Artist: Mljask
Label: Celinka
Released: 2009
Running time: 63:31
Rating: 4.5/5
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more inventive musical mind than the one sitting on Vasko Atanasovski’s shoulders. The man is an incredible conduit for the traditional musical heritage of Balkan »ciganology« and the Near East, which he fuses with jazz adventurism, and he does it all with a boundless, free-spirited inspiration that never runs dry. For the Mljask project, Vasko has gathered a crew of top-tier musicians who know no limits when it comes to provoking their inner geniuses, and who can’t wait for someone like Vasko, in this case, to »dunk« them into the challenge.
It’s well known that this kind of music belongs on stage, first and foremost! And for Mljask to hit that maximum, if not the optimum, in delivering their rich heritage to the consumer, the smartest move was to step onto the stage and record the album’s music live. The recordings on this album come from two consecutive concerts at Stara elektrarna in Ljubljana, as the title of the release already tells you.
Even the opener Heyser Bulgar whisks the listener far away to the lands toward the Black Sea and the Balkans. It unfolds restlessly, but with a sparkling, exuberant intellect that marries ethno melos with jazz techniques. Just like the restless, unpredictable, yet hospitable Balkans. Beyond the melos itself, underpinned by traditional rhythms, it’s not hard to hear that a whole orchestra of »trubači« (brass players) could latch onto this track. With the first notes of Čoček tango it becomes instantly clear that this release is a sudden alarm and wake-up call for fans of this kind of musical excursion, starting with the music for Goran Bregović’s film »Underground« and going on from there. Gypsies! Charge! Literally.
Welcome to the world of madcap mischief. You surely don’t consume this much fast-paced comedy, delivered on the spot, every day. This much brilliant playing, this perfect sense of one another among the musicians, sparkling through a superbly calibrated team – it never misses a note, and it never misses a beat of homegrown artistic substance either (alongside the otherwise recognizable melos and rhythms of tradition). The tracks string together several different lead motifs, underpinned by various rhythms, which generates a spontaneous and unpredictable development of the material, steeped in the impressions of the solo shenanigans of the saxophone, guitars, and accordion.
Ethno mixed with jazz has always whetted the appetite of everyone looking for the offbeat and the unusual. Atanasovski’s inexhaustible saxophone playing is backed up by Andraž Mazi’s guitar improvisations, while the accordion wizard Dejan Berden adds particular juiciness to the release, often keeping up a lush backdrop of accompaniment as well. The quintet only calms all that unbridled playfulness in the second half of the album, with the mellow tango waltz Nikaja, where even more room opens up for solo flights. Here, Andraž Mazi’s gift for jazz experimentation really sparkles, followed in equal measure by Dejan Berden’s accordion through the rest of the track, which then soaks up a particularly intense moment of melancholy when the sensitivity of Vasko’s saxophone steps into the game.
From the traditional ethno musical heritage, steeped in the gypsy melos of Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Greece, all the way to Jewish Klezmer! No letup! This colorful folding map is then spiced up with real gypsy swing voluptuousness in the vocal »Rožnato življenje zdaj«, where singer Aphra Tesla stamps Mljask’s music with a distinctive mark through an exceptional and especially sensual, deeply felt vocal interpretation. It draws big ovations from the audience. Passionate, full-blooded, and with unbridled pleasure. From the first second to the last.
»V živo iz stare elektrarne« is an extraordinary culmination of the artistic maturing of Vasko Atanasovski and the crew. It radiates all the artistic wealth of miles traveled, rich experience, a wide-open mind, and a general receptiveness that knows no boundaries in creation. Atanasovski has spoiled us with all this, and got us used to it, through many stories of his musical confession. On top of all that, the Mljask project serves up yet another new story, yet another new face of Atanasovski. We hope the album »V živo iz stare elektrarne« gets a follow-up.
Lineup
Vasko Atanasovski – soprano & alto saxophone, bansuri
Dejan Berden – accordion
Andraž Mazi – guitar
Mathia B – double bass
Marjan Stanič – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Aphra Tesla – vocals on track no. 8
Production
Vasko Atanasovski
Track list
1. Heyser Bulgar
2. Šentjanževka
3. Balo Rito
4. Silber Wedding
5. Odessa Bulgarish
6. Nikaja
7. Magy Rogy
8. Rožnato življenje zdaj
9. Faranga
10. Tarra’s Freilach
