EN SE DE

  • Works

    OAL012

    Artist: Kokan Dimusevski

    Label: Opal Arts

    As one of the founding members of the legendary jazz fusion band Leb i Sol, Nikola „Kokan“ Dimusevski has enjoyed a status of an inventive keyboardist. The enormous success of the band has somehow unrighteously overshadowed band members’ solo projects. „Works“ is a presentation of Dimushevski’s illustrious solo career starting from „Music for...“ until the „Sketches from the Past“ with plenty of unreleased and rare tracks.

    Open-minded listeners should rise to the challenge posed by this characteristically idiosyncratic collection, which includes Eastern Orthodox chants, straight ahead jazz and some milesesque fusion jazz. The highlights include performances by the duet with Leb i Sol colleague Bodan Arsovski „Wednesday“, previously unreleased tracks „Improvisation for Piano and Stage Workers Pt.1,2,3,“ the milesesque „Hot Ice“ and „Litro and Litro.“ As inconsistent and elusive as this selected Dimusevski may be, it provides a fresh setting in which to sample his daring, intensely lyrical approach.

  • Oktoehos

    OAL013

    Artist: Kokan Dimusevski

    Label: Opal Arts

    Personnel: Nikola Dimusevski - keyboards; Oliver Balaburski - conductor; Ilija Jovanov-tenor; Radoslav Stojanov-tenor; Stevo Chepishevski-tenor; Vlatko Galevski-baritone; Neven Siljanovski; baritone; Trajko Jordanovski-bass baritone; Igor Atanasovski-el.guitar.

    Anyone who hasn't heard Eastern Orthodox chants has a real delight ahead and a profound musical experience. Oktoehos is collection of compositions by five Macedonian music composers from the 19 century: Kalistratos Zografski, Johan – Charmosin of Ohrid, Dimitar Zlatanov – Gradoborski, Vasili Mladenov and Dionisius Poposki.
    The 19 century is the period of Macedonian music revival as Macedonian music has died out with the arrival of the Turks in the Balkans, and the only activity, as far as music was concerned, was the copying of manuscripts of music or only parts of them. Even under such circumstances, however, church music based on NEUME fixed singing continued, particularly in the monasteries with good libraries.
    Those compositions were written down in the Byzantine NEUME notation, which has long been out of use. Being extremly complicated, this notation can be read only by those whose main preoccupation is the study and research of Byzantine theory and notation. All seven compositions are reconstructed and decoded from Byzantine neume notation to the classical western notation by prof. Dragoslav Ortakov and prof. Sotir Golabovski.
    The chants performed share the quality of monastic austerity that makes the...