Kismaros, a unique 7 track album was recorded before lunch in the small village of Kismaros, located on the banks of the Danube in Hungary; not by design, more by accident, with the final product of the recordings making it in totality to the album.
A trial duo track was being recorded by Kevin Kastning and percussionist Balazs Major in the morning: a piece that mutual friend Sandor Szabo, who appears with Kastning on a number of his previous recording, considered had a good energy, so good that it would be an excellent thing to continue on with the recording process. By lunchtime on that day the work was complete.
Kevin Kastning also made this recording using only one of his many unique guitars, the 30-string Contra-Alto guitar, a complete change for him and one that as it turned out, proved to be an excellent choice, as it contributes to half of the music recorded on this album.
On this album percussionist, Balazs Majors incredibly unique sound blends perfectly with the style and vibe of Kastning music, to create a form of music that will appeal to the purist and the lover of seriously good acoustic music.
Considered as a leader in his field, Kastning’s background, consisting of Classical and Jazz components, contributes to what could be considered as a minimalist style that contains elements of both disciplines. This could very easily be considered as an evolution of both technique and style which is definitely not mainstream in any sense, but if in the right space, enjoyable; a bit like a jazz jam session, which is a style that is unique unto the moment of conception.
On Kismaros the elements of what Kastnings considers essential ingredients in his work, which are, in his words, “Harmonic density and melodic angularity. Elements of nature. Multi-dimensionality. Abstractions. Aural paintings. Emotions that can’t be conveyed or made tangible in any other way. Orchestral textures and depth(sic)â€, all of which seamlessly combine to create an incredibly likeable and enjoyable vibe.
The work is enigmatic, challenging the concept of music and percussion, but somehow the unique and unusual style of the creation, often reminiscent of a classical structure, only to be upstaged by a more abstract jazz style, permeates to bring freshness to the work which is most enjoyable.
Title: Kismaros
Artist: Kevin Kastning & Balazs Major
http://www.kevinkastning.com/
Reviewed by Jan Mawdesley
Bluewolf Reviews
