a compilation album, gathering material from nine different albums de Courson put together between 1993 and 2008.

If there's a flaw with Babel, it's that it suffers from what Lewis Carroll would call "muchness." The album covers an astounding amount of musical ground in a bulky 136-minute, 2 CD package. To say that listening though it completely requires a serious attention span would be an understatement. Still, there are at least one or two things to suit every musical taste -- how could there not be -- and there are a few highlights to justify the expense of your time. I'm particularly fond of the Balkan flamenco of "Romero Santo" on disc one and the combination of Bulgarian female voices with an angelic child singer and a classical waltz on "Tana Shàot Leïn" on disc 2.

It's been said that music is the universal language. Hughes de Courson certainly believes that, and Babel is a massive testament to de Courson putting his belief into practice. It's a hell of a lot to digest, but I think anybody who tries will find their efforts rewarded.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

"Toma que Toma"

Sharon Isbin, Journey to the New World (Sony Classical, 2009)

Well known in the classical music world, guitarist Sharon Isbin has made over twenty-five recordings. On her latest album Journey to the New World, Isbin crosses over into territory more commonly associated with folk music. She incorporates pieces from several different time periods, thematically linked by their connection to people who made the voyage across the Atlantic before settling in America.

Isbin starts with some baroque pieces from the British Isles, focusing on material that would have been played by early American settlers. She then moves on to a suite of instrumental adaptations of vintage American material from the singing of Joan Baez. This suite is bookended by a pair of songs featuring the venerable Baez herself. The album concludes with a long suite of tunes featuring guest
fiddler Mark O'Connor, who like Isbin is a primarily classical performer with an active interest in traditional folk music. This suite starts with some Irish-style tunes, before veering into some blues and ragtime and other distinctly American styles. Throughout Journey to the New World, Isbin mixes relatively unfamiliar material with standards like "Greensleeves" and "House of the Rising Sun," often embellishing the melodies as she plays them to the point that you have to listen closely to recognize the tune.

In short, Journey to the New World is an fine collection of folk music interpreted from the unusual perspective of a classical guitarist. Sharon Isbin is an exceptional player, and people looking for good guitar music will find lots to like here.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

For a video of Sharon Isbin performing some material from this album live, click here.