Uské Orchestra — Mali Herzog
Mind you, the history behind this CD his longer than the kilometres it took for this music to go from Niko Uské in Liège to my parent’s place in that very city… Key to the creation of this music is a young film maker, Vincent Pinckears. He decided to go and live with a Mongol family, undertaking a trip that led him across Russia and Asia. Beck in Belgium, he had enough images for a film but needed music and contacted Niko Uské. Uské asked other musicians to come and join him in the studio, where they would improvise while the film was projected in front of them. Once the recordings done (and apparently it took a while), the result was re-shaped as to be presented to us in its current state: Moli Herzog.
The source material was played on a host of instruments: saxophones of all kinds, guitar, double bass, all sorts of keys, prepared piano, brass instruments… And I’m forgetting quite a few of them… Sometimes, these original tunes are left alone, but quite often, they are re-worked, with frantic electronics added. The result is nice, but I tend to prefer the untouched (or maybe less touched) bits. The large number of instruments makes that most of the tracks are very colourful, although not devoid of melancholy. The great Belgian brass band Sans tambours ni trompettes are guests on two tracks and give a very festive feeling (feeling that is there on some other tracks too, it has to be said). Another great moment is the piece that was performed on the carillon from Grimbergen. For some reasons, I find this piece to be very emotional. Maybe because my old school was 100 meters away from Liège's cathedral and that I could hear the carillon every day of the week?
It’s hard to put words on this record and describe it accurately. I think this is an album that one’d better listen to than speak about. I’ve written 400 hundred words about it, so I find myself saying contradictory things, but anyway… A very intriguing album, but it will give you moments of sheer delight.
This album is available through Aim Distribution.