Indies Rec. 


Vladimír Václavek : Ingwe (CZ,2005)****
Like before, Vaclavek has a foundation with another level of content in his music. This time the music is inspired by mythology stories of North American indigenous people, the Inuit people and the old China (Ingwe is “Blue Hawk” in the Xhosa language of the Kalahari desert). Also like on his previous album, a text by Lorca has been used on “Návrat / Return”. On this track, the music itself is partly improvised, with a rather jazzy edge on repetitive patterns with room for improvisation, and with some contribution of electric guitar, well performed with wahwah pedal by Peter Binder on “Return”, reminding me also that Vladimir not only is a completely acoustic guitarist, as part of Rale or solo, but is or was also part of rock groups like Dunaj, or has been inspired before by more jazzy influences like in his group Cikori, of which some musicians participated for his solo albums. On "Pak / Then” Chinese vocalist Feng Yün Sung improvises with some fragility. Also "Muj Sen / My Dream", and "Hádanka / Riddle" have the same qualities and elements as on "Navrat", with the electric guitar as second instrument, and another small part by Feng Yün Sung. They have the elements of a sophisticated soft rock song, have similarely a more jazzy improvisational warmth, and there’s the use of great electric guitar. Last concluding spherical track, “Písen/Song” has odd arranged experimental elements of vocals, piano, harp, and percussion as well as other instruments. It sounds like a minimalist tribute to some shamanic or some other kind of exotic times.
Definitely an album for repeated listening pleasure.