KADRI VOORAND - In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand
ACT Records 9739-2
Kadri Voorand (vcl, pno, kalimba, violin, electronics.) Mihkel Mälgand ( bs, bs gtr, cello, gtr, perc.)
Kadri Voorand is a thirty three year old multi genre singer and instrumentalist from Estonia, covering R & B, folk and contemporary jazz, in which she is an accomplished improviser. A multiple award winner in her own country, Kadri has released eight jazz albums under her own name to date, as well as guesting on several others. Double bass is the main instrument of Mihkel Mälgand her partner on this album. Born in 1978, and also one of the leading jazz musicians in Estonia, he has shared a stage with American luminaries such as Kurt Elling and Randy Brecker.
The twelve compositions on the album are almost all originals, which have been written by the duo. Whilst the overall style of the output is very much a twenty first century one, Kadri's lyric writing style is in a mold close to that of Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. It really is a most engaging set of pieces with the two musicians showing great empathy and understanding throughout, drawing the listener in with constant harmonic and tempo changes along the way, with the aid of the ten instruments available to them. Most of the songs fall into the "profound" category, with titles such as What If I Did Kill You, Ageing Child and They Don't Really Care About Us. However there is room for lighter fare such as the jaunty I Must stop Eating Chocolate. Where other song writers are called upon the results are just as engaging, a good example being the haunting Kattemaks Revenge composed by the duo's fellow Estonians, the poet Jaan Tatte and Violinist Eeva Talsi , the lyrics being delivered in their mother tongue. Also included are some very agile examples of the wordless vocal art along the way, particularly noticeable in the brief Like Yoko And John which also highlights the vocalist's considerable piano skills. This tune plus the much darker Where Would You Be are among the foremost highlights of a disc that in truth exudes quality from start to finish and should make a valuable addition to anyone's collection of contemporary vocal jazz.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
ACT Records 9739-2
Kadri Voorand (vcl, pno, kalimba, violin, electronics.) Mihkel Mälgand ( bs, bs gtr, cello, gtr, perc.)
Kadri Voorand is a thirty three year old multi genre singer and instrumentalist from Estonia, covering R & B, folk and contemporary jazz, in which she is an accomplished improviser. A multiple award winner in her own country, Kadri has released eight jazz albums under her own name to date, as well as guesting on several others. Double bass is the main instrument of Mihkel Mälgand her partner on this album. Born in 1978, and also one of the leading jazz musicians in Estonia, he has shared a stage with American luminaries such as Kurt Elling and Randy Brecker.
The twelve compositions on the album are almost all originals, which have been written by the duo. Whilst the overall style of the output is very much a twenty first century one, Kadri's lyric writing style is in a mold close to that of Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. It really is a most engaging set of pieces with the two musicians showing great empathy and understanding throughout, drawing the listener in with constant harmonic and tempo changes along the way, with the aid of the ten instruments available to them. Most of the songs fall into the "profound" category, with titles such as What If I Did Kill You, Ageing Child and They Don't Really Care About Us. However there is room for lighter fare such as the jaunty I Must stop Eating Chocolate. Where other song writers are called upon the results are just as engaging, a good example being the haunting Kattemaks Revenge composed by the duo's fellow Estonians, the poet Jaan Tatte and Violinist Eeva Talsi , the lyrics being delivered in their mother tongue. Also included are some very agile examples of the wordless vocal art along the way, particularly noticeable in the brief Like Yoko And John which also highlights the vocalist's considerable piano skills. This tune plus the much darker Where Would You Be are among the foremost highlights of a disc that in truth exudes quality from start to finish and should make a valuable addition to anyone's collection of contemporary vocal jazz.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
