Listen to:
Arabica
(Real Player 410K)
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As the title of this brilliantly original CD implies, the origins of the latest Free Winds project came in February of 1998 when Heinrich von Kalnein, Roland Schaeffer and Jatinder Thakur went to India for a Free Winds tour at the invitation of the Austrian embassy in New Delhi. An encounter with Selvanganesh Vinayakram led Free Winds to invite the gifted young percussionist to join them for their spring 1999 tour of Austria and Germany. The tour culminated in this recording session for Free Winds' second CD.
On 'Indian Air', the four members of Free Winds distinguish themselves not only through their respective and various talents as individual musicians, but also in their ability to come together and interact with a precision and inherent beauty usually associated with fine Swiss timepieces. In doing so, each member of Free Winds contributes ingredients which merge to create a sonic kaleidoscope which evokes and conjures a wide variety of moods. After hearing 'Snakefinger' for the first time, my first impulse was to check out the next flight to India. The vocal interaction at the beginning of the tune is just one example of the welcome and creative flourishes to be found on 'Indian Air'. Another is the melodic and near-hypnotic beauty of Yusef Lateef's 'The Plum Blossom'.
One unique aspect of Free Winds' 'Indian Air' project is the way in which a wide array of musical instruments - including the human voice - are used to their maximum effect. The rich sounds emitted from the reeds and horns of Heinrich and Roland impressed me with their agility and expansiveness. The tabla playing of Jatinder is steeped in northern Indian traditions, while Selva comes from a southern Indian musical background and performs mainly on the kanchjra, a small drum made from snakeskin. At the end of Heinrich's 'Jungle Me Mungle' he gives his voicebox - with a twinkle in his eyes - a workout performing Indian Rap. Guitarist John McLaughlin was so impressed with Selva's playing that he has invited him to join the latest world tour of the McLaughlin-led band Shakti.
Another highlight on this recording is Free Winds' version of Thelonious Monk's 'Bye-A' in which Heinrich uses a sample of the low keys of his alto sax to create a bass-like sound. Also, the collage of jazz and the musicians' voices on this piece exhibit a subtle sense of humor which I imagine Monk himself would have well appreciated.
The good news is that the four musicians had such a great time during their 1999 tour and subsequent recording session that the chances of them doing it all over again look like a sure thing. That will definitely be something to look forward to at the beginning of the new century and third millennium.
U.S. writer Jack Kerouac, a man who knew something about life on the road, once said the destination of a journey is sometimes not as important as the journey itself. With that in mind, I can only recommend that you fire up the CD player, put on 'Indian Air', kick back, and enjoy the ride.
Joe Remick
May 1999
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1) Malaria 6:46
2) The Brahdaman 8:38
3) Snakefinger 11:15
4) The Plum Blossom 4:15
5) Jungle Me Mungle 6:34
6) Arabica 7:03
7) Saraswathi 5:49
9) Bye-A 2:19
Total Time: 52:47
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Roland Schaeffer - saxophones, okarina, nadaswaram, shrutibox, small percussion
Heinrich von Kalnein - saxophones, altoflute, Electric Wind Controller, sampling & sequencing
Jatinder Thakur - tablas, konakol
Selvaganesh Vinayakram - kanjira, small percussion, konakol
Recorded 1997 - 99 at KUG-Studio/Graz, HeitzmannÔs Studio/Bad Vöslau and Bauerstudios/Ludwigsburg. Recording engineers: Heimo Knopper (Graz), Heinrich Von Kalnein (Bad Vöslau) and Johannes Wohlleben (Ludwigsburg). Recording assistant: Markus Kolb. Mixed and mastered at Bauer Studios by Johannes Wohlleben, Heinrich von Kalnein and Roland Schaeffer, 29-31 March 1999. Mastered with Sonic Solutions 20bit Turbo-Bit Mapping. Coverart by Harald Ergott. Photos by Wolfgang Großebner. Produced by Roland Schaeffer and Heinrich von Kalnein. Executive Producers: Uwe Kranner and Heinrich von Kalnein for Shamrock. The musicians would like to thank the SKE-Fond/Austro-Mechana for generously supporting this record.
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Heinrich von Kalnein
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