Customer Reviews

Krushevo (Dig)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What can be the outcome when two virtuoso guitar players with similar cultural roots, but different musical careers meet for a common project? In mid-seventies, Vlatko Stefanovski founded the Macedonian art-rock group Leb i sol (Bread and salt, the traditional Slavic welcome), which gained international fame and recorded in total 13 albums before the group was dismissed in the early nineties. In his subsequent solo career, Stefanovski turned more towards etno and jazz, recorded more albums, and wrote music theatrical performances and motion pictures. Miroslav Tadic, also a former Yugoslavia native, left his home country during study, which led him to Italy and finally USA. Since 1985, he has been teaching at the Californian Institute of Arts in Los Angeles. In their January 1997 issue, the editors of GUITAR PLAYER magazine voted Miroslav Tadic one of the world's 30 most radical and individual guitarists.

In summer of 1997, Stefanovski and Tadic met for a recording session in Makedonium, in the small town Krushevo in the central Macedonia. Two acoustic guitars are recorded in a specific, almost sacred, chapel-like atmosphere of the interior of the Ilinden uprising memorial site monument.

Recorded are ten Macedonian folk songs or dances - usually in an odd-meter rhythms and archaic scale structures - arranged for two acoustic guitar players (Tadic plays flamenco guitar on most tracks, and Stefanovski plays dobro on the last two tracks). The sound is clear with no often disturbing studio post-processing. Indeed, the guys sound just as splendid when you hear live (I had one such privilege at the Ljubljana Jazz festival last year).

The whole project bears resemblance in spirit with earlier John McLaughlin/Paco De Lucia fusion sessions. If you like them, it is worth giving this album a chance, for not only you will hear two virtuoso guitarists at their best, but will bring you to - most likely - new and exotic rhythms and tunes of Macedonia.

One of the great things about Amazon for us parochial American types is that it allows us to explore more of the many insanely rich traditions of music that abound all over the planet. This CD is an exemplar of what we are missing.
This CD presents Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadic playing the music of Macedonia. The liner notes are careful to distinguish the Macedonia that used to be the southern part of Yugoslavia (where this music comes from) from the Macedonia area of northern Greece. It was recorded in June of 1997 inside the Macedonium Monument in Krushevo, Macedonia. The music is beautifully recorded and it is deserving of that treatment.
The compositions are based on traditional melodies. The technique of these players is impeccable and their musical sensibilities have been informed by many different styles of playing: classical, flamenco, jazz, rock among others. One of the pieces, "Jano, mori", sounds like something Bill Frisell might do if he knew this material. Other times, these guys remind me of Ry Cooder or Paco De Lucia.
In the end, however, all such comparisons are mostly irrelevant. They merely serve to suggest to American ears the level of which Stefanovski and Tadic play.
What is important is the merger of player and material. Stefanovski and Tadic sounds as if this tradition of folk melodies is at the core of their musical souls. This is rich, somber, wonderful music being beautifully played by musicians who love it. If you love guitar music, this CD belongs in your collection.

Yamaha electric steel-string guitars provide the power surge and circuit revision to this already exotic and odd-metered Macedonian traditional music. The experiment works! Traditional folk tunes such as "Gajdavsko Oro", "Jano Mori", "Jovano Jovanka", "Dalino Vino Crveno", "Ajde Da Li Znaes pametis Milice" sound great when when played on the Sakura nylon guitar and Yamaha steel-stringed guitar. The melodies and rhythms remain unaltered but the quality of music becomes 21st century ... I love Macedonian folk music & the musicians ensure that the musical scales which create its uniqueness remain intact. *IF* you are a risk taker you'll have no regrets hearing Balkan music with a "new attitude". Erika Borsos (erikab93).

Vlatko Stefanovski has been using folk and traditional music as a basis for his music for many years. This time, it seems he did something completely different. He took folk music, rearranged it for two acoustic guitars, and recorded it. He couldn't do any better since his music heritage is so rich! His choice on where to record it is also unusual, but it turned out to be excellent choice. His talent, imagination, and sense for good music, combined with tradition of Balkan Peninsula... there is no doubt about it: 5 stars!

What to say about the best musician today? His name is Vlatko Stefanovski ! Everybody should listen his masterwork, first with "Leb & Sol", and then solo with "TRIO". His songs, for example: "Jovano, Jovanke", "Kokoska", "Bistra Voda" etc. is the best of ethno-rock-jazz songs.

Had Stefanovski taken a year "off", and moved from Macedonia to America, I have no doubts he too would soon have been short-listed by the Guitar Player magazine, whose editors voted Miroslav Tadic as one of the world's thirty most radical and individual guitarists. However, as is evident in previous reviews, those of the fortunate listeners who have heard some of Vlatko Stefanovski's 12 records with his original band "Leb i sol" (and subsequent solo records), feel that he has also ensured his artistic 'immortality'. Discography of both Vlatko and Miroslav is not easy to follow. In Vlatko's case it's due to geography (and it's marketing consequences). Miroslav's stylistic versatility and a fact that he played with a great number of other musicians made his records dispersed on a number of record labels.

When I first heard Tadic on his CD "Bracha" (Brothers), seeing his photograph on a cover, I actually thought it might be Vlatko Stefanovski's alter ego (! ), appearing under a different name - there is some physical resemblance of the two. Silly. I soon started wondering how would it sound if the two met and played together, and after a long wait, "Krushevo" finally gave me that opportunity.

I had some reservations about Krushevo, though, but they haven't lasted long. When guitarists reveal in details what guitars they've used on the CD I fear that the music may not be more than a mere show-off of a guitar virtuoso. After first listening I knew that fingers that "operated" Sakura nylon and Yamaha steel string guitars and Ramirez classical guitar were all powered by singing hearts and inspired minds. Vlatko also plays dobro on "Ajde, da li znaes..." and on "Oj ovcarce", on the latter using long sustained notes (and a touch of microphonia, is it?), evoking more directly his style on electric guitar. On moments I caught myself wishing for a less meditative or perhaps slower overtone of a particular song but maybe I just wanted to hear them the way I am used to. There is no point in that -both Vlatko and Miroslav have included some of these songs on their earlier records, and often in very different arrangements.

Krushevo amply rewards attentive listening, revealing the fine 'ornamentation' and characteristics of memorable styles of playing of both players. The recording quality is great as well, very transparent and clear.

Vlatko Stefanovski has been a musician for many decades. He is a great guitar player. On this CD, he and Tadic are playing traditional Macedonian folk songs on acoustic guitars, recorded in natural surroundings (not a studio). The music is absolutely wonderful.

Krushevo is Vlatko's first all-acoustic album and those that had never heard Stefanovski before would be amazed with his blistering guitar technique and his rhythmic and melodic structures. To prove that this was not done with a lot of studio "make-up", Stefanovski (and Tadic) recorded a live album which has just been released by Third Ear Music and Stefanovski shines even more! Stefanovski is a blend of Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Joe Satriani, yet more diverse than all the above mentioned masters. His work with Leb i Sol, his soundtracks, his trio works and now the acoustic acrobatics, would prove his superiority easily.

"Krushevo" defines category of its own by presenting this classy, lyrical, colorful, intelligent, vivid and sensual rendering of 10 traditional Macedonian folk songs. Fine musical texture of this remarkable work reflects rich collection of different cultural and musical influences ranging from Classical to Contemporary and Jazz music. Quality of the audio recording is astonishing. Complete masterpiece!

Krushevo was recommended to me by the proprietors of an audiophile equipment store. When they had it in stock, they used it for auditioning equipment, because the recording's airy ambience was incredible to listen to--you could hear the harmonics being played ring through the Macedonian monument with amazing clarity. Recorded with excellent microphones and a specially modified DAT player. The playing is incredible, and the style would appeal to those who appreciate Pat Metheny, and similar jazz/new age guitarists.