CZECH CONTEMPORARY FOLK: Maraca

Indies Rec.Maraca : Longe -lyrics by Fernando Pessoa- (CZ,2003)***°

airplay radio show 2 : Tr.1, "Dobre" 4 min, Tr.2, "Sonhos" 4 min, Tr.3, "Ao Longe" 5 min,

Tr.5, "I am the escaped one" 5 min, Tr.11, "Meu Triste Coracao" 2 min 21

First track is with oud, Miles Davies like trumpet, double bass, fitting "middle eastern flavoured" vocals, soft and modern percussion. The music sounds very modern, as if produced by the better DJ work. Lots of it however I think is all record in direct takes. I wonder if the name of the group refers to a "lounge" style. This has jazz, ethnic, and chamber music elements but is in fact non of these, but keeps itself mostly closest to jazz, with its rich, warm, modern, smooth sound. The 5th track is very filmic. I'm sure this will appeal to many. Not all tracks have this very modern styled mix. A few tracks use more specific style inspirations played with jazz groove. Last track sound more like a medieval inspiration, possibly Spanish or Portuguese. I could easily choose more tracks. Highly recommended.

Info : http://www.indiesrec.cz/Album.asp?ID=218&lang=EN

and with audio on http://www.indies.eu/us/alba/80/longe/?idn=1

Indies Rec.Maraca & Zimbova : Krvavé Balady / Bloody Ballads (CZ,2005)**°

(No tracks have been chosen for airplay)

This new album is very different from the previous one. Here Maraca cooperates with Moravian band Zimbova sharing a project on murder ballads, mostly without too deep-into-the sad stories emotions with some exceptions (like on “Zimbova”, “Ked’sem Sel Pres Zaleny Les”,...). The songs are rather sung like mostly warm soft rock inspirations. Rhythmically the songs can occasionally root in tempered Latin flavours but then more focused to create a more jazzy mood (like on "Sla Anicka do hájícka"). There are two lead vocalists, which are both special voices, which combine well together. Most songs are sung in the Czech language, except a few songs, which are in Portuguese, like the opening track "Boleráz".

Audio : "Zimbova" (fragment), "Boleráz"(or here or here), "Islo dievca pre vodu", "Sla Anicka do hájícka", "Výse Nových zámku", "Sedí Janosko"

Info with soundfiles of some tracks : http://www.indiesrec.cz/Album.asp?ID=278&lang=EN

Czech review : http://musicweb.cz/clanky/2005/06/08/maraca-zimbova-krvave-balady-80/

& http://www.jazzport.cz/recenze/ceska_alba/recenze013.htm

Dutch review : http://www.subjectivisten.org/caleidoscoop/archief/001795.php

Indies Rec.

Maraca : The Body is too slow for me (CZ,2007)***'

airplay show 4 : Tr.1, "lej,lej,lej” 4 min

Not one album of Maraca sounds the same. The voice of the singer, Gabriela Vermelho, who have just received some awards for her interpretations varies also many times, with different techniques as if changing voice and personality, within the range of the group’s perspectives. The album is much more rock than before, and has an international sound, with powerful sounds with a pop attractiveness. The band reaches in expressions from acoustic guitar, bass, drums, and violin, in a rather jazzy approach, to other styles, from arranged rock to world music ideas, sometimes using a bit of electronica and modern mixing. The songs are in English, Czech, and Portuguese, but there’s also one popular Arab traditional, “O Mar”, and two tracks adapting Indian flavours. Therefore they invited an Indian musician, Amit Chatterjee (indian guitar, sitar player and singer, member of Joe Zawinul Syndicate, and cooperated before with Sting & Santana, and with many projects in jazz & world music areas).

Audio : "Fizu", "Mwashah", "I Rise", "Kuch Le Na", "Time has come", "Havalloo", "O Mar", "In Beauty", "Folinhas"

Band info : http://www.indies.eu/us/umelci/16/maraca/

Info : http://www.indiesrec.cz/Album.asp?ID=345&MediumID=1&lang=EN

Info & audio : http://www.indies.eu/us/alba/19/the-body-is-too-slow-for-me/?idn=1

& http://wsm.serpent.pl/sklep/albumik.php/alb_id/7484/The-body-is-too-slow-for-me/Maraca