The Reason Why Vol. 2 Goran Kajfeš

March 26, 2015

Songlines

A sequel that´s even better that the original. If Vol. 1 showed how diverse Swedish trumpeter Goran Kajfes´influences are, then this second instalment of covers shows you how he is beginning to refine those interests. Kajfes´ family has roots in the former Yugoslavia and this album offers his most unmistakably Eastern European offering yet. His heavily horn-laden nine-piece band equal the bombast and brawl of any Balkan brass band with a musicianship and imagination to make any song sizzle. Kajfes proved on Vol. 1 that he has a wide knowledge of world music, though he reins himself in a touch, with three of the six track having Turkish origins, and the other three hailing from the US, Cameroon and Brazil. The soulful triumphant version of indie band Grizzly Bear´s "Yet Again" takes the original´s simple melodic motif and contorts and cajoles it into unexpected and breathtaking passages, while the full psych-out and killer bass groove of "Dokuz Seki/Esmerim" is another highlight. Truth to be told, there isn´t a bad track here. Kajfes´re-imaginings are creative, dynamic and, pleasingly, becoming personal.

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