Venue: KUD France Prešeren/Ljubljana
Concert date: 13.06.2008
Attendance: 40
Ticket price: 5 €
KUD France Prešeren used to be a real mecca for alternative gigs of every genre, but in the last couple of years it’s sadly gone pretty quiet on that front. This time, though, the doors of the small but charming hall swung open for all lovers of great avant-garde jazz-rock going by the name of Miusow Quartet.
Miusow Quartet are made up of more or less seasoned old cats. The accordionist Marko Brdnik has the least experience, but he’s also the only formally trained musician in the band. The most important members are supposedly Tibor Mihelič and Andrej Čopar, who are also the main songwriters, but it looks like drummer Blaž Grm will carry more and more weight in the future. At the gig he presented his first composition written for Miusow Quartet, which is expected to appear on the next studio release.
So what defines this band’s music? In short, it’s extremely melodic songs that hide heavy, complex nuances underneath. Structurally the music is just as sprawling. You can hear really simple stuff as well as very hard, meticulously polished material. All of it is wrapped in jazz-rock paper, soaked in a touch of avant-garde experimentation (especially when it comes to the unusual melodies).
So how did the gig go for a band making this kind of music? It kicked off with Skandiranje Skandinavcev. You could feel that proper intensity, dynamism and tightness of the band right away. Njene razprte platnice only amplified that feeling. Alma mater calmed the wild rhythm for a moment, but with Blaž Grm’s song Devetička the frenzy carried on. I think Devetička is a promising start for the new album, especially judging by the melodies, the tricky rhythms and the fast transitions. Another track from the first album Smejmo se skupaj followed, after which Tibor and Marko left the stage and handed Blaž and Andrej over to their confrontation on drums and winds. The end of the gig again belonged to three songs from the debut. Blues zaprtih barov shows that Miusow Quartet can play the blues too, Amn’ Ha is a more spiritual affair with an oriental touch, while with Vrvež v mestu they finished the way they started – with wild jazzy madness. But that wasn’t the end of the show yet. One song from the debut was still left unplayed. Šuti bolan is the perfect closer, since it has all the hallmarks of this band – fast jazz rhythms, dreamier folk passages and avant-garde experimentation.
Miusow Quartet showed off all their talents. Besides the typically polished compositions, there were a few more improvised parts this time than the last time I saw them, where the guys could let loose and let their jazz soul breathe. Marko Brdnik also didn’t get his own solo intro, in which he used to play a dark composition by the Japanese composer Horogawa in Gromka. Interestingly, they played their album Smejmo se skupaj in almost the same order as on the CD. In between they just squeezed in one new song and one improvisation, and saved Šuti Bolan for the encore.
Maybe their performance lacked a bit of the fire that was there when I saw them the first time, but the fact is that this kind of music is pretty demanding and takes real attention, so there’s sometimes less ego-flexing than at your typical rock show. It’s also possible that the first time I heard them I was still so blown away that I lost my objectivity. Anyway, another successful show from one of the most interesting bands on the Slovenian scene, and I’ll gladly see them again whenever I get the chance.
Words: Rok Podgrajšek
Photos: Matevž Ftičar
Setlist
1. Skandiranje Skandinavcev
2. Njene razprte platnice
3. Alma mater
4. Devetička
5. Cynical
6. Konfrontacija
7. Blues zaprtih barov
8. Amn’ Ha
9. Vrvež v mestu
Encore:
10. Šuti bolan
Photo gallery
