Location: Klub Gromka (Metelkova) / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 03.03.2008
Attendance: 40
Ticket price: 5.00€
Miusow Quartet lineup:
Marko Brdnik – accordion
Andrej Čopar – saxophones (soprano, tenor, baritone), flute
Blaž Grm – drums
Tibor Mihelič Syed – electric bass guitar, vocals
Miusow Quartet is more or less an unknown name on the Slovenian music scene, but these are no wet-behind-the-ears rookies. All the members have played, and still play, in better-known outfits (just a few names – Katalena, Leteči Potepuhi, Nieowt,…). In short, their skills are more than obvious and wildly varied, so a good show was what you could expect at Klub Gromka on Tuesday.
The moment I read their press release, I knew I wanted to see this band. They introduced themselves in an unconventional way that hooked me. They didn’t brag too much, and the gist of their text was that they play the music they want to play, not the kind that would get the most people listening. Commendable, no question. Still, I’m always skeptical about this kind of thing. It has happened plenty of times that a band blew me away with samples or an intro text, and then I walked out of the gig disappointed.
Shows at Metelkova traditionally start at least an hour late, and this time was no different. The concert, scheduled for ten in the evening, only kicked off at eleven. The Metelkova regulars (I’m slowly getting to count myself among them) are used to it by now, and there were no street riots.
The show opened dramatically, with a piece by the Japanese composer Hosokawa called Melodija. It was a demonic, dark intro where only the accordionist played, working the lowest registers of his piano accordion at a slow tempo and probably scaring off a listener or two. Personally, I absolutely loved the piece, and at times the oppressive atmosphere even reminded me of Univers Zero. Still, it wouldn’t have been fair to everyone else in the room if the whole concert had stayed at that pace and mood. What followed was a proper romp through every style of music – wild fusion, tango, Balkan melodies, pop, blues, rock, avant-garde. These guys forgot almost nothing. Toward the end of the show the bassist and the accordionist left the stage, leaving the spotlight to the drummer and the saxophonist, who showed off all their solo chops.
The band’s music is truly colorful. Nothing is foreign to them. They can play avant-garde dominated by dissonance, jazz rhythms come naturally, and they feel right at home in pop, rock and blues. Given that we’re in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, it was no surprise that they use motifs from Balkan music. But they don’t overdo it. They weave that style in just enough to keep it effective. In my opinion, though, Miusow Quartet’s biggest trump card is how evenly all the ingredients in their music are balanced. If I had to pick, I’d probably say jazz is the most in the foreground. Though definitely not improvisational jazz, since these are polished compositions with a minimum of improvisation. For the most part everything is planned and composed. At times a section might seem chaotic, but when you dig in, you see it’s really just incredible tightness, not chaos. Everyone does their own thing, yet it all sounds like one flowing whole.
It would be hard to pick which individual impressed me most, since they were all so excellent. Still, the accordion strikes me as something special here. That instrument simply sounds so good in jazz, classical and avant-garde (but not in Slovenian folk-pop polka stuff). The bassist wowed me too, effortlessly steering the show with his booming lines. Here and there he also played chords on the bass and generally covered the role of both bass and guitar. A couple of times he turned into a vocalist as well, and he nailed that too. The other half of the rhythm section, drummer Blaž Grm, is already a seasoned musician who can play practically any style. A few outstanding fills totally convinced me that he’s a top-class drummer. He was at his best when he switched on the jazz feel, which seems to suit him down to the ground. The other soloist (besides the accordion) was Andrej Čopar, who switched between the various saxophones and the flute with ease. Every single member of Miusow Quartet could play in any band out there. These are excellent musicians who breathe music. And that’s exactly why they don’t play with the biggest names. Because they have respect for the music and for themselves.
The sound was top-notch too, maybe with the woodwinds a bit too quiet here and there. But nothing terrible. All in all, the performance was at a high level in every respect. The crowd (however many there were) clearly enjoyed the music as well. The band could have made better use of that and sold CDs after the show. Surely a few enthusiasts would have shelled out for music of this caliber.
No matter how anyone wants to define their music – is it prog, jazz, avant-garde? – in the end only quality matters. And these guys have more than enough of it. They know how to mix genres from all corners of the world, while of course not forgetting their own heritage. Okay, maybe there wasn’t a lot of Slovenian folk music in the mix (like, say, with Begnagrad), but they made up for it by working plenty of Balkan melos into their pieces, which in the right doses can brilliantly spice up a show. There’s nothing left to say but hats off. Miusow Quartet may well be relatively unknown (even in Slovenia), but to me they’re giants. Let’s have more bands with minds and hearts of their own, and more nights like this one.
Words: Rok Podgrajšek
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Melodija (T. Hosokawa)
2. Skandiranje Skandinavev (Mihelič Syed)
3. Vrvež v mestu (Čopar)
4. Alma Mater (Čopar)
5. Cynical (Mihelič Syed)
6. Amn ha (Čopar)
7. Konfrontacija (Čopar)
8. Šuti bolan (Mihelič Syed)
9. Njene razprte platnice (Mihelič Syed)
10. Bluz zaprtih barov (Mihelič Syed)
—encore—
11. Vrvež v mestu (Čopar)
Photo Gallery
