Nostalgija

Author: Aleš Podbrežnik

Artist: Klemm, Sandra & Adam
Label: Celinka
Released: 2015
Running time: approx. 72 min.
Rating: 4/5

The Klemm couple are no strangers to the Slovenian music scene. Back in the nineties, Sandra used to bounce along to dance-pop bangers she performed under the name Sendi, while Adam is part of the RTV Slovenija Big Band. Years go by, and a person ripens and explores themselves along the way. Evidently, old-town songs, sevdalinkas and other folk songs too, especially from the Hungarian side of things (Adam comes from a Hungarian family, after all), have become a real inspiration for the two of them.

So Adam decided to turn them inside out, and since he’s a jazz musician, it’s clear that jazz is the basic premise of the arrangements. But there are no avant-garde excesses whatsoever; beneath the typical folk melos, the songs keep a sturdy jazz backbone that’s highly melodic and singable throughout. The album is a double. The first disc belongs to Sandra, which means her vocals take center stage. The second disc is almost entirely instrumental (the exception is the track Kimegyek a rétre, sung by Katalin Hardi Klemm), and Adam’s saxophone takes the spotlight, so the second CD belongs to Adam.   

That said, the ethno component is clearly held back, not just because of the melodies but also because of the integration of instruments that aren’t exactly an everyday sight in a jazz setting. Hence the collaboration with Czech musician Jura Wajda, who joined in on cimbalom and contributed two original songs (Vino, vino, vino červene and Fašank špek od štepana šemory).

»Nostalgija« is an album you couldn’t have picked a more fitting title for. It’s a take on songs our grandmas and grandpas listened to, songs that etched themselves so deeply into the hearts of the two main players here that they now use the record as a kind of dedication to the older generation. Adam followed his own feelings with great finesse and dressed the songs up with jazz arranging habits in a truly meticulous way. The songs kept the authentic glow of the originals and their recognizable catchiness, and at the same time, through the playful jazz backdrop of their new outfits, they not only surprise the listener effectively and keep them on their toes, but also radiate the plentiful joy and fun that filled the team of remarkably tight, well-matched musicians while interpreting the material in the studio. And the album isn’t only about adapting folk standards, either: Sandra and Adam each contribute one original song. Sandra’s is the title track, which closes the first disc, and Adam’s is the tenderly played 12 Days. Jazz variations are by no means in short supply (especially on the second disc), but the songs are by no means overloaded with them, so they stay listenable and accessible throughout. As for the entirely natural shades of the soundscape on both discs, there’s no point going on about it. That’s their self-evident (mandatory) ingredient.

Sandra has matured over the years into an exceptionally fine vocalist. In the nineties, this kind of music most likely didn’t touch her all that much. You simply have to mature into it. Sandra, who also lends her voice to Moretti’s 1x Band, has grown over the years into a fascinating, sensual vocalist whose timbre effectively seduces and enchants the listener, and whose refined vocal exposé handles even tougher challenges without trouble, like performing sevdalinkas (Što te nema).

So »Nostalgija« is definitely a special kind of album, and on it the Klemm couple show remarkable artistic daring and courage, setting off successfully into the waters of reshaping familiar folk music in a unique way and adding lively color palettes of jazzy veils to it. The mission, or the very character, of this album is thus a fully tangible and clear moment of the genuine imprint of both musicians’ deep feelings of nostalgic longing.

Lineup

Sandra Klemm – vocals (CD1,)
Katalin Hardi Klemm – vocals on track no. 8 (CD2.)
Adam Klemm – saxophones
Vukašin Mišković – guitar
Milan Stanisavljević – piano
Nikola Matošič – double bass
Robert Jukič – double bass
Bruno Domiter – drums, percussion
Wolfgang Rainer – drums, percussion
Jura Wajda – cimbalom

Production

Adam Klemm, Primož Grašič (CD1) & Rok Lopatič, Adam Klemm (CD2.)

Track list