Guy Klucevsek, Alan Bern

Now here's an oddity, an album of compositions for and by a pair of accordionists; and, with the exception of a forte-piano here and a bayan or melodica there, accordions are all you hear. Guy Klucevsek is the man who single-handedly brought the accordion into the jazz underground. He is also a composer of note having his works performed by many ensembles around the world, including the Kronos Quartet and the Arditti String Quartet. Alan Bern is well-known as the musical director of Brave Old World, one of the leading klezmer ensembles in the world, and a virtuoso classical and jazz pianist as well as an extraordinary accordionist. This collection of works, all of which were composed by the two performers, is a compelling entry in the already prestigious ~Winter Winter catalogue. The sheer range of musical styles addressed here is handled with grace and aplomb. While these men compose and play with great virtuosity, it's never to reveal their individual skills, but to serve the music they compose. Whether it's klezmer, gypsy folk music, swinging jazz, classical music, madcap cartoon melodies, or sheer pastoral balladry that explores the tonalities of the instruments employed as "voices" in song, the restraint and elegance are ever present. The emotional quality of many of these pieces is of profound depth and dimension. Nowhere is this more evident than on Alan Bern's "Starting Over," a nine-plus minute exploration of melodic invention placed against a mournful harmonic backdrop. Woven together, they create a landscape of tears, not so much from sadness as beauty.