1. Blackbird
2. Luiza
3. Lady Bear's Lullaby
4. Junity
5. Norwegian Wood
6. Olena
7. Pent Up House
8. Ruby, My Dear
9. Menina na Janela
10. West Coast Blues
11. Scriabin
12. Close Enough For Love
13. Etude Op. 2, No. 1
Hendrik Meurkens - Harmonica
Misha Tsiganov - Piano
Oleg Osenkov - Bass (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12)
Willard Dyson - Drums (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12)
The harmonica has been very much a marginal instrument in jazz. One of the few who has managed to make an impact is Hendrik Meurkens, the German-born
player who headlines on this CD, together with the Russian pianist, Misha Tsiganov. The great Toots Thielemans (another virtuoso of the harmonica) was a
formative influence on Meurkens, who similarly draws inspiration from the bop tradition, represented by the likes of Charlie Parker and Wynton Kelly, and
has also explored Brazilian music extensively. Tsiganov had his first album released back in 1989 and has been in the US since 1991, so has a wealth of
experience, his style influenced most notably by McCoy Tyner.
The rather odd title of this CD, Junity, is an amalgam of the English word 'unity' and the Brazilian word 'junto' which means 'together'. It
reflects the closeness of the duo, who've been playing together over a period of almost ten years. Of course, six of the tracks on the disc are played by a
quartet rather than simply the duo. The other members of the group are Oleg Osenkov who is another Russian now settled in the States on bass, and the
American drummer Willard Dyson. If the aim was empathy and mutual understanding between group members, that has certainly been achieved.
The material chosen is varied. There are, for instance, two Lennon & McCartney numbers, another one by Jobim and three by out-and-out jazz musicians:
Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Wes Montgomery respectively. Meurkens and Tsiganov both contribute a couple of tracks to the list of composers and there
is a piece by Eugeny Krylatou and one by Alexander Scriabin. The only other track is a Johnny Mandel tune.
One of the characteristics of the harmonica is a capacity to evoke a deserted street at dusk, a lost love or a longing for days gone by. Jobim'sLuiza offers exactly that range of musical expression with Meurkens playing with true feeling as he does, too, on a lovely melody by Tsiganov, Olena – if ever a tune deserved a set of complementary lyrics, it's this one. Monk's Ruby, My Dear offers ideal material for piano and
harmonica to combine in a totally expressive way. The Quartet are in fine fettle on West Coast Blues. Oleg Osenkov puts on the style on the bass
and Willard Dyson, as he does so often, (try Pent Up House for another example) provides inventive and solid support on drums. I enjoyed Close Enough For Love, again a winner for the Quartet and with bowed bass used to outstanding effect (as in Blackbird, previously).
I've singled these out but no track is without merit, and in addition to Meurken's mastery of differing moods, delivered with such ample depth of emotion,
I warmed to the sensitive, restrained yet dynamic playing of Tsiganov. So, good material, quality musicians on their game, what's not to like?
James Poore
CD Reviews
HMS 001
