Vacation Music, by Liudas Mockunas, Ryoji Hojito

Vacation Music

by Liudas Mockunas, Ryoji Hojito

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1.	Sunday 02:30	buy track
2.	Monday 08:12	buy track
3.	Tuesday 02:51	buy track
4.	Wednesday 05:48	buy track
5.	5. Thursday 16:06	buy track
6.	Friday 10:38	buy track
7.	Saturday 07:23	buy track

about

Japanese pianist Ryoji Hojito goes to Lithuania on holidays. He meets with reedist Liudas Mockūnas and they play music, spontaneously, improvised, first in a studio, with some stuff recorded a year later in St. Kotryna church in Vilnius during the next vacation, then packaged the thing to share it with us.

I did not know Hojito, I must admit, and I know Mockūnas only from his collaboration with Mats Gustafsson on "The Vilnius Explosion", and he impresses again.

The album starts with "Sunday", in an impressionistic way, with tentative piano chords, and tentative bass clarinet, for a slowly unfolding lyrical dialogue, full of joy and control, evolving into the next piece, "Monday", into a more meditative and melancholy vein, with Mockūnas blowing some heartrending pieces on his soprano, but gradually the mood changes, as does the tension, with Hojito adding small percussion and some quicker runs on his keys, pushing the sax into somewhat more frenetic regions, supported by sudden accordion sounds. By "Tuesday", raw baritone blasts are met by extended techniques on the piano.

We're in church on "Wednesday" for a solo piece on tenor by the Lithuanian, deeply emotional and dramatic, filling the space with plaintive phrases. "Thursday" starts avant-garde, with the Japanese singing and squeaking toys, and rattling all kinds of stuff, somewhat reminiscent of Nana Vasconcelos. Mockūnas' response and ensuing phrases are to the point and beautiful, somewhat romantic but with loads of character, and the real fun sets in when Hojito starts using his keyboard, for staccato runs, resulting in some astonishing interplay, of the kind that many musicians would like to accomplish after lots of rehearsals, but here it comes naturally, free-spirited and again full of joy.

"Friday" is more contemplative and slow, warm and sensitive, with the soaring soprano being supported by the prepared piano, in a great contrast between crystal-clear and distorted sounds, evolving towards more uncharted territories. "Saturday" ends the week in darker environments, full of gloomy deep circular breathing tones and irregular percussive attacks on the piano strings, voice and other objects. The only (again!) pity is that the applause of the apparently large crowd that opens the live performance does not end the album too.

Too much said already, what a duo, bringing absolutely captivating music from beginning to end. A real find. A musical vacation. Highly recommended.

Stef Gijssels

credits

released December 1, 2010

NBCD 19

All compositions by Liudas Mockunas and Ryoji Hojito
Tracks 1, 2 and 3 recorded at MAMAstudios in Vilnius, 2006.
Other tracks recorded at St. Catherin‘s Church in Vilnius in 2007

Mixed by Arūnas Zujus and Liudas Mockunas at MAMAstudios
Matered by Jakob Riis, at Hoby Workshop Studio in Malmo, Sweden

Produced by Liudas Mockūnas
Executive producers – Yoshiko Hojito (darko) and Danas Mikailionis.
Co-produced by Valerij Anosov

Photos and design by Neringa Žukauskaitė-Mockūniene

1. Sunday 2:31
2. Monday 8:13
3. Tuesday 2:52
4. Wednesday 5:49
5. Thursday 16:07
6. Friday 10:39
7. Saturday 7:24

Liudas Mockūnas – soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones, clarinet and bass clarinet
Ryoji Hojito – piano, small instruments, voice

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NoBusiness Records Lithuania

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