Fake Orchestra: Made In China

Unlike the smaller Mahatma, Fake is a seven-piece (which also unlike Mahatma includes a vocalist), augmented by as many guests, so its range of textures is broad. Made In China (Chinese music is entirely absent from the album)—which follows Fake Life (Goga, 2001) and Fake World (Goga, 2004)—makes the most of the possibilities. The panoply of diversities includes Slovenian pop (which reflects the closeness of Italy, Slovenia's neighbor to the west) and Slovenian folk (which doesn't), samba, jazz (from New Orleans to the avant-garde), West African highlife and a little rock. The 13 tracks are mostly arrangements of Slovenian folk songs, plus Pharoah Sanders's "The Creator Has A Master Plan," the traditional West African folk tune "Jarabi," and the original "Good Luck With The Duck!," a techno groove in 7/8 (which is "uncommon," as the liner notes put it with understatement, "in that genre").

Fake was formed in 1997 by guitarist Igor Leonardi, a sometime performing partner of multi-instrumentalist and world jazz pioneer, Don Cherry. Alongside Leonardi—who plays guitar, ukelele, gaita and balafon—the core septet also features the singer Ana Vipotnik, the tenor (and soprano) saxophonist Primos Fleischman, and the violinist Jelena Zdrale. Guest musicians bring trumpet, flute and a host of percussion to the party.

The mood is mostly upbeat, with the notable exceptions of "Jeseni" (which means "in autumn"), an arrangement of a poem by the poet Cene Vipotnik (Ana's grandfather), and "Vora Bije" ("the clock bell tolls"), a bittersweet folk song from the 1930s, when many young Slovenians emigrated to America. Fleischman solos tenderly on soprano on both tracks, and adds some turbulent tenor to the second. His roughhewn voice on the bigger horn is also the focus of "Je Prav Zvita Zver" ("the fox is a really foxy beast") and, of course, "The Creator Has A Master Plan."

Though upbeat, the prevailing ambiance of Made In China is burnished, layered and prettily melodic, not at all like the unbuttoned barndance vibe of the YouTube clip below. The clip isn't representative of the album, but it's fun, and fun—above all—is what Fake Orchestra is about.

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