''Tales from the Cryptic'' is an album by accordionist Guy Klucevsek with saxophonist

Phillip Johnston Phillip Johnston (born January 22, 1955) is an American avant-garde saxophonist. He came to prominence in the 1980s as co-founder of The Microscopic Septet and went on to write extensively for films, particularly new scores for classic silent fi ...

which was recorded in 2002 and released on the

Winter & Winter Winter & Winter is a record label in Munich, Germany that specializes in jazz, classical and improvised music. It was founded by Stefan Winter following the demise of his JMT Records label. Since 1997 Winter & Winter has released records by Da ...

label.

Reception

In his review for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Thom Jurek said that "This is a breathtaking recording, full of humor, warmth, tenderness, and plenty of instrumental fire that feels more like a live performance than a studio recording. Highly recommended". In

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

, Aaron Steinberg observed "The two players stroll through winsome ballads, spirited dances and dark, carnivalesque themes while claiming liberties and creative detours that hardly jeopardize the balance of these modestly scaled pieces. They jump in and out of structured passages with grace, inject the music with tartness and just as convincingly (and with only the slightest hints of tongue-in-cheek) navigate the sweetest of melodies".Steinberg, A.
JazzTimes Review
January/February 2004

Track listing

''All compositions by Guy Klucevsek except as indicated'' # "Spin Cycle" - 4:20 # "Tulips Are Better Than One" - 3:44 # "Am-Scray" (Phillip Johnston) - 4:38 # "The Gift" - 5:26 # "Trial By Error" (Johnston) - 3:32 # "Petite Ouverture a Danser" ( Erik Satie) - 2:13 # "A Pear for Satie" - 4:28 # "Slippin' on a Star" (Johnston) - 4:56 # "No More Mr. Nice Guy" - 5:21 # "Der Leiermann" (

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

) - 3:07 # "Diggin' Bones" (Johnston) - 4:36 # "A Goyish Kind of Blue" - 4:51 # "The Road to Woy Woy" (Johnston) - 4:22 # "The Needless Kiss" (Johnston) - 4:40 # "Blue Window" - 3:50

Personnel

* Guy Klucevsek - accordion *

- soprano saxophone, alto saxophone

References

{{Authority control Winter & Winter Records albums Guy Klucevsek albums Phillip Johnston albums 2003 albums