Guy Klucevesk and Alan Bern: Accordance

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

Recent articles (1,632 total)

Published: March 1, 2001

What a delightful album Accordance is! Here, classically trained accordionists Guy Klucevesk and Alan Bern go head to head for a series of inspiring duets, consisting of seventeen works that span Polka, modern jazz, Eastern European motifs and ethnocentric grooves. And while many modern jazz aficionados are familiar with Klucevesk’s active participation in trumpeter Dave Douglas’ wonderful “Charms of the Night Sky” quartet, the artist has also been a vital component of New York City’s – Downtown Scene, not to mention his “Accordion Tribe” and musical scores for dance. Meanwhile, Alan Bern has experimented with klezmer music, performed with violinist Itzhak Perlman and is co founder of the band, “Brave New World”. With this release, the musicians render fluent unison choruses, heartfelt passages and probing lines amid a festive demeanor. However, the duo also digs deep from within as they interrogate each other’s mindset, resulting in intuitive interplay along with a noticeably focused predilection for pursuing the dynamic.

Through it all, the artist’s execute pumping, rhythmically charged themes in concert with alternating solos, call and response dialogue and meticulously articulated sequences teeming with breezy melodies, esprit and pathos. Overall, the accordionist’s are apt to win over your hearts and minds with this feisty and irresistible presentation, as no two songs sound alike. Recommended.

Track Listing: Life, Liberty and the Prosciutto Happiness, Angel Blue, Information, Please, Social Securities, Birthdays, Telephones, The Gunks, Bar Talk, Starting Over, Mr. Glime-Glide, Mug Shots, Psychotria Nervosa, (With Coffee), The Girl With The Rose Hips, Decaffinata, Astor Place, Scarlatti Fever, Hegel

Personnel: Guy Klucevesk; accordion: Alan Bern; accordion, forte piano, melodica

Record Label: Winter & Winter
Style: Fringes of Jazz