Albert Kuvezin’s new album “Poety i mayaki” (“Poets and Lighthouses”)

In the summer of 2010, the group “Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha” will depart on a promo-tour of Europe and North America with a new album “Poety i mayaki” (Poets and Lighthouses). The solo album of the legendary Siberian rocker, which was recorded in the summer of 2008 in Scotland on the island of Jura in the private studio of musician and producer Giles Perring, is now completely ready to come out. It is interesting that the illustrious writer George Orwell wrote his last novel, “1984” on this same island.

In the evaluations of experts who have heard the album “Poets and Lighthouses” at a music forum WOMEX (World Music Expo) at the end of 2009, it may actually be Albert Kuvezin’s best and most mature album, and a future sensation in World Music.

It is bases on songs that Albert wrote to the poems by Japanese poets of the post-war period, in English translations made by Harry and Lynn Guest, and by Kajima Shozo. The poets are Amano Tadashi, Kamimura Hajime, and Yamamoto Taro.

All these songs were composed right on the island of Jura, after studio work.

The album also includes two songs in Russian (to the verse of Kondratiy Yemelyanov) one in Tuvan language,written by poet and playwright Eduard Mizhit, and one with Kuvezin’s own text.

There is also a duet with a Scottish bagpipe, played by Neil Cameron, and two improvisations recorded in a forest, accompanied by the sounds of Scottish nature.

The style of the music of this album is difficult to categorize: it is a mixture of Japanese philosophy, contemporary Tuvan melodics and singing, European and American style of performance, influence of Scottish landscape and the sea… That means it may be something entirely new.

The songs are notable for the melodics of the instrumental passages, with additional interest by such instruments as clarinet, guitaron, jumbush, baglama, fretless guitar and others.

Contrast to Albert’s voice is provided by back vocals by Melanie Pappenheim, which sound very feminine and as delicate as crystal.

The lead guitar and vocals are recorded by Albert himself. Invited famous English and Scottish musicians took part in the recording; Simon Edwards, (Fairground Attraction, Talk Talk, Beth Gibbons Alain Bashung); instrumentalist Lu Edmonds (The Mekongs, PiL, The Damned, and Yat Kha), clarinetist Sarah Homer (Sarum Orchestra, Royal Shakespeare Company), the extraordinary singer Melanie Pappenheim (who recorded with Jocelyn Pook and Murray Gold, and also in films such as “Eyes Wide Shut”, “Gangs of New York” and “Doctor Who”), and Neil Cameron – citizen of Jura, a master bagpipe player, and manufacturer of whisky.