Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Brdnik, Marko & Rakovec, Uroš
Label: ZARŠ Records
Release: 2016
Rating: 4.5/5
It was only a matter of time before accordionist Marko Brdnik and guitarist Uroš Rakovec merged their instruments and their musical vision into a one-of-a-kind musical story. The backgrounds of the two musicians, or rather the artistic ground each of them has already covered, practically dictate that a pairing of the two can give birth to a kind of musical eclecticism that is impossible, if not downright unfair, to predict or pin down in advance.
They titled the album »Leta« and found a fitting, meaningful cover to go with it, showing the annual growth rings of a tree trunk (judging by the structure of the rings, most likely a pine), which at the same time symbolizes, through the wood itself, the bond between their music and nature. The album is entirely focused on the mellifluous stringing together of acoustic musical elements into a homegrown, natural, organically sounding sonic landscape. No studio kitsch whatsoever, no gloss and no »hiding« behind sound effects or any artificial prosthetics. We’re talking, of course, about a fully instrumental album .
Both musicians have enormous mileage behind them and a huge dose of hard-won experience, having worked, or still working, with a stylistically colorful palette of musical projects, including Tamara Obrovac Transhistria Ensemble, Mildreds, Amala, Ira Roma, Zero Hour Quintet, Miusow Quartet and The Puzzled, while Brdnik is also active as a composer of theater music.
»Leta« is really a jigsaw puzzle made of two musicians’ two worlds, one that in a way mirrors their past artistic journeys and pours them, in its own way, into the present of their shared music-making. The album comes across as utterly unpretentious. It wins you over slowly, even modestly, but with the incredibly endearing, subcutaneously seductive charm of a unique charisma that feels familiar, like something you’ve heard somewhere before and very homey, while its proven adventurousness constantly teases the listener and keeps them busy.
The eleven tracks feel like eleven self-contained stories of polished compositional charisma. It’s a rainbow-colored foldout of a unique weave of many world music elements, reflecting the layered receptiveness of both musicians’ musical perception, with neoclassical elements subtly threaded through it all, the provocative sparkle of jazzy adventurous breezes, while the rhythmic kinetics, dictated above all by Marko’s accordion, can lead any listener toward the elements of tango. Eight tracks are originals, and the album adds three covers: the Slovenian folk song Dve leti in pol, Estate by the Italian singer B. Martino, and Dom de iludir (originally by Caetano Veloso). The latter is a jazz standard that served Brdnik and Rakovec in their shared jam sessions as a kind of indicator of their compatibility. That’s why it’s arguably even their most important experience, the one that actually gave the platform for »Leta« to come into being, or, put simply, the proof that the chemistry between Brdnik and Rakovec works and can be creative.
Polished phrases of clearly defined musicality unfold within the song structures in a glow of the unexpected, yet the two musicians never lose the red thread for a moment when arranging and stringing together the compatible parts of the album’s complex yet (consistently) highly listenable puzzle. The experimental element, that so-called free-spirited musical touch, tersely carves its way into the structural form of the songs, so it’s clearly imprinted on every track on the album. The two sense each other remarkably well, constantly and flexibly opening up space for each other’s solo acrobatics. At any given moment on the album, Brdnik holds the backdrop of accompaniment for Rakovec so he can bring in the »foreground« with solos, and of course the reverse holds true, the roles swapping constantly. These moments, where the two grant each other the challenge of improvisation, again feel utterly unpretentious, and the improvisation is dosed in just the right shades and in just the right places. That means »Leta« never falls into a feeling of fragmentation or, even worse, ends up being musically »heavy« as a result. Accordion and guitar complement each other incredibly effectively in everything they take on. In this respect the instruments stay »level« throughout. Neither grabs the attention or tries to overpower the other. The symbiotic dialogue between the two instruments works flawlessly.
Mediterranean melos (Andaluse), Scandinavian melancholic sweetness and mysticism (Estbjörn), the play of water droplets (Voda), urban euphoria (Moskva), playfulness (Boulevard), nostalgia and longing (November),… It’s a pleasure to dive into the bubbling spring of emotions and passions that both musicians coax out of the music with such lavish heartiness and pour onto the recording. In this respect the album, for all the modesty with which it invites us into its world, is certainly lavishly rich and anything but modest, even though this is deeply thought-out composing that demands flawless finesse and sensuality. And it’s precisely this component of the two musicians’ sensitive, instinctive responsiveness that works in a unique way. In the sense that, as a result, the album affects the listener differently every time and stirs up different feelings tied to different moods. Every time you listen to »Leta«, the songs awaken different feelings in you.
»Leta« is a gorgeous album, a one-of-a-kind musical calling card and a vivid imprint of the multilayered craft of its two creators, one that will satisfy many kinds of listeners. Music purists and gourmets, as well as all lovers of an adventurous fusion of world music elements with neoclassicism, masterfully enriched with the sparkling adventurousness of the jazz spirit.
Marko Brdnik & Uroš Rakovec – Leta (track):
Lineup
Marko Brdnik – accordion
Uroš Rakovec – classical guitar
Production
Stefano Amario
Tracklist
1. Voda (Water)
2. Andaluse
3. Dom De Iludir
4. Matrica (Matrix)
5. Esbjörn
6. Leta (Years)
7. Estate
8. Dve leti in pol (Two Years and a Half)
9. Boulevard
10. Moskva
11. November
