Artist: Bibič, Bratko
Label: Bergtöne
Release: 2009
Duration: 46:08
Rating: 4.4/5
Bratko Bibič is a Slovenian accordion virtuoso who has already delighted us (or maybe made a few people sad, you never know) in hugely important projects like Begnagrad, Nimal and Accordion Tribe. His contribution to Begnagrad is especially important for Slovenian music history, but his work on his other musical adventures shouldn’t be overlooked either, and it seems Bibič’s compositions just keep getting better and better over the years.
This time Bratko steps out with The Madleys, with a live album called “Dobri duh iz zelenega gozda”. The music on the album shows us exactly what we hear from Bratko and his Madleys at their gigs. All the fan favorites, from Encore to Ableitung, are right here. It’s only a bit odd that Petelinje is missing, since Bibič pretty much always uses it to close out his shows. The last track on the album (Ramona) is also a bit of a surprise: it’s the only composition not written by Bibič, and he doesn’t even play on it.
Musically, Bibič is practically impossible to pigeonhole. Is it chamber avant-garde rock? Is it avant-garde classical? It’s all of that and more. The music he’s playing right now has plenty of influences from classical, avant-garde composition, jazz, folk and more. Even though the music has quite a few avant-garde elements, at moments it’s so beautiful and pure that it seems like music everybody has to love, and then these guys surprise you and “spoil” the party. But it’s exactly those surprises that make Bratko such a great composer. He knows how to create incredibly beautiful moments and mix them with very complex and unexpected ones.
Since Bibič and the Madleys are joined on stage this time by the Rämschfädra ensemble, the sound is also appropriately bigger than at their usual gigs. That can even be a little distracting, because at times there’s almost too much going on and you can’t make out every instrument as clearly as you’d like. Still, it makes up for it elsewhere, since at certain moments one extra instrument builds an even more intense atmosphere. Considering that we don’t usually hear this many musicians together at their shows, it may even be for the best, because we get to hear a slightly different interpretation than usual.
Bratko Bibič and his collaborators have made an album that’s very easy to listen to, yet at the same time cunning, cheeky and immensely intelligent. As was already typical of Begnagrad, Bratko doesn’t leave us hanging when it comes to humor in music. The song titles alone can make you laugh, and Bibič knows how to get the audience laughing with his banter too. Begnagrad may be one of the most important bands in Slovenian music, and their self-titled album one of the most important avant-garde albums in the former Yugoslavia, but Bratko has become an even better composer. He hasn’t lost a thing and has gained a ton, especially on the compositional side. Experience clearly does its work. “Dobri duh iz zelenega gozda” is definitely a contender for album of the year, and consider this a warning: nobody is safe from it.
If you want to buy the album in Slovenia, head over to the Jazz and Blues Records shop on Trubarjeva Street in Ljubljana, or contact them online HERE.
Lineup
Bratko Bibič – piano accordion, vocals
Matjaž Sekne – violin, viola
Vasko Atanasovski – saxophones, flute
Boštjan Gombač – clarinet, whistles, whistling
Marjan Stanič – drums, percussion
Sonja Füchslin – piano, violin
Patrizia Pacozzi – violin
Livia Bergamin – flute
Thomas Estermann – double bass, acoustic guitar
Roberto Imfeld – button accordion
Shirley Ann Hofmann – euphonium
Andreas Gut – accordion
Production
Bratko Bibič
Tracklist
1. Encore Trois W
2. Encore Deux W
3. Encore Un W
4. In the Family Garden 2
5. Labis Carniolus
6. From Borst to Labor
7. 1st Sun-Day of May / St. Martin’s Day
8. Aus der Schatzkammer des Unbewussten / Announcement
9. Aus der Schatzkammer des Unbewussten
10. Ein guter Geist aus Grünenwald
11. Odvod – Ableitung
12. Ramona
