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ZAMA 003CD
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Award-winning Frankfurt-based tango nuevo quartet Mi Loco Tango pay tribute to Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla with Del Diablo Y Del Angel (trans. "About Devils And Angels"). This magnificent tango-innovator dedicated an entire range of original compositions to the devil and the angels and scattered them in many of his publications and compositions. Now these little stories are combined and confronted. In the middle are the two cycles "Del Diablo" and "Del Angel" -- rarely played Piazzolla pieces. The four musicians, consisting of a bayanist (chromatic button accordion player) from Russia, a violinist and a pianist from Germany and a German-French double-bass player, have already proven their virtuosity with Piazzolla's works, for which they were awarded the World Music Prize Creole 2007 & Laureate 2 at the Astor Piazzolla Festival. Through the use of their instruments, they show how devious an angel is and how magically appealing the devil can be. The violin howls like a werewolf, the double bass becomes a percussive, slashing instrument of torture, the piano is heavenly, and the bayan, at the top of its mastery, produces the deepest registers to the highest. Mi Loco Tango creates a contrasting rainbow of sounds through the work of Astor Piazzolla and is not afraid of the unexpected. For example, for the melodramic "El Tango," the quartet had the lyrics translated from the original Spanish (by the great Argentinean author Jorge Luis Borges) and invited the performer and director Willy Praml (he is the father of the double-bass player Gregor Praml) to their studio-sessions to work with him to achieve an absolutely new interpretation. Alberto Mompellio is responsible for refining the arrangements to "Adios Nonino" and "Mumuki," which, through his Italian origins, have given a completely new meaning to the genre of tango nuevo. With Del Diablo Y Del Angel, Mi Loco Tango present sweeping, quixotic theatrical amusements that clearly show that the tango they play comes from deep inside their hearts and souls.
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ZAMA 004CD
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Film soundtracks evoke strong emotions but often stand back in favor of performers and stage direction. However, the music created for big orchestras remains in the memory of the viewer -- it leaves its mark, even when the movie has long finished. But what is left if one tries to dissect a complex piece of orchestral score music into its components in an effort to take every individual part seriously? The international ensemble Mi Loco Tango dared to do so. The four musicians, fascinated by the "secret" power of Italian film soundtracks, experimented with their own instruments. Is it possible to play just four instruments and create a sound experience equal to the quality of the big orchestras, and even further, to add to it? The answer is "yes," because the various possibilities of playing the instruments within the quartet, consisting of an accordion, a violin, a piano and a double bass, are taken to the limit. The soundtracks of the great Italian composers are taken further by this reduction. Special guest Franco De Gemini (harmonica) did for the harmonica what Anton Karas did for the zither with the theme from The Third Man. Nearly 40 years ago, De Gemini played "The Man With The Harmonica" for Sergio Leone's classic Western Once Upon A Time In The West, probably the most famous harmonica tune in movie history. This in-demand studio musician and composer of the virtuoso harmonica has played a part in more than 800 soundtracks. The arrangements of the pieces played by Mi Loco Tango were created with the help of Alberto Mompellio, one of the most in-demand studio musicians in Italy. Among others, he has worked with Fabrizio De Andre and Milva. His commissions for compositions and orchestral arrangements of soundtracks led him to Hollywood (e.g. Igby Goes Down, All The Queen's Men). Mi Loco Tango interpret music from Amarcord, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Once Upon A Time In The West, The Mass Is Over, 8½, Rocco And His Brothers, Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion, Life Is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, The Vikings, A Fistful Of Dynamite, The Godfather, Two Women, and The Orchestra Rehearsal.
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ZAMA 002CD
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With his fully-acoustic quartet, Frankfurt's Tobias Rüger explores the musical possibilities of the most classic of jazz outfits. Traditional in set-up and modern in musical language, spontaneous expression and improvisation blends into precisely-arranged compositional ideas. Tobias Rüger has taken on three outstanding musicians for this project: Daniel Stelter, guitar, is neither a jazz, nor pop, nor classical guitarist, although his playing is borne out of all these styles without being eclectic. His playing is exceptionally gentle both in sound and harmony and thus provides a perfect link between melody and rhythm. Hanns Höhn, bass, is a member of numerous jazz projects, including those of German jazz masters Oli Bott and Torsten de Winkel. His tone is voluptuous and smooth. Furthermore, his uncannily secure intonation allows him to apply his bass frequently for melodic purposes. Kay Lübke, drums, has recorded with Efrat Alony and Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky. He is an exceptional drummer in the sense that he makes the very most of the whole range of sounds the drum-set has to offer. According to Rüger himself, "Adjusting my compositions to their musicianship became a responsibility, a responsibility to translate the spectrum that exists between solo performance and accompaniment, between formal composition and uninhibited improvisation. In 'Zeitloch' (Timewarp) or 'Die Stimme der Vernunft' (The Voice of Reason), Hanns casts new light on the motives introduced by the saxophone in wide solo passages, whereas the guitar and double bass almost merge into one in 'Im Zimmer der Zauberin' (In the Room of the Sorceress). In 'Der Besuch der alten Dame' (The Visit of the Old Lady), Kay explores the melodic potential of the drum set, accompanied by guitar and bass, while I use some so-called new playing techniques such as multiphonics and circular breathing on the sax." These special compositions were recorded in an 18-hour studio session, and are the result of careful interaction between four personalities and their ideas.
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ZAMA 001CD
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This is the debut full-length release by Vesna on new Essay Recordings imprint, Edition Zama. Inspired by her childhood's family singalongs, the Serbian-born Vesna Petković has crafted powerfully emotional songs with a strong jazz backing. She studied jazz voice in her hometown and later at the reputable Graz University of Music and Performing Arts, considered the breeding-ground for the finest musicians of the Balkans. Vesna graduated with the Federal Ministry of Culture's prestigious "Würdigungspreis" in appreciation of her achievements. Almost immediately, she started performing in musicals and soon met like-minded musicians who formed the Sandy Lopiçiç Orkestar and embarked on a meteoric career -- releasing two CDs that met with critical acclaim, especially for the vocals. Vesna also came to the attention of Bucovina Club creator Shantel, who signed her up for his Bucovina Club Orkestar. The band, still going strong, did several highly-acclaimed tours and played some epochal gigs, including the North Sea Jazz Festival. In 2000, Vesna got together with some of the best musicians of her home region (Serbia and Austria) to found her own band, all the while quietly writing and arranging the music that she now presents on A New One. Influences from the musical cosmos of her childhood meld with the jazz she loved and studied. The little girl under the kitchen table and the experienced performer, the traditional music of her homeland and cutting-edge jazz, melancholy and unfettered lust for life -- all of these can be heard and felt on this exceptional debut.
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