Music:
Member Since: 2/24/2007
Band Website: marimbaplus.ru
Band Members:
Lev Slepner – Marimba, Percussion, Composer
Ilja Dvoretsky – Flute, Percussion
Sergey Nankin – Clarinet, Basset-Horn, Vocal
Andrey Krasinikov – Saxophone
Timur Nekrasov – Saxophone
Anton Gorbunov – Bass
Pavel Kovan – Drums
The 4th CD:
CELESTIAL ELEPHANT
(Marimba Plus - 2007)
Sounds Like: Reviews by Jessica Attene (http://www.arlequins.it) - translation by Charles Imperatori
Marimba Plus- Celestial ElephantRussia is always hiding pleasant surprises, shame though that some of the best productions this country has to offer in musical terms often remain within the nation’s borders practically invisible to our eyes. The land of the czars is a victim of an unrestrained form of colonial- capitalist invasion by western multinationals and yet paradoxically appears to be unable to export her own talents. All internal channels of musical distribution are virtually cut off from the rest of the world and it is almost impossible for anyone who lives outside this country to buy from a distance any musical production directly from Russian shops. Groups like Marimba Plus, known and appreciated all over their country,so much so that they were chosen to be the opening act in Moscow for the great Al Di Meola, certainly suffer the consequences in terms of being visible abroad and even us consumers of good music certainly lose something by not being able to accede at a musical scene so vast and precious. All of this rather philosophical introduction is just to tell you that we had to go directly to Russia to be able to get this wonderful new album, where we also had the pleasure and honour of seeing a whole series of live performances. Marimba Plus define their music as "Art Fusion" and it has to be admitted that this is a very fitting label for their compositions which certainly do rely on Jazz but at the same time are contaminated by chamber music elements with some avantgarde twists.
This new album, as suggested by the cover, is light and breezy, which isn’t to say that it lacks depth and content, but fundamentally because the music contained is more sinuous, graceful and evocating joyous and positive feelings when compared to the previous album, the excellent "Zebrano", which insisted on more decisive juxtapositions. Obviously, Lev Slepner’s whose fabulous marimba remains the central element, is a player of great talent and the main composer usually supported by Ilya Dvorezkiy’s flute with whom he’s often found duetting, and also by an excellent brass section containing a saxophone, a clarinet and more sporadically a trumpet. The main piece "Twilight" is in fact based on the marimba-flute duo.
A track whose rarefied atmospheres which almost gives the impression of of fluctuating in between the flute’s light flutterings and the soft percussive waves of the marimba. Here, well defined mood pieces with their accent on pleasing,vibrant aural sensations often gracefully ending in a thick flicker of notes are clearly well defined and represented within the album. This is indeed the case with "Paradise Green", with its long,yearning trumpet notes,rustling whips and the lone appearance of a cello in contrast to "Zebrano" where strings had more amply been used. "The Ocean Depth", which sees a solo performance by Lev, is also quite evocative. And here it really seems like we are moving in the mysterious world of deep seas; the sounds here are fluid and endearing with a dominance of low pitched tonalities.
The wonderful "My Sun"must also be placed in the same group of songs.This is one of two songs presenting vocal lines interpreted by Eteri Bernashili’s angelic voice who’s hovering lightly between the clouds, the golden rays of the sun and percussive suggestions seemingly from the african continent.
This series of meditative tracks is alternated with tracks of a more animated bent like the opening and captivating "Star Flicker or Happy 70th", studded with rather beautiful soloing moments with also great interaction between brass and marimba. Furthermore, "On the Golden Sands" presents itself as a scrumptious composition, technically proficient and very well executed with its dynamic , fluid passages and spirited mood. Finally the closing track, "Grand Funk",the other piece with vocals, is a playful piece with a funky flavour (as the title suggests) and a bit Zappa-like,perhaps at odds with the rest of the album, but nevertheless ending it in a pleasant manner.
Undoubtedly a beautiful album, not very long (43 minutes) where, as explained before, airy sounds and atmospheres prevale. The music as such never really takes off in an explosive manner and the undoubted technical prowess shown
is subsumed within the sonic narrative and clearly at its service. An album where every single passage must be savoured deeply to the end.Perhaps in some aspects it’s just a tad lower than "Zebrano", but nevertheless worhty of attention and full of valid content. It must be said that, taken on its own, this disk doesn’t perfectly represent Marimba Plus,whose albums possess a clearly defined individuality of their own. The somewhat fluid and elusive nature of their music can perhaps only be given true justice to the full with a life performance and it’s difficult to see how a studio recording could capture it given also perhaps the strong elements of Jazz which animate this band. At this point in time, I would desire a live CD... perhaps someone in Russia might just listen to me...
Marimba Plus- ZebranoI recommend you approach, in whichever way you wish, this group that is so unknowingly linked to progressive rock. The very essence of the band is in the name itself; the marimba, a harmoniously vibrant sounding wood-made instrument closely related to the xylophone. As a matter of fact, the leader of the band is Leon Stepner, the marimba player. Here, he has created a sonic infusion made of Jazz,chamber music, and various ethnic fragrances with the marimba as the pivotal instrument.
All the other musicians either gained their diplomas at the Gresin Musical Academy or at theMoscow State Conservatoire. Respectively we have a flute player (Ilia Dvoretsky), a cello player (Nikolai Solonovich), a clarinet player (Sergey Nanki), a soprano and alto sax player (Andrey Krassilnikov), the drummer (Alexander Ginger) and a bass and double bass player (Anton Chumachenko). Effectively, we are dealing with a Jazz group which is essentially set up like a highly skilled small scale chamber orchestra. Here, the compositions either seem to tilt towards the more open ended improvisations of avantgarde Jazz,full of special soloing, notably from the rather vivacious saxophonist, or towards chamber music imbued with storming instrumental openings.
The intro to "Tango ’Hot’ Ice Cream" is instantly appreciated and the dialogue between the flute, the marimba and the other brass instruments is reminiscent of La Zombie et ses Bizons even though the latter employs a metal made vibraphone. Needless to say, Leon really knows how to craft stunning solos, by deftly stroking and hitting in a tentacular fashion. Then we have something altogether more tribal in "Zebrano", a darkly attractive track where the woody sounds of the marimba seemingly vibrate within one’s bones. This tune is made of a beautiful structure caracterized by the insertion of pauses designed to slow down the rythm to then allow space for the music to grow into an incredibly slow but progressive crescendo. "Rainbow", one of the more soft and rarefied tracks is more chamber like with it’s dreamy interaction of strings and brass, whilst the harp is alomst giving the sound impression of a fair rain drizzle. Meanwhile, a completely turned inside out and rather fiery version of "Mission Impossible" offers a dose of escapism.
Looking then at the other seven tracks we remember "Jerusalem", a tune possessing an exotic magnetism with beautiful bits of harp played by Valentina Borisova (here she appears with four other musicians playing the french horn,the tuba,trumpet and trombone all appearing on the final track "Apocalypse") and some gorgeous improvisations with virtuoso soloing from the sax and the clarinet who literally let rip over the rythm section. Here we are dealing with a tune which on a live setting will provide ample room for improvisation, which will take it well beyond what was sculpted on the CD. Basically if you are one of those people who appreciated the debut disk of the aforementioned French band (even if in this instance there’s a larger scale instrumental setting) I believe that you will enjoy the purchase of this beautiful work, in fact one of the most beautiful released this year.
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: Major
