Liquid Clarinets (2009)
8 tracks, 59 minutes
Spotify • iTunes
I adore the clarinet. I tried to become a clarinettist once, thinking that, as a saxophonist, the skillset would transfer easily. It didn’t. But I don’t resent the instrument. In fact, I reckon it’s really underrated and under-utilised. Not here, though.
Liquid Clarinets is a culture-clash between three clarinet virtuosi, each from different traditions, but all with a passion for musical exploration. There’s Matt Darriau from the US, a master of Yiddish klezmer and known for his work with the Klezmatics; Ismail Lumanovski from North Macedonia, who plays in a Balkan style; and Patrick Novara, a French-born Italian with specialities in tarantella and Turkish music. It’s not just clarinets on this album – there’s also accordion from Dimos Voughioukas and hand-percussion from all over by Francesco Manna, as well as other windthings (gaita, kaval, bagpipes) played by Darriau and Novara, and they all add their own textures to stop it all from sounding too samey. But it’s definitely those clarinets that are the main attraction.
Together, the musicians guide the album through pieces in all of their various styles, with each bringing their own techniques to the traditions of the others. Their melodies weave around each other like multi-coloured threads, often moving in completely different directions but sometimes coming together to make harmonies so tight they sound like some sort of clarinet organ rather than three separate pairs of lungs and sets of fingers.
Altogether, it is a rich tapestry of frenetic dance styles, melodic acrobatics and calmer, more introspective moments. A wonderful adornment to any clarinet-lover’s record collection. And if you don’t like those single-reeded tubes of African Blackwood, then…well, wait until tomorrow’s Good Album, I guess.
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