The band Songs of Tales consists of Gordon Grdina on oud, guitar and bass, saxophonist and keyboardist Petr Cancura, Jean Martin on drums, vibes and electronics and Jesse Zubot alternating between violin, bass, congas and synthesizers. The team likes to focus on big backbeats and grooves, throwing in melodies ranging from American folksy themes such as on “Sun Sets In The West” to a Middle Eastern Vaudeville on the wild ride of “Jojis” with oud and tenor sax vying for attention. Eastern European themes are well scribed by Zubot’s violin with dark colors yearning on “Traure” while Martin punches out some sharp kinetic ricochet’s for Cancura’s tenor on “Burning Bright”. Electric guitar, breathy sax and folksy violin create a warm campfire on “Awake” and the team gets fun and funky for “Non Fiction” while displaying a 50s rock feel on “Sideways”. A panoply of a musical pleasures.