I KNOW YOU MISS CLARA CHAPTER ONE, REVIEW BY ROGER TRENWITH Another trip to Indonesia and another band is discovered on one of Leonardo Pavkovics many forays into the vast music scene of that mysterious archipelago. This time round, the band in question is the beguilingly named I Know You Well Miss Clara, starring the mercurial guitar playing of Reza Ryan. Hailing from the city of Yogyakarta, on the southern shore of Java Island, about 550km east-southeast of Jakarta, this young band are far more than the obvious talent of Reza Ryan; the dexterous rhythm section comprising bass player Enriko Gultom and drummer Alfiah Akbar supporting Reza and the equally prodigious talents of keyboard player Adi Wijaya making a sum total that somehow manages to exceed the not inconsiderable individual parts. This exciting combo make a modern day noise to equal the visceral excitement of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in its prime. Yes, they are that good. It is unusual for me to get so hot under the collar about modern jazz fusion, as a lot of it leaves me cold, technical proficiency often taking precedence over feeling. Not with this group, far from it; I Know You Well Miss Clara have soul by the bucketload, and never let their undoubtedly stellar individual chops overpower the group dynamic. Kicking off proceedings is the jointly Wijaya/Ryan composed Open The Door, See The Ground, a song used to highlight the talents of all four individuals and the ensemble as whole. Abstract piano, subtle rhythmic changes and surges of angular guitar, all interact with a panache that belies the fact that this band have only been playing together for three years. A smile is induced by the subtle borrowing of a Mahavishnu melody towards the end of the song. Listening to this marvellous piece of fusion music the listener knows that this is going to be one little gem of an album. Fusing the feel of a young John Etheridge, with snatches of Phil Miller and a large helping of his musical hero John McLaughlin, Reza uses the greater part of Conversation to showcase the former influence. Playing in tandem with some low-key piano and brushed drums, Reza and friends create an oasis of laid back and languid calm that speaks without the need for raised voices. Incidentally, a related piece called Coversation No.1 was originally titled I Know You Well Miss Clara after a girlfriend of Rezas, until Enriko suggested it would make a good group name. Apart from the first track, the only other song where Reza is assisted in the composition department is Pop Sick Love Carousel. Adi Wijaya and Enriko Gultom lend a hand on this one, and being a student of the classic prog era, Reza inserts a guitar phrase at the beginning that seems to come from early Jade Warrior. I wonder if Reza is aware of the rather obscure early prog combo that was one of the first Western bands to use Eastern influence in its music? It would be good to think so, the influence coming full circle as it were. This song is a lull before the wonderfully assertive venture into the territory previously occupied by the Mahavishnu Orchestra at their most poetic that is Reverie #2. Structured more as a suite than a song, an introductory passage of highly melodic and wistful guitar is followed by a spotlight falling on Adis Chick Corea-like electric piano, backed by some dancing percussion and playful bass from the ever inventive rhythm section. Then Reza lets fly with blistering flurries of notes right out of the space that McLaughlin used to inhabit; but this is not mere mimicry, no, this is played with an individual style and emotional impact that highlights the skill and empathy of the man holding the plectrum. What is it about Indonesia and stunning guitarists? Must be something in the water, but whatever it is, Moonjune Records keep it coming. The six note underlying theme is then played and mirrored by the piano and some bubbling wah-bass, the spooky ambience reminding us of the title of the piece. Bass drum and cymbal crashes charge the atmosphere as the song lurches up the scale to its resolution, returning to the becalmed guitar theme. This song is up there with anything on the fabulous Burden Of Proof album from Soft Machine Legacy earlier in the year, which is saying something. As far as Im concerned Soft Machine Legacy are the current benchmark of jazz-fusion, and this band bear comparison, especially on the final two tracks where they are joined by guest saxophonist Nicholas Combe. Wearing its influences on its sleeve, the final track, A Dancing Girl From Planet Marsavishnu Named After The Love, combines the SML atmosphere with Rezas love of all things McLaughlin to produce a joyously triumphal tribute in the spirit of Mahavishnus Dance Of The Maya. dprp.net/reviews/201366.php
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 11:52:54 +0000
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