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CD Review
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fRoots Magazine (UK), CD Review >>
TRIBECASTAN Strange Cousin Evergreene Music
JOHN KRUTH Splitsville Smiling Fez Records
I'd never heard of John Kruth until a few days ago when these two CDs were delivered to my door. In truth I don't know that much about him now: he's based in New York - is, I assume, Jewish - plays an interesting array of instruments (mainly ones you can pluck and blow, but a few you can bash too), keeps good musical company (Latin jazz trombonist Steve Turre, Klezmatic Matt Darriau and Jolie Holland from the Be Good Tanyas all put in appearances) and has a pleasingly cliché-free way of jumbling up different styles and cultural influences.
TriBeCaStan features Turre on a couple of tracks, plus covers of tunes by Don Cherry and Sonny Sharrock, so it's a jazz album right? Well kind of There's certainly something of Cherry's Multikulti project about it, as well as a bit of Bill Frisell's global jazz-folk, but really this collaboration with percussionist Jeff Greene (plus assorted guests) has a playful sound all of its own, at times whimsical, occasionally harsh and discordant. TriBeCaStan is a semi-imaginary province, based upon the cultural melting pot of Manhattan's TriBeCa neighbourhood. Such conceptual mischievousness brings to mind the 3 Mustaphas 3 and certainly the wonderful array of instruments featured (Pakistani taxi horn and Andalusian shepherd flute to name but two) would bring a smile to the be-fezzed faces of Szegerely's finest, as would the sleevenotes' salutation "May all the gods smile upon you at once without your skull exploding". Underpinning all this good-natured surrealism is some very fine playing, consistently interesting arrangements and a few sneakily infectious melodies.
www.myspace.com/tribecastan
Subtitled Sonic Impressions Of Croatia, Splitsville is a more conventionally song-based release, although full of strange beauty nonetheless. Inspired by Kruth's travels in Croatia between 2003 - 7 and recorded there, with overdubs in New York, it features local Balkan styles but is based around the mandolin, electric guitar and reedy vocals more usually associated with Americana and alt. country. Initially I found Kruth's voice too light and limited for my tastes (often the way with Americana singers), but within a couple of tracks of this delicately swirling music, it started to exercise a strangely narcotic power. These songs of saints, giants and forlorn anchovy sellers are framed with backing that finds room for accordeon, bamboo flute and some bluesy harmonica. Far more convincing than any of the Balkans-meets-indie projects that have been hyped up in recent years.
www.johnkruth.com
Jamie Renton 05/01/09
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