Comments on: Bagel on the Malecon

Bagel on the Malecon

barmaljova — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 00:03:33 -0800

A very New York-bred outlook at old-time Cuban music, recorded entirely with .. violas! This was my attempt to create asymmetrical but memorable melodies, clear textures crammed with material, and experiment with multitrack viola as a concept, an ensemble. The sound of the classic Cuban bands had all that - except the violas, that is. This track appears on my newly released CD, the VJOLA: WORLD ON FOUR STRINGS

By: soplerfo

soplerfo — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 06:23:24 -0800

Great stuff!

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:30:30 -0800

yes, that's very much like the old time cuban music ... very good

By: muddgirl

muddgirl — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 09:18:31 -0800

Very nice.

By: jayder

jayder — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 10:48:30 -0800

Wow, I really like that.

By: edlundart

edlundart — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 14:48:16 -0800

Fantastic stuff, thanks.

By: thivaia

thivaia — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 22:00:44 -0800

That's gorgeous.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:00:36 -0800

Viva las violas! I love the staccato work. Was that actually some strumming towards the end? I haven't heard anything quite like that before. Bravo!

By: nervestaple

nervestaple — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:02:00 -0800

Can anyone reccomend music similar to this?

By: barmaljova

barmaljova — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:32:52 -0800

There are other tracks on my album VJOLA similar to this (e.g. Ori's Fearful Symmetry, Plume, Seltzer Do I Drink Too Much?, Crosstown, etc etc), so check it out if you like this track!

And other groups in somewhat similar vein are: Tin Hat Trio and Kroke (among many others, these are just my favorite).

Also, if you want to get back to the traditional music which gave inspiration to this particular track, check out the old Cuban masters, like Beny More, or newer recordings by Buena Vista Social Club, and Afro-Cuban All-Stars.

By: chococat

chococat — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 13:31:33 -0800

Outstanding.

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 11:43:17 -0800

simply beautiful

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 19:26:02 -0800

Fantastic.

By: barmaljova

barmaljova — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 08:15:54 -0800

For fans of this track - the album on which this track appears just got a great Billboard review! Here it is:

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An album of solo viola music doesn't usually grab the spotlight. However, this self-released debut recording from 28-year-old Russian-born Lev Zhurbin (aka Ljova), one of New York's fastest-rising composers and instrumentalists, is something special. Using his rich-voiced viola as his multitracked and quick-witted medium, Ljova weaves together diverse elements from around the world to create surprising, yet organic textures in mostly original material (save Björk's "Army of Me" and a traditional Romanian tune). From the honky-tonk drawl of "Coffee & Rum" to the Cuban son of "Bagel on the Malecon" to the Balkan slides of "Middle Village," Ljova continually delights. Anastasia Tsioulcas
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By: kellykessler

kellykessler — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 08:02:44 -0800

Really rich and evocative - great phrasing.

By: Miko

Miko — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 13:43:15 -0800

Truly terrific

By: micayetoca

micayetoca — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 05:41:21 -0800

Amazing combination. I really like the way that sort of Caribbean rhythm works with bowed instruments. Keep 'em coming, yeah?

By: empyrean

empyrean — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:38:36 -0800

This is one of my favorite songs... and not just on this site, either.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 19:14:06 -0800

This is so fucking incredible.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 05:51:37 -0800

Wonderful! I love that old-timey Cuban music, and this captures the spirit perfectly.

(If I may ask: how come you spell it Ljova rather than Lyova, which would make more sense to English-speakers?)

By: barmaljova

barmaljova — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:10:49 -0800

thank you for your warm comments, everyone! here's a live performance of this tune on YouTube from Joe's Pub in New York (January '07): http://youtube.com/watch?v=ApGxnjLNseE