KRISTO RODZEVSKI

THE RABBIT AND THE FALLEN SYCAMORE

  1/  Polyester Suit                             (Rodzevski)                   3.58
  2/  Bucharest, 1913                            (Rodzevski)                   4.40
  3/  Your Name                                  (Rodzevski)                   2.51
  4/  Madadayo                                   (Rodzevski)                   4.26
  5/  Octopus                                    (Rodzevski)                   3.40
  6/  Meet Me Online                             (Rodzevski)                   3.56
  7/  Out of Key                                 (Rodzevski)                   4.26
  8/  Wire                                       (Rodzevski)                   4.07
  9/  Varanasi                                   (Rodzevski)                   4.20
  10/ The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore         (Rodzevski)                   3.53

          Recorded by Aaeron Nevezie on February 27 and 281 2017 at The Bunker, Brooklyn
          Mixed by Bill Laswell at Orange Music Sound Studio, West Orange, NJ
          Produced by Tomas Fujiwara and Kristo Rodzevski
          Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone Studio, New York, NY

Kristo Rodzevski: vocals, guitar; Mary Halvoerson: guitar; Kris Davis: piano; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophone; Brian Drye: trombone; Michael Blanco: bass; Tomas Fujiwara: drums.

          2017 - Much Prefer Records (Czech Republic), MPR-003 (Vinyl)
          2017 - Much Prefer Records (Czech Republic), MPR-003 (CD)

REVIEWS :

The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore is an album that takes many listens to reveal itself, and even after maybe a dozen times through, I'm still not really sure what to make of it. Obviously I don't dislike it, or I would have been able to write a negative review after one or two listens. On a conceptual level, I rather like it. Kristo Rodzevski strikes me primarily as a poet who sets his words to music, rather than a singer-songwriter. In this respect, he can be compared to Peter Blegvad or even Jim Carroll, and like those two, his voice is not the kind to win singing contests, being on the thin side and slightly quivery. What really sets him apart, and provides much of the album's appeal, is the group of musicians he's recruited to fill out the arrangements. In addition to his own acoustic guitar, we hear Mary Halvorson on electric guitar, Kris Davis on piano, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor sax, Brian Drye on trombone, Michael Blanco on double bass, and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. Halvorson and Fujiwara we know from Thumbscrew, and the others are also known from the New York avant-jazz scene. Rodzevski (properly Rodzevski) is from Macedonia, and there are hints of unusual phrasing and an accent in his English singing, though in general the lyrics are good — I think he repeats "Ralph Lipschitz, why did you change your name?" a few too many times in "Your Name," but other songs feature many interesting turns of phrase. Musically, it's Halvorson whose playing most defines the sound of the album, full of unusual voicings, dissonant intervals, and freaky effects, though with her signature semi-clean tone. The rhythmic backing from Blanco and Fujiwara is jazzy in an uncliched way, with nods to rock rhythms due to the songs' straight eighth notes. The horns put it firmly in the jazz camp, with parts that stray well outside what you'd normally hear in a singer-songwriter context. The really interesting thing about this music is that Rodzevski is not really a jazz singer, and the songs don't really feel like jazz songs (admittedly a highly subjective statement), with some elements of Eastern European folk and a touch of art-punk in the mix. In short The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore is unlike anything you're likely to have heard unless you’re familiar with Rodzevski's two previous recordings with Halvorson, Blanco, and Fujiwara. Just don’t expect to get it on the first hearing, and give it the time to sink in.

Jon Davis (courtesy of the The Razor's Edge website)

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With The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore, Macedonian singer/guitarist Kristo Rodzevski, a dweller of New York since 1999, completes a trilogy started in 2015 with Batania and proceeded with Bitter Almonds two years after.

Just like in the former work, the bandleader convened six superb jazz musicians to help him convey his musical ideas. Guitarist Mary Haslvorson, bassist Michael Blanco, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara remained solid in their positions, while trombonist Brian Drye, pianist Kris Davis, and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock join the project for the first time, replacing cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, tenorist Chris Speed, and cellist Tomeka Reid.

The album kicks off with a generous dose of glam rock since "Polyester Suit" exhibits, at some point, a similar vocal tone and dramatic vein of the British rock band Placebo. Here, Drye's solo gets responses from Halvorson’s effect-drenched guitar.

The trombonist returns to the spotlight on "Out of Key", a piece that, even not as grungy as Nirvana or Alice In Chains, carries a bit of these band’s emotional desperation. However, the trombone solo, introduced by clapping, shape into a Spanish-tinged harmonic sequence that is not followed when Laubrock takes over by the end. Robust in sound, the indomitable saxophonist infuses the right amount of irreverence on "Your Name", a song with a punk vibe a-la Public Image Ltd., even if sung in a softer tone when compared with John Lydon's style.

With most of the tunes falling into the alternative pop/rock genre, jazz is clearly spotted on the cabaret-tinged "Madadayo", a mellow, somewhat obscure dramatic piece that pushes Davis into infrequent euphonic incursions. Yet, her known adventurous pianistic twirls populate "Meet Me Online", a song with a strong chorus, which also bursts with Halvorson's rapid pointillism.

If the yearning that envelops "Bucharest, 1913" takes us to Radiohead's nostalgic tonalities, the title cut wraps up the session with a folk-rock that could have been composed by Nick Drake or Sun Kil Moon.

The album was mixed by Bill Laswell and co-produced by Rodzevski and Fujiwara. Regardless of the numerous influences, the songs reveal a strong identity, flowing agreeably. However, some more time given to these extraordinary improvisers would have been beneficial.

Grade B

Filipe Freitas (courtesy of the Jazz Trail website)

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A glancing blow from Kristo Rodzevski's trilogy-concluding The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore will bring to mind a Matthew Sweet on mushrooms crossed with Morrissey in a good, if silly, mood. Preceded by Batania (Self Produced, 2015) and Bitter Almonds (Self Produced, 2017), The Rabbit completes Rodzevski's evolution into a musician capable of drawing consonance out of dissonance and aural order out of seeming chaos.

Because this is what Rodzevski specializes in: pop songs composed retrograde, populated with ill-behaved chords strummed garage-style behind abstract lyrics...and that is just the opener, "Polyester Suit." "Out of Key" redefines punk-blues with a Weimar Berlin edge with hints of R.E.M. and Nirvana. Rodzevski accomplishes this sound by stirring in jazz elements provided by tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, trombonist Brian Drye, and guitarist Mary Halvorson. "The gray area between nostalgia and expectation" pretty well describes the environment of the songs contained on The Rabbit, coming full circle as Rodzevski completes his impressive trilogy.

3/5

C. Michael Bailey (courtesy of the All About Jazz website)