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review by Bill Binkelman I have not heard such a melting pot of musical genres since Akira Satake's brilliant album, Cooler Heads Prevail (on Alula Records). What violinist Ludmila Ludkovsky (along with all the accompanists on this album) have accomplished on this CD is amazing. I can almost guarantee you have never heard anything like A Second till Midnight. This album literally smashes through genres, like the proverbial bull in a china shop - world fusion, prog fusion, jazz fusion, ethnic folk, avant garde, straight ahead jazz, swing, neo-classical. Ye gods! I don't think I can even begin to describe a single track (and there are thirteen of them on the CD) with any amount of clarity in under a thousand words. Here's a starting point. Take artistic virtuosos on these instruments: violin (Ludkovsky), piano/keyboards (Oleg Sinkin), acoustic/electric guitars (Alexander Marchenko), trumpet (Vladimir Galaktionov), flute (Anton Korolev), bassoon (Peter Burgrimenko), cello (Liza Nalivaiko), accordion (Evgeny Altudin), percussion/harmonica (Roman Geghart), voice (Irina Evdokimova), bass (Igor Ilushin) and drums (Alexey Kadlubovich). Now tell all of 'em "Hey, no rules here…take the music anywhere you want it go!" Now, stand back and prepare to be dazzled. And was I ever dazzled! If you appreciate musicians who can play the shit out of their instruments and still manage to blend cohesively in a rainbow assortment of styles, well, you just found musical heaven, m'boy! I'll try to break down one or two tracks for you, so you have some idea what I'm talking about. "L'images de Sheherezade" starts off with a brief explosion of untraditional jazz, all free-wheeling and even atonal with blurting horns and pounding piano, shifts into a Russian folk/gypsy vein graced by Ludkovsky's exquisitely romantic violin (multi-tracked), soon joined by proggish Hammond organ and jazzy vibes and lounge-cool jazz trumpet, then acid-jazz trumpet plays "tag" with piano riffing with a nice bass and drum rhythm section, then the gypsy element re-emerges, this time carried by both violin and bassoon (!) and trumpet; back to jazz again, and we're not done again. Now, believe me, this all works! It doesn't just work - it kicks major amounts of ass! This is like some crazy but wonderful blend of jazz, world, prog, swing, and even ethnic music all rolled into one, yet I'd say the overriding concept here is JAZZ, because improvisation lies at the heart of what these musicians are all about and they all know how to turn the burner on "high" and cook! The deliciously jazzy second track, "Raguza" sounds straight out of the famous "Le Hot Club" where Stephan Grappelli played in Paris; that is, until Ludkovsky (who composed all the music on the CD - bravo!) veers the track over into a gently swinging gypsy-ish number full of sexy swaying rhythms. And then a harmonica enters the song and we're back in Paris again (shades of Toots!), Now, I don't know how many readers of Wind and Wire would be into this album. Myself, well, I dig the hell out of this CD. A Second till Midnight is one of those rare recordings that I yearn for more spare time (damn all these other albums to review!) to explore in depth. From the funky "Saudade" (great acoustic guitar work at the outset!) to "Samba Luz" which starts off in an eerie scary vein and explodes with horns aplenty until it settles into a nice Latin groove, to the experimental title track, which goes through some of the most extreme time signature changes and mood shifts of any song on the album, and ending with "Alborada," a sensual swinging romantic number that may have you dancing in the living room, A Second till Midnight is as full of imagination, creativity, and the sheer love of making music as any recording in my collection. Putting it more succinctly - these cats swing! They are hip to the extreme! In short, this album is a blast and if you are a jazz hound, you simply have to own this. You won't hear a braver, more daring, more exciting and invigorating album this year, if ever. This one earns my highest recommendation, as well as major "hats off" to Ludmila Ludkovsky for being the glue that holds it all together and to all the musicians who played their hearts out. |
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