Kalman Magyar, Exposed (Hungaria Records, 2003)
Alexander Fedoriouk and Kalman Magyar, Crossing Paths (Folk Sounds Records, 2003)
Kalman Magyar is one of those rare people who raise the quality of our world a bit higher. This fellow grew up in New Jersey, absorbing the Hungarian folk culture of his parents and friends. By age of twelve he was a much-sought-after multi-instrumentalist performer. He went on to get degrees in business and law, all the while touring and honing his already formidable skills and repertoire. Now a full time lawyer, he still maintains an outrageous musical life. And I was the lucky reviewer at the Green Man to have a go at two of his recordings.
The first thing that struck me about Exposed was the cohesion and versatility of the band. I was blown away when I read the liner notes to find that the project was a solo effort, with Kalman composing, arranging, and then playing on violin, viola, the kontra, the 4-string guitar, accordion, various basses and percussion, keyboards, and let's not forget the jaw harp. Although his musical influences are too diverse to classify succinctly, he's at both the roots and topmost leaves of Folk, Jazz, and Rock, as brought to us through the traditions of Eastern Europe.
The title track, "Exposed," is a very lively Romanian piece centered on the violin. Two notable Bulgarian tunes are "Pajdusko," a 5/16 time dance tune, and "Recenica," a tune in 7/16 time. His other material covers numbers from Hungary, Transylvania, Moldavia, Serbia, Croatia, and even Ireland, with "Lullaby for Trixie." All his material is underscored by crisp playing, inspired by regions that have been rich in cross-cultural music for millenia.
Kalman's versatility has to be heard to be believed. Besides his tradition-based material, there are many surprising twists and turns. "Sorrow" is derived from Hungarian sources but features vocals and guitar leads not unlike those of Aztec Two Step. "The Lark" is a flashy show tune that pours into a very credible imitation of the self-same bird with a trademark rhythm reminiscent of that in the Bluegrass harmonica standard "The Orange Blossom Special." Kalman is also a master of the pick-slap, pick-slap string styles and chord progressions that made their way into American Swing.
Having whetted your interest, I'll be brief about Crossing Paths. It's a collaboration with Alexander Fedoriouk, an awesome Ukrainian jazz and traditional player of percussion, woodwind, and accordion. The only way to describe this CD is to imagine David Grisman's groundbreaking Dawg Grass with a few more ethnic traditions' worth of sounds layered in, and the Improv knob cranked way up.
Kalman Magyar is the Eileen Ivers of Gypsy music. I know I don't usually lavish such gargantuan praise, but I'd swear on a pile of my editors' skulls that I'm not wallowing in hyperbole here!
For more information about Kalman, go here. The fine music purveyed by Folk Sounds Records may be accessed here.
