Hera - Where My Complete Beloved Is

Label: (Multikulti, 2011)

1. In that place there is no happiness or unhappines [Waclaw Zimpel]
2. No truth or untruth [Hera]
3. Neither sin or virtue [Hera]
4. There is no day or night, no moon or sun [traditional]

Waclaw Zimpel - clarinet, bass clarinet, harmonium, tarogato
Pawel Posteremczak - soprano and tenor saxophones, piano
Ksawery Wójcinski - double bass
Pawel Szpura - drums, percussion
Maniucha Bikont - voice
Sara - tampura

About:

The music of Hera is a combination of free jazz and folklore in the spirit of Don Cherry, in the spirit of the idea fostered by him to create World Music joining various traditions of performing music without the snobbish distinction between high and low art. Such an approach among musicians makes a qualitatively new tradition form, free from this artificial corset. Due to free jazz improvisation, the music of Hera does not move in a rut. It draws the attention with original structural and stylistic solutions, is enriched with interesting preparations of instruments, for example Ksawery Wójcicki's on a double bass. In comparison with the first Hera's album, in the project "Where My Complete Beloved Is" there is more folk element making this music merry and cheerful. What is more interesting, the passages between particular parts of the compositions diametrically differing from one another develop from one another. In the first piece, the slow part gradually turns into a fragment with a concrete rhythmical basis, and then reaches culmination that resembles the ones from the previous project "Undivided" - "Moves between Clouds. Live in Warsaw" which are a characteristic feature of the compositions of the band's leader - Waclaw Zimpel.

The aforementioned slow part beginning each composition is a gently pulsating sound background used as a harmonic basis for the whole composition. In "In that place there is no happiness or unhappiness" the sound of harmonium is exposed. It is formed as a result of air being supplied by a manually operated bellows. The instrument was used as a substitute for organs in small churches. "No truth or untruth" is initiated by a deep and low noise of the trembita played by a tenor saxophonist Pawel Postaremczak. Waclaw Zimpel, playing the Slovakian overtone flute, enters into a dialogue with him, and the whole is enriched with the spacious play of a drummer Pawel Szpura. In "Neither sin or virtue" the sonoristic function is performed by the Southern Asian tampura - a type of lute - from which Sara Kaluzna, due to soft articulation, elicits hypnotizing, metallic, a little bit harsh sounds. "There is no day or night, no moon or sun" is distinguished from the rest of the pieces in the album by the vocal of a folk singer Maniucha Bikont. It is the singing that captivates with the clearness of expression devoid of staginess and needless dramatizing the text. This power of expression is intensified by suggestive accompaniment of Hera.
This way of using folk instruments performs a very important function. It has a conceptual character because creates the sphere of meditation, the sacred sphere which makes the listener flow along with the sound, dissolve in it, move to another magic dimension where they perceive incredibly expressive and beautiful improvisations of the four musicians.

The new Hera's album moves not only by the music but also by the titles of the compositions, which as a whole constitute a love poem, beautiful in its simplicity.

"Where My Complete Beloved Is
In that place there is no happiness or unhappines
No truth or untruth
Neither sin or virtue
There is no day or night, no moon or sun."
 

(review courtesy of Kasia Misiaczyk [translation - Olga Nitsch])

*******

After their acclaimed self-titled debut Hera comes back with a second release. And it may come as a total surprise to whoever haven't had a chance to see the band live in the last year or so. Hera moved to explore completely different musical areas, which I talked about, regular readers might remember, as I've praised their concert at Lublin Jazz Festival, which took place only a couple of days before the recording session.

When the cd begins we enter a mystical, misty and misterious nothingness, a peacefulls space filled with delicate sounds of an arco bass, brushed percussion, gongs, harmonium's sound that fills the air, exotic and percussive sound of prepared piano strings. The music unfolds slowly, patiently, unhurried. Near the middle of the track (around 8 minutes into it) a strong bass line appears, a hypnotic ostinato motive played on harmonium, the misty nothingness embodies a clear shape of a steady rhythm structure, a vibrating, vivid vehicle for spiritual, heated and passionate saxophone solo.

This music is a mystical act shamanism, a meditation, a trance journey through root rhythms of music from India and Africa. In a way, a continuation of total, all-embracing world music vision of Don Cherry but the spirit of Alice Coltrane is also present.

The cd contains three lengthy (close to 20 minutes each) musical journeys, varied yet unified by the same spirit. Driven by the infallible, irresistible rhythms by Pawel Szpura and Ksawery Wojcinski (his playing reminds of Cecil McBee's beautifull tone on "Journey to Satchinanda" cd by Alice Coltrane), completed by the spiralling around each other duos of saxophone and bass clarinet (as in the second track). A powerful, tribal drums solo links seamlessly the second and the third track which, based on a tampura drone, evolves slowly, with delicate percussion shadings, a subtle and melodic bass solo, a sustained long arco note, untill, again, a strong, simply and melodic bass line emerges, to begin its dance with the drums, joined by the clarinet and soprano saxophone in this musical celebration of life.

While the first piece is a composition by Waclaw Zimpel, the latter two (in fact a continous performance divided by the drums solo) are credited to Hera which marks another change since the debut cd. The last track is a traditional russian song (original title "Och da usz ty da li czo"), wonderfully sung by Maniucha Bikont. It introduces a different kind of mysticism, a purity of root eastern europe folk culture combined with exotic sounds of harmonium, yet the all fit perfectly together. As if there were no real distance between those.

This group achieved a complete syncronicity, the sense of unity, the coherence, the clarity of direction of their playing together - it's all uncanny. And there's no need really to add that the playing by each of the musicians is great. This music is one, unique, whole. Inspired and inspiring. Not to be missed.

(review courtesy of Maciej Nowotny and polish-jazz.blogspot.com)