Pearly Clouds
S/T
Trapeze Music & Entertainment Ltd.
With a delicate harmonic strum of a flattop guitar, this amazing, jaw-dropping musical adventure begins. Pearly Clouds – which is Gary Lucas (Jeff Buckley, Captain Beefheart) on guitar, Hungarian EnikÅ’ Szabó on ‘voice” and saxophonist Tóni DezsÅ’ – calls themselves a “psychedelic world trio”, and that’s a good indication, or perhaps a prog-folk/jazz vessel- words fail in describing the sheer imagination and musical mood that this release contains.
Szabó sings in Hungarian, and even with the lyrics in English in the liner notes, don’t bother to follow along- you’ll miss the point. From the opener, “My Sweet Mother’s Rosewood”, which reminds you of English folk music, circa the 1960s (think Pentangle) mixed with DezsÅ’’s moody, evocative sax, which flows alongside the vocals as if one, to the Bill Nelson-ish electronic fluttering, soaring guitar of “Two Roads”, this is music you’ve never heard before- not even close. Lucas has been called one of the world’s 100 greatest guitarists, and it’s his ability to fold himself into a project or song so completely- remember the first time you heard Buckley’s “Mojo Pin”- and he’s recreated himself yet another time in this trio. From the acoustic blues of “I Dislike How Times Are Changing” to the sonic wash of “Those Beautiful Saxon Girls”, in which his guitar forms a sliding, woozy bed of sound for DezsÅ’’s “No New York”-style of free-jazz sax, his playing is without equal.
In fact, Pearly Clouds debut is a breathtaking creation, rooted in world music, folk, jazz and rock’s furthest reaches, while sounding completely new and unexpected. Not exactly sure how Lucas, Szabó and DezsÅ’ found each other- but we’re all the richer for it. More, please!
