The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - Succubus

Artist:      The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

Album:     Succubus

Year:        2009

Line-up:   Jason Köhnen - bass

                Gideon Kiers – drums

                Eelco Bosman – guitars

                Hilary Jeffery – trombone, oscillators

                Charlotte Cegarra – vocals

                Sarah Anderson - violin

Label:      Ad Noisem

She is perfect. A disciple who mirrors my own image. The essence of evil. A devil on Earth.

The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble is a Dutch musical project formed in 2000 focusing on creating new music for already existing silent movies. The music of the group has been labeled often as dark jazz which is considered as a form the dark ambient genre bringing influences contemporary slow tempo jazz mixing them with the dark atmospheres of Film Noir movies and soundtracks and the mysterious and surreal vibes of the movies and soundtracks of David Lynch. The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation is the alter ego of The Killimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble which focuses more on live improvisation still maintaining the drone and ambient elements in the sound.

On the 15^th of January 2009 the band entered the studio to let some steam out and to get into the mood and groove before going on tour. They did a 75-minute long improvisation session which was wisely recorded. Being film enthusiasts the members of the band were viewing a 1969 movie of Spanish film director Jess Franco called Succubus which would deservedly also become the title of the recording of this session. The movie itself is about a female artist who performs in a nightclub as dominating erotic love queen who stages sadomasochistic murders. The general ”plot” of the movie is very vague and hazy but later it is implicated that the woman under the control of a mysterious man who might be the devil himself.

As the music relies mostly on free improvisation influenced by the immediate moods and effects of the movies, the album is not intended to be a new soundtrack to the movie but rather a love-letter and homage to the original film. Yet, the music here perfectly captures the sensual, erotic, murky and at times the surreal atmospheres and moods which the movie has. Thus, the record becomes a very mesmerizing and otherwordly experience where it is rather easy for the listener to lose himself into this hypnotic world of sound. The bass of Köhnen and the drums of Kiers create the musically pulsating backdrop on top which we hear the mysterious and tempting vocals of Cegarra which consist mostly of whispers and chants instead of traditionally sung verses. The trombone has also a lot room here to create that jazzy mood and also those fascinating drones.

Succubus is absolutely an engrossing musical experience which is full of the eroticism, surreal atmosphere and ominous connotations of its original source material. As the music was recorded on one take accompanied by the movies, it is recommended that the listener takes his time to sit down and listen the album on one sitting – preferably at night and in the dark to truely get to the proper mood.

You can listen to the album and purchase it digitally here:

http://shop.tkde.net/album/succubus

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Miguel Angel Cortés - Bordon de trapo

 

Artist:        Miguel Angel Cortés

Album:      Bordón de trapo

Year:         2006

Line-up:    Miguel Angel Cortés – flamenco guitar

                 Carmen Linares – vocals

                 Esperanza Fernández – vocals

                 Arcángel – vocals

                 Juan Antonio Suárez ”Canito” - flamenco guitar

                 Cepillo – percussion, palmas, jaleos

                 Julio Blasco – bass

                 Carmen Cortés – palmas

                 Raquel Enamorado – backing vocals

Label:       Karonte

The one common problem of instrumental albums is that they easily end up being musically uninteresting, self-indulgent demonstrations of the performers technical proficiency over his instrument. You are also more likely to find an instrumental albums like this if you happen to play the particular instrument which the album focuses on. No where is this more evident than in the world of the guitar. Maybe it is because I have been playing the guitar in various forms for over ten years now and have grown bored most of the music which relies heavily on the instrument. Yet, there is no denying that there is a vast amount of guitar virtuosos who are making instrumental albums where the guitar is playing the lead role and the other instruments are merely on supporting roles. This does not only go for the electric guitar but I have noticed a similar trend of mundane technical acrobatics in the flamenco guitar scene as well.

The flamenco guitar has two distinct dimensions to it: There is the accompanying element which is yet divided into the accompaniment of dance and the accompaniment of singing. Then there is the element of solo playing. Every professional flamenco guitar player has done the demanding duties of accompaniment before moving to pursue the stardom of a solo guitar player. Thus one learns the almost endless intricacies of the rhythmic dimension of flamenco as well as the harmonic and melodic conventions. To exaggerate by generalizing I would say that most flamenco guitar players are divided into accompanists and solo players. While most flamenco guitar players continue to work with dancers and singers among their own personal artistic endeavors, the majority of them are profiled either as soloists or accompanists. Then again we are blessed with guitarists such Miguel Angel Cortés who is recognised as a master of both of these fields.

Miguel Angel Cortés was born in Granada in 1972 to a flamenco family with a large history of guitar players. It is not strange then that Miguel Angel would continue the family tradition by picking up the guitar himself at the young age of eight. By the time Miguel Angel was 14 he was already doing tours all over the globe playing for many distinguished dancers. In 1990 he began to work with one the most famous flamenco singers of all time, Carmen Linares with his brother Paco Cortés, who is also unsurprisingly a guitar player. In the most recent years Miguel Angel has rose to the public attention by providing his imaginative but rock solid accompaniment to such great singers as Estrella Morente, Esperanza Fernández and Arcángel not only doing shows and tours with them but recordings as well.

Speaking of recordings, in 1998 the first solo album of Miguel Angel Cortés was released titled Patriarca. I have not personally heard the album and it seems that it has remained more or less unknown among even in the flamenco circles. However, eight years later Miguel Angel released his second album Bordon de trapo which finally has brought his skills as soloist and the maturity as a composer to a wider attention. This album perfectly showcases the versatility of Miguel Angel Cortés: what Bordon de trapo offers us is the technically proficient playing with the whole variety of flamenco guitar techniques including rasgueados, picados, alzapua and Miguel Angel's trademark staccatos. Yet, at the same time the album treats us with great melodies, harmonies and compositions in general not forgeting the various different flamenco styles present here and the unique treatment they are given. In addition to all this, three frequent collaborators of Miguel Angel, Arcángel, Carmen Linares and Esperanza Fernández appear here providing vocals for couple of the tracks making Bordon de trapo a even more rich listening experience.

I bought Bordon de trapo myself in the early 2011 and even after two years I find myself coming back to it on a regular basis. The album is merely 33 minutes long but due to its limited running time it never gets boring and I might play the album through twice at one sitting. Bordon de trapo is an album which captures the beauty and dynamics of the flamenco guitar with a modern touch while also respecting the traditional roots of flamenco. It is a work of love for the guitar which serves the music, never falling to just express the technical supremacy that one truly dedicated to the instrument might have. I you have the chance to witness Miguel Angel Cortés performing live it is strongly recommended you do that since that way you are likely to witness the full potential of this amazing guitarist. Meanwhile, Bordon de trapo is definitely worth your time and money. Olé Miguel Angel Cortés!

Here is a theme from the album demonstrating the capabilities of Miguel Angel Cortés as a player and a composer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpDNa58-Nvk

and an other where you can hear and see him play masterfully for a singer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcrjbVepQso

Written by Παναγιωτιης