Smoldering. That’s about the best word one can use to capture the feeling of this collaboration between The Skopje Connection and Dutch cellist Ernst Reijseger. This collaboration, organized by the band with Reijseger in Hilversum, The Netherlands, was recorded flawlessly under the golden ears of Dick Lucas and the sage production of Enrico Blumer, and the album has the sort of quality that easily rivals such stellar imprints as ECM, Enja, as well as Reijseger’s mother label, Winter & Winter.
Each track swells with a subdued warmth that reminds one of Argentine tango musician Dino Salluzzi’s finer moments, yet this is so much more than a mere aping of South America’s finest export. Each musician brings something powerful to the music. The trio themselves are a collection of two of Macedonia’s leading lights: Georgi Sareski, a brilliant guitarist who has made quite a name for himself internationally; and Dzijan Emin, perhaps the finest multi-instrumentalist the nation has ever produced. The trio is rounded out by Luca Aquino of Italy, whose trumpet and flugelhorn sounds more like it is being played by someone who hails from the cold, icy North of Europe rather than by one from a more temperate climate. The trio on their mesh together beautifully, but the addition of Reijseger adds a sensuality that only a cellist as masterful as this Dutchman can bring to the fore.
The disc is truly worth hunting down, and if the band is performing in your area, do yourself a favor and make sure to see them. They are magical live.
PERSONNEL:
Luca Aquino (Italy): Trumpet and flugelhorn
Georgi Sareski (Macedonia): Guitar
Dzijan Emin (Macedonia): French horn and melodica
Ernst Reijseger (Netherlands): Cello
RECORD LABEL:
Enrico Blumer Production
http://www.enricoblumer.eu
Losen Records
losenrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/theskopjeconnection
