Babaganoush - Posthumous

Order Number tmacd8

Retail Price from indie-cds.com site A$5.00: / Unit

Combining traditional and original tunes this CD is a good overview of Eastern European gypsy and klezmer music. The musicians in this band, Babaganoush, certainly establish themselves as professional exponents of this type of music. On first listening the CD may be a little inaccessible to the Western ear, but once you’ve listened to it more than once you discover subtleties ranging from poignant, sweet, right through to more frenetic dance music. The clarinet playing on this CD is outstanding. It really lifts the music and adds a whole “other” dynamic to the overall sound of the band. Standout tracks include the improvisation on “Tarras Doina”, written by David Tarras, in which clarinetist Colette Mortreux uses beautiful embellishments which are traditional in the Doina. “Freylach”, a danceable traditional “happy tune” is also great fun and calls to the feet to get moving. “The Snake In The Beans” written by Mark Planigale, multi-talented band member, contains a beautiful transition between piano accordion and clarinet. The transition between the two instruments and leading out of the taksim is subtle. The whole track contains dynamic and interesting changes. The second track “In Foreign Lands” is very pretty. This is a traditional Thracian tune. Thrace was a country lying East of Macedonia. This is one of the longer tracks on the CD, the violin embellishments are really beautiful. The playing on this CD is technically very good, however I would love to see this band live in order to get more of a sense of the emotions evoked by the music and the musicians. For listeners familiar with this kind of music a number of the traditional tunes are very well known, however the original arrangements create a more fresh sound, with lovely instrumentation. Overall, this CD really grows on you. Certainly worth listening to, both for aficionados and novices of this type of music. - review by Sonya Manzalini 2006

'Posthumous' is BabaGanoush's debut album, a collection of traditional and original music showcasing the band's mastery of a range of European folk traditions. This is music of many moods - sometimes lyrical and gentle, sometimes frenzied and passionate. The arrangements are fresh, including inspired soloing as well as tight ensemble playing. - indie-cds editorial comment.

from the band's website: - BabaGanoush are Melbourne's maestros of Eastern European/gypsy music, performing a mouth-watering blend of traditional and original pieces from the far corners of Europe. The music is both authentic and fresh: the band play with a keen ear for the subleties of traditional genres, while at the same time letting their imaginations loose to create interesting and unusual arrangements. The band's skill is evident in their effortless transitions between haunting, gentle melodies and over-the-top dance tunes. BabaGanoush was founded in 2003 by Malini Chidzey, the band's charismatic leader and virtuoso violinist. She invited singer-accordionist Mark Planigale to join the group, and from their first moment of playing together, the magic of their combined talents was obvious. In 2005 the pair were joined by Aviva Endean (clarinet) and Andre Lobanov (bass), to complete the band's current lineup. BabaGanoush's sound is typically warm, instrumentation is lush, and the musicians' joy in performing is infectious.