Pianist Lucian Ban mixes Eastern European folk with 21st Century jazz along with Abraham Burton/ts, John Hebert/b, Eric McPherson/dr, Mat Maneri/vio and Savril Tarmure/voc. You gets some traditional passions that mix brooding horns and voice on “Transylvanian Sorrw Song” and gentle warm melancholia with Burton’s tenor sax on ”Chakra, The Island.”Rich melancholia teams Maneri’s viola and Ban ‘s p iano on “Farewell” while McPherson’s brushes allow the team to amble during Southern Drawl.” Ban goes it alone on a couple tracks, with sepia reflections permeating “For a Brother with Perfect Timing” and the gentle graces of “Teaca, A Song From Afar.” Nothing glib delivered here; each movement is as deep as the dark eyes of a peasant.
Sunnyside Records