Folklore tradition and jazz in roman underground [ Dr.Lubomir Doruzka ]

Mraz blends folk and jazz to come up with a classic [ Keith Spore ]

George Mraz [ Joe Grossman ]

George Mráz - Morava [ John Henry ]

George Mráz - Morava [ jazzitude.com ]

George Mráz - Morava [ Shaun Dale ]

Folklore tradition and jazz in roman underground


We've already heard the collaboration between singer/cimbalom player Zuzana Lapčíková with Emil Viklický Trio on CD, but the association with the world renowned Czech-born acoustic bass player George Mráz in the roman vault of Prague castle gave it an entirely new dimension.


Double bass with perfect tone quality and color in all registers became another (and sometimes all but leading) voice in this foursome conversation. Not only due to unique virtuoso technique, but also for the musicality and feeling that easily bridged transitions between "folklore" and "jazzy" settings.


Such connection can certainly be risky, but when all partners blend with each other as in "Ej, hora, hora" shortly before the end of the show, the impression is truly unusual. It was in this tune that the sound combination of cimbalom, Viklický's individual piano styling and Mráz's humanly breathing bass reached one of its precious peaks.


The encore featuring Zuzana's voice and George Mráz's bass duet was equally impressive. When two genuine personalities meet, it is hard to make up your mind who you want to hear more.

Dr.Lubomir Doruzka

Mraz blends folk and jazz to come up with a classic

While growing up in Bohemia, bassist George (Jiri) Mraz absorbed the musical traditions of his father's native Moravia. But those influences were generally inaudible as he developed into one of the foremost bassists in jazz and moved to the United States.

Now, on his new Milestone CD, "Morava" (the Czech name for Moravia), Mraz brings his origins into play to create a haunting swirl of jazz and Moravian folk music.

The success of this unlikely endeavor owes much to two wonderful Moravian musicians, pianist Emil Viklicky and vocalist Zuzan Lapcikova, who also plays cymbalom, a relative of the zither.

With delicate underpinning by Mraz and drummer Billy Hart, the foursome redesigns a dozen Moravian folk songs, expertly capturing their tart, minor-key beauty.

If you check out the English translations of the lyrics, you also will see that the program is laden with songs about lost love.

Lapcikova enhances the melancholia with a lovely voice that is too pure and precise to be mistaken for that of the typical jazz singer, but winning nonetheless.

On the other hand, Viklicky could pass muster in most jazz trios. In a few instances, he shows an ability to dig in and swing, although that is not the main mission here. The overall feeling is occasionally closer to chamber music than jazz.

The liner notes by Doug Ramsey make the point that the origins of jazz are really rooted in folk forms, and that is why Mraz is able to wed so magically the conventions of jazz and the flavors of Moravia.

The outcome is a hybrid bloom that might be described as the Balkan blues with folk and classical overtones, or Bartok meets Brubeck and Baez. If your record collection has nearly as many classical titles as jazz, this bud's for you.

Keith Spore

George Mraz

Although George Mraz is listed as the leader here, the session really belongs to pianist-arranger Emil Viklicky and vocalist-cymbalomist Zuzana Lepcikova. These are songs based on or inspired by Moravian (eastern Czech) folk music. But this music is given a definite jazz spin by Viklicky's outstanding arrangements and the solid rhythm section of Mraz and drummer Billy Hart.

Lepcikova has a beautiful, somewhat plaintive voice that sounds like it would also do well with more traditional settings of this music. Here she's backed by an empathetic jazz trio, and it works. This reminds me a lot of John Taylor and Norma Winstone's Azimuth project, maybe with Miroslav Vitous subbing for Kenny Wheeler. Viklicky is an accomplished pianist, handling a range of material from sensitive ballads to up-tempo swingers, although the average tempo seems to be somewhere around medium to medium-slow. The occasional appearances by Lepcikova's cymbalom add a strange and interesting tinge to a familiar sound-world. There aren't any real avant-garde elements here, but the combination of ingredients adds up to an unusual and delightful CD.

Joe Grossman

George Mraz - Morava

Another unique musical mix involving folk music and jazz is this exciting CD from virtuoso jazz bassist Mraz. His father hailed from Moravia (now mostly part of the Czech Republic) and he spent time there as a child learning the songs and musical tradition. In this collection he synthesizes the lyrics, music and emotions of Moravian culture with his classical training and jazz doublebass chops. It began when he visited Prague a few years ago and heard singer Lapcikova and pianist Viklicky in a recital of Moravian songs. They agreed to try to work with Mraz in choosing some songs and re-composing them to include the bass and drums and some jazz input. In spite of what I said in the previous review, these folksongs aren't quite so simple, and in arranging them the musicians took them into the realm of the many folk songs recomposed by such as Janacek, and Bartok. Some of the titles will give a feeling for their lyric content: Aspen Leaf, Gray Pigeon, Up in a Fir Tree, The Sun Goes Down. Complete lyrics are provided in the booklet. Gray Falcon was the favorite song of Mraz father and the closing Jurenko, Jurenko is a variation on the Moravian name of Mraz himself. If you like the Bulgarian Women's Choir or Marta Sebastien, you're sure to enjoy this captivating CD.

John Henry

George Mráz - Morava

Morava, known to Westerners as Moravia, is located in the eastern part of what is now the Czech Republic.

Mraz has been in the habit of making yearly visits to his home country, and it was there in 1997 that he heard pianist Emil Viklicky and singer/cymbalom (dulcimer) player Zuzana Lapcikova playing Moravian folk songs. Mraz was inspired by the music, and decided to adapt them much as Czech composer Leos Janacek and Hungarian Bela Bartok did with folk music melodies.

The result is a series of arrangements of folk melodies and lyrics that combine these central European traditions with those of American jazz. You might expect the result to be somewhat academic or not to swing, but that is certainly not the case. The music is melodic and comforting, with plenty of harmonic interest to allow these musicians a chance to stretch out and play some very inventive music.

The album's opening track, "Aspen Leaf (Na Osicce)", reminded me of the jazz standard "Autumn Leaves" with its Jacques Prevert lyrics. Both songs equate aging and death with the seasonal change signified by the changing and shedding of foliage. In "Autumn Leaves", though, the thought of the speaker's own mortality is an echo felt less intensely than the absence of a loved one. Whether the absence is occaisioned by death or abandonment isn't clear. In "Aspen Leaf", however, the narrator uses the same imagery to confront mortality head on: "Will I wither like the leaf/Will I wither like the leaf/Will I fall down like the leaf/Will I fall down like the aspen leaf" contrasted with Autumn Leaves' "Since you went away the days grow long/And soon I'll hear old winter's song/But I miss you most of all my darling/When autumn leaves start to fall."

The track "Myjava" swings like a mother! There's great trio work here, with George Mraz, Emil Viklicky and drummer Billy Hart exhibiting dynamics similar to those of the John Coltrane Quartet. Hart is perhaps a bit less exuberant than Elvin Jones, but the way that Mraz and Viklicky go at these phrases, that is probably just as well.

We get into the groove for 5 and a half minutes before the brief vocal comes in, telling her lover: "If you marry me/I will be a true wife of yours./I won't be unfaithful like the first one." Zuzana Lapcikova possesses a beautiful voice, clear and bright, but with darker intonations that are appropriate to the often-modal melodies and the subject matter of many of the lyrics. Take a listen to her vocals on "She Walks in a Meadow" or the stunningly beautiful "Desire". In addition, her work on the cymbalom is very complimentary to the work of the rest of the musicians, not at all a novelty. On "Aspen Leaf" her playing blends in perfectly, and her introduction to "Wine Oh Wine" sets up the harmonic structure of the number before making way for a straightforward swinging trio number dominated by Emil Viklicky's hot piano work.

Morava is a recording of lush beauty, deep meditation, and warm, open humanity. There is much great jazz playing here, so don't be frightened by the folk music origins of the tunes. In mining the music of his homeland, George Mraz has demonstrated that music is indeed an international language and serves to revive cultural traditions, bring people together, and entertain.

Take a listen to "She Walks in a Meadow" or the stunningly beautiful "Desire". Zuzana Lapčíkova introduction to "Wine Oh Wine" sets up the way for a straightforward swinging trio number dominated by Viklicky's hot piano work. http://www.jazzitude.com/blmorava.htm

Morava is a recording of lush beauty, deep meditation, and warm, open humanity. There is much great jazz playing here. In mining the music of his homeland, George Mraz has demonstrated that music is indeed an international language and serves to revive cultural traditions, bring people together, and entertain.

http://www.jazzitude.com

George Mráz - Morava

Shaun Dale