By Don Berryman
Duo CORDA, a musical collaboration between cellist Jacqueline Ultan and guitarist Paval Jany pulling together music from multiple genres, has just released their eponymous debut album. Both cello and guitar make sound from vibrating strings resonating in a wooden body. However the bowed string and fretless fingerboard of the cello allow for the smooth legato sounds while the guitar either plucked or strummed provides a percussive sound and dense chords. They are complimentary and are well paired in Duo CORDA.
Cellist Jacqueline Ultan, who earned a masters in music and performance at Yale, has been a member of many ensembles from different genres including her experimental jazz group “Jello Slave”. She appears on numerous jazz, pop, folk, and new music recordings.. She also is a member of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Likewise guitarist Paval Jany brings a breadth and depth of experience to this project from East European music of his native Czechoslovakia as well as influences from his stays in West Africa and Brazil. He performs locally in the Brazilian jazz ensemble “Ticket To Brasil”, acoustic jazz trio “Talking Strings”, and jazz fusion group “Global Jazz Collegium”.
Combined in Duo CORDA their repertoire for this release is an international mix that includes compositions by Brazilian composers Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, and Luiz Floriano Bonfá; Argentina’s Astor Piazzolla and Jorge Cardoso; jazz legends Chick Corea and Django Reinhardt; Spanish classical composer Joaquín Rodrigo; one original composition from Paval Jany and another from Jacqueline Ultan plus a Ukrainian folk song. It is an eclectic mix, but the strong musical personalities of the performers make it cohesive and highly listenable.
“Concierto de Aranjuez” is a concerto for classical guitar by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo written in 1939. It was exposed to a much larger audience by Miles Davis in his masterpiece collaboration with Gil Evans Sketches Of Spain in 1960 which featured an extended interpretation of the 2nd movement. The Duo CORDA version seems a little closer to the original concerto returning to guitar. It opens with the cello assuming the part of the English horn from the orchestral version over the guitar strums. However the cello’s warmth evokes more feeling. Paval is in his element here and is masterful on guitar. The two swap between lead and supporting roles seamlessly. The main voice of the cello is bowed, but Jacqueline also employs plucking and strumming techniques.
“Douce Ambiance” by Django Reinhardt is a manouche jazz tune where Jacqueline Ultan’s cello takes the place of Stéphane Grappelli’s violin with Paval Jany playing in the style of Django Reinhardt. One can imagine relaxing in a Parisian cafe watching the world pass by.
On the South American tunes Paval Jany really shines bringing the rhythms to life. Of the two originals, “Dancing Man” by Jacqueline Ultan is dark and brooding. While the closing tune, Paval Jany’s “When I Miss You”, is gentle and uplifting.
Track listing
Chovendo na Roseira (Antonio Carlos Jobim)- Crystal Silence (Chick Corea)
- Kolomeyka (Ukrainian Traditional)
- Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) (Joaquín Rodrigo)
- Tempo Feliz (Baden Powell)
- Milonga (Jorge Cardoso)
- Dancing Man (Jacqueline Ultan)
- Douce Ambiance (Django Reinhardt)
- Chiquilin De Bachin (Astor Piazzolla)
- Black Orpheus (Luiz Floriano Bonfá)
- When I Miss You (Pavel Jany)
This album is available on Bandcamp at https://duocorda.bandcamp.com/album/duo-corda
Link to original Jazz Police article
