Born in Moscow, Russia, flautist-composer Yulia Musayelyan leads an ensemble on this auspicious exploration of tango music. An award-winning artist in her native Russia before she moved to the United States. Currently, she is on the faculty at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. The quartet's other members also are on the Berklee faculty: pianist Maxim Lubarsky, bassist Fernando Huergo, and drummer Mark Walker.
The musicians are a stellar group, with Musayelyan playing with fluidity and a gorgeous tone throughout. Pianist Lubarsky adds a definite romanticism with his outstanding accompaniment and inspired solos, while Huergo and Walker provide the dynamic underlining pulse. Musayelyan's performances reflect her cross-genre background. While she was classically trained, as exhibited by her flawless intonation, she is quite an inspired improviser as well. The opening rendition of Astor Piazzolla's "Fuga Y Misterio" illustrates this with the quartet freely negotiating shifts in tempo and musical temperature. Then there is the waltz-like "Flor de Lino," with her lush melodic playing at the fore.
Piazzolla also composed the title track, with a deep, sober melody that provides a backdrop for strongly evocative flute and piano solos. Taken at a breathtaking tempo, "Milonga De Mis Amores," a listener can imagine stylish tango dancers on a performance that displays the clean precision that Musayelyan and the band play. "Como Dos Extraños" is a masterful flute-bass duet along with Musayelyan delivering a charming vocal along with a splendid solo. It is followed by the exhilarating "La Muerte Del Angel." On "Nada," a tango canción written by composer José Dames in 1944, Musayelyan plays the melody on bass flute, while bassist Huergo and pianist Lubarsky both take lyrical solos. Other performances include the beautiful "Nostalgias" with inspired, elegant solos and a vibrant interpretation of Piazzolla's "Libertango."
The Yulia Musayelyan Tango Project has provided a unique, memorable jazz-tango fusion on "Oblivion."
I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a performance by Yulia Musayelyan of "Milonga De Mis Amores."
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