Inventive and brilliant, Irene Sazer & The Real Vocal String Quartet Rock the Sanchez
By Jean Bartlett
Arts Correspondent, Pacifica Tribune

The Italian 19th century virtuoso violinist Niccolo Paganini expressed such near supernatural prowess on the violin that he was the passion of audiences throughout Europe. And he deserved the praise. He was the guy that innovated the left-hand pizzicato. He was the guy who used new and exciting tunings enabling the violin to shout forth animal
cries and the sounds of the human voice. He was also the guy who, late in his show, would cut various strings of his instrument and then boldly play the most difficult passage on the remaining strings, brilliantly. He was so incredibly popular in his time, that even now his name is deservedly a big deal.

Well today we’re living in the time of our own big deal virtuoso violinist, and her name is Irene Sazer. Now Ms. Sazer has gone on to add a little spice to heralready gripping performance by seating herself within a circle of three other virtuosos; and the sound they shake
out is 21st century kick-butt legend.
Irene Sazer & The Real Vocal String Quartet (RVSQ) played Saturday night at Pacifica’s Sanchez Concert Hall. Here’s the list of the players: Irene Sazer on violin, vocals and guitar; Kate Stenberg on violin and vocals; Dina Maccabee on viola, violin and vocals; and Jessica Ivry on cello and vocals. What I like about RVSQ’s sound is they are all about today’s music; world music. One of their compositions might take you from a patchwork quilt of Appalachia to under a river current of Congo to over the Hill of Tara and out beyond a choro lit Brazil. Their sound skirts classical, gypsy, folk, Bartok, jazz, light rock and diversity. Some compositions are serene, others are foot stomping but all are intelligent with an undercurrent of thrill.
They opened their show with a string tune-up that brought the house down. Then with vocal strong woman cries they hit the scales running with “Talking String, Talking Drum” (Sazer). In this piece Sazer proves there is a real sibling relationship between violin and drum.

If green beans could sing out in jazz cool while violin/viola strings stirred summertime over mellow pump cello you would have “Green Bean Stand” (Sazer). Bela Fleck and Gerry Douglass wrote The Lochs of Dread and Sazer arranged it for quartet, her quartet. This was shadow cat on a high wire. Viola string strut smoked with cello bass and sashay violin to make a tune happening snap. “Falling To My Feet” (Sazer) is simple talk sweetness. “Kitchen
Girls” (Maccabee) threw a little Kentucky Blue Grass, African tribal rock, parlor classical and farmhouse hoedown into the stewpot and rocked. Cellist Ivry wrote “Break Up Song #1″ and sang it in a kind of mesmerizing Celtic, ethereal Dylan rock chant. You could almost hear Tibetan bells and a quiet wind rustle between great mountain
peaks, making a sound of mist and magic.

Next up, a song Sazer likes to call “Now.” Why? Because they write it on the spot. Each musician takes a turn with a tune that comes to be as they create from mind to instrument and the others chime in to make it a Quartet original. Sazer’s piece rocked of Romany and Mars. Stenberg’s piece climbed through classical and the colors of the Civil War. Cellist Ivry strolled an Appalachian waltz. Violist Maccabee gave a nod to Halloween with casket opening strings, bat flying plucks and a Transylvania melter. My seat neighbor wanted to know how in tarnation was she going to be able to buy this made up song on CD?

They ended the first set with a Sazer arranged version of two combined tunes of a Kenya artist. Joy walking, leaves rustling, water falling like gold through cupped hands; this is just a brief description of this string song of serenity, and their harmony chant was a vocal walk through the clouds.
The second set was as good as the first, which hardly seems possible. Dina Maccabee’s “Farewell to Spring” must have been whispered to her by the flowers for it was all curtsy and bow to fields of bright colors. “Darling” (Sazer) was sage brush and Joni Mitchell and just a nice place to be. Every song in the set (and in their evening) worth hearing, breathing in and being a part of.

RVSQ defines brilliant musicians with fun personalities playing beautiful, inventive music; that’s as good as it gets. Dang it, when is their CD coming out? I’ll be checking out their website at http://rvsq.com and so should you.