Devil's Tale is
Fanfare Ciocărlia
Fanfare Ciocărlia is a twelve-piece Romani Balkan brass band from the northeastern Romanian village of Zece Prăjini. They are known for their fast, high-energy music with complex rhythms and high-speed staccato clarinet, saxophone, and tru ...
's seventh studio album. It is a collaboration with the Canadian guitarist Adrian Raso and the bulk of the album was recorded with Raso at
Metalworks Studio, Toronto, Canada (overdubs were later done in Mexico, Germany and in
Zece Prajini - the Romanian village that Fanfare Ciocărlia hail from). The album was co-produced by Henry Ernst (from
Asphalt Tango Records
Asphalt most often refers to:
* Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete
* Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
) and Marc Elsner. One track was produced by Adrian Raso.
Devil's Tale marks the first time Fanfare Ciocărlia have collaborated in the studio with a non-Balkan musician and the album's sound is substantially different from their previous albums. Guitarist Adrian Raso composed and arranged all 12 tracks and his guitar playing is the lead instrument across the album with Fanfare Ciocărlia's brass instruments and percussion serving as backing. Raso's background is in
Gypsy jazz
Gypsy jazz (also known as sinti jazz, gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a musical idiom inspired by the Romani people, Romani jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–1953), in conjunction with the Fr ...
and hard rock and across Devil's Tale he demonstrates a fluid, lyrical technique that Fanfare Ciocărlia back with jaunty horn arrangements.
Guests on the album are guitarists John Jorgenson and Rodrigo (of
Rodrigo & Gabriela), rock drummer
Kevin Figueiredo (of Extreme), Kai Schonburg (drums and percussion), Florin Ionita (accordion), Marc Elsner (electric bass) and Michael Metzler (Jew's harp).
Devil's Tale is a slower, gentler, more melodic album than previous Fanfare Ciocărlia efforts. The interplay of guitar and horns created an atmospheric, instrumental album that touches on jazz and
surf music
Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...
while retaining a Balkan brass character. Devil's Tale was well received internationally with The New York Music Daily writing, "Devil's Tale is in many respects as noir as noir gets" while in the UK Neil Spencer in
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
wrote, "the 12-piece band are splendidly restrained, swelling gently behind waltzes, contributing accordion and clarinet and only occasionally ripping into their trademark supercharged intricacy. All instrumental and all delightful."
Upon Devil's Tale release Adrian Raso toured Europe with Fanfare Ciocărlia.
Track listing
# Urn St. Tavern - 4:06
# Swing Sagarese - 3:10
# The Absinthe-Minded Gypsy - 4:28
# C'est La Vie - 2:46
# Quattro Cicci - 2:40
# Charlatan's Waltz - 2:54
# Devil's Tale - 2:53
# Leezard's Lament - 3:11
# Cafe Con Leche - 3:15
# Spiritissimo - 3:36
# Bireli's Waltz - 3:48
# Django - 4:07
See also
*
Fanfare Ciocarlia
References
The New York Music Daily(26 December 2013) "Devil's Tale review"
The Observer(5 January 2014) "Devil's Tale review"
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2014 albums
Fanfare Ciocărlia albums