SLIVOVITZ - HUBRIS - 2009

This Neapolitan septet plays a real fusion. Here we are talking not only about mixing rock with jazz, but also using exotic tastes from all over the world. You will get different tasteful dishes served: Moroccan free jazz, African Canterbury, rocky Klezmer, Georgian tango and Brazilian flamenco. The recipes are made with a careful balance between technique and melodic tastes, tradition and invention, sounding quite fresh and optimistic and leaving a fine aftertaste, a wish for more. Something like a good Slivovitz would do.

Slivovitz’s start is dated back to 2001. “Hubris” is their second album. It starts with “Zorn a Surriento”. Imagine a caravan in Arabia, bathing in a bright morning sun. Camels are fresh, they move their legs with visible pleasure after a night’s rest, bass line giving a fine stepping rhythm. Then, somewhere in the middle of the desert the caravan steps into a free Zornian jazz terrain. Here things are a little more tricky and keeping rhythm needs some more technical skills, but the caravan just dances smilingly into the end of it’s journey. A very nice opener for an album indeed.

“Caldo Bagno” takes us a little further to the south. An African tribal choir and a Canterburry style melody are disputing for a place near the shaman’s fire.

“Mangiare” invites us to the actual fine food Mecca – Paris, France. Pink Panther-like theme, with Miles Davis climbing Eiffel tower that swings lightly in the spring breeze. This musical food is good for moving, and for thought as well.

So the record goes on, all over the world. Take this tasteful journey, you will not regret.

There are only a few minor points on it, some less successful mixes. For example, the 7th number, “Dammi Un Besh O”. It is a groovy Georgian lezginka with a wordless jazzy vocal improvisation at the end, spiralling around fantastic rock solo on harmonica, just like Robert Plant could produce back in 70-s. It’s quite a pity that this spiralling is a little too long, too overcooked. It would stand fantastic on stage, though…

So, 8,5 from 10, with a hope that the next journey will be 100% perfect. And now I just can’t hold myself back and not to cite something I found on their Myspace page:
“Fuck the coca, fuck the pizza, all we need is Slivovitza!”
http://www.prog-nose.org