Matt Darriau - Paradox Trio 1999

Matt Darriau (born in Bloomington, Indiana), is a Balkan, klezmer, Celtic and jazz musician. His most notable work is with Balkan rhythm quartet Paradox Trio, The Klezmatics, and Orange Then Blue.

Saxophonist, clarinetist, ethnic-woodwind specialist and composer Matt Darriau has been playing Irish, Balkan, klezmer and jazz music with Frank London, Lisa Gutking and The Klezmatics for over 23 years. He leads his own Balkan rhythm quartet, Paradox Trio. He has made music for dance, theater, and film including a recent commission from Chamber Music America for his avant-swing band, Ballin' The Jack.

Other musical projects include Ballin' the Jack, Yo Lateef, Disastro Totale (with Yuri Lemeshev), Whirligig, Celtic Eclectic, CCMD (with Cinema Cinema), and Shabbes Elevator.

Darriau grew up listening to Balkan, Israeli, and other styles of world music. He moved to Boston to study at the New England Conservatory of Music in the third stream program. He now resides in New York City.

Under reed player Matt Darriau's visionary leadership, the Paradox Trio blends influences from the Balkans and beyond, infusing them with the improvisational aesthetics of jazz and creating a sound that is entirely their own. Unlike the group's two previous releases, Source contains relatively few original compositions. Most of the tracks are arrangements of arcane source material, some of it dating back to the early 20th century, some dating back much farther.

The liner notes helpfully sort out the details and explicate the various forms that typify this music : the terkisher, the kalamatiano ( A Greek song and dance ), the hora, the ciftetelli, the hassapiko ( Greek dance ) , and the doina. "Uskudar," a Turkish standard from the '20s, features Lorin Sklamberg of the Klezmatics singing beautifully in the Turkish language. The inclusion of vocals is a first for the group. Appearing on several tracks are exotic instruments, such as the saz, a Turkish stringed instrument ; the kaval, an end-blown Bulgarian flute ; and the Bulgarian tambura, a fretless instrument with a vaguely sitar-like sound.

Many jazz and fusion musicians have attempted to work with non-Western musical elements, but very few have achieved this kind of authentic synthesis.
The Paradox Trio's overtures to the East are based not on faddish religiosity or empty multicultural posturing, but on thorough knowledge and mastery of the forms with which they've chosen to work. The result is entirely unpretentious and entirely musical.

Under reed player Matt Darriau's visionary leadership, the Paradox Trio blends influences from the Balkans and beyond, infusing them with the improvisational aesthetics of jazz and creating a sound that is entirely their own.
The result is entirely unpretentious and entirely musical.

 MEMBERS:

    Matt Darriau (sax , clarinet , kaval)
    Brad Shepik (guitars)
    Rufus Cappadocia (cello)
    Seido Salifoski (percussion)

 Tracklist

01. Turkic     7:47
02. Uskudar     6:42
03. Wounds     6:08
04. Hora/Honga     6:45
05. Alts Far Gelt     6:20
06. Ozi Vezimrat Ya     6:27
07. Ghost Dance     6:28
08. Oriental Suite     11:55
09. Bocet Doina   1:59

Genre : Jazz, Folk, World
Style : Avant-garde Jazz, Fusion
Year : 1999
Label : Knitting Factory Works     KFC 237 US   

MP3  @ 320 . Size : 142 MB
FLAC  SIze :  303 MB