Daniel Schell & Karo - 1994 - Gira Girasole

Daniel Schell & Karo

1994

Gira Girasole

01. Costumi Bianchi (3:35)
02. Et Chante le Rossignol (4:32)
03. Peine de l'Amour (2:18)
04. Praire (3:36)
05. Ninna Nanna Part. 1 (3:09)
06. Ninna Nanna Part. 2 (2:00)
07. Rosa (3:00)
08. Gira Girasole (5:16)
09. Bella Ciao (4:06)
10. Rythme dtf Battipali (2:45)
11. Cielo (4:27)
12. Francesca da Rimini Salvata (2:06)
13. Stelle (4:00)
14. Bielis Maninis (3:22)

Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet
Jan Kuijken / cello
Jean-Luc Manderlier / keyboards
Pierre Narcise / tabla drums
Daniel Schell / Chapman stick

Last album to date, Gira Girasole is yet another good album, but the tendency is to give the synths more and to reach ever wider in the cultural roots of European music, but the artistic approach is sometimes a bit hollow because it sounds rather forced. I must say that I would much rather like those ever-present synths to be replaced by acoustic instruments, mostly because that by 94, the sounds used were dating clearly from 80's synth sounds, which any progheads will agree was not the best generation. While there are some interesting tracks, such as the Spanish-sounding Francesca and the Eastern-inspired are more than interesting, but the whole thing seems to reach a certain level, but always content avoiding to surpass itself. And Schell's Chapman stick is hardly noticeable anymore.

If I can advise to start with any of the other two albums and delve into this one only if you are fully convinced by the others.

Daniel Schell & Karo - 1990 - The Secret Of BWLCH

Daniel Schell & Karo

1990

The Secret Of BWLCH

01. Choral

02. Souvenir d'une vague

03. Parfume, mon frere bilingue

04. Soit ilot

05. Le secret de la pyramide

06. Le nouvel an Birman

07. Le Voyageur

He passes the night for the dying of the wind

08. Cwlch se cache

09. Il fouine dans l'eau des havres

10. The secret of Blwch

11. Midir perd l'oeil

12. Het gezin van paemel, opening

13. Papegai, quartet for clarinet and strings

- Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet

- Jan Kuijken / cello

- Jean-Luc Plouvier / keyboards

- Pierre Narcise / tabla drums

- Daniel Schell / Chapman stick

- Patrick Verstraeten / French horn

- Pierre Van Dormael / guitar

- Jean-Luc Manderlier / keyboards

Halvenhalf Quartet:

- Jeannot Gillis / violin

- Jacqueline Rosenfelt / violin

- Claudine Steenackers / cello

- Wiet Van Der Leest / viola

Choirs and voices:

- Marie-Paule Fayt / Soprano

- Lucy Grauman / Alto

- Bernard Plouvier / Tenor

- Claude Massoz - Bariton

This second album is well in the musical alignment of its predecessor (that means pompously that it sounds a bit like the one before it;-) although with a slight Tango twist (this means that you could dance with your grandma to this album) with some flabbergasting meanders towards more modern classics (this meaning that your jaw drops to the floor and your ears melt and your mind orgasms)

The album's centrepiece is clearly written for century to come is the 8 min+ Soit Ilot with Haut-Voltige choirs. Of course in such an Oeuvre (yessssss!!!!! With a capital if you please ;-), we are not listening to rock anymore, but never mind those details, every symphonic rock will simply love this stuff. A little weirder are the next two tracks with their Asian feels not successfully translated to synthesisers, but Le Voyageur clearly brings back the splendid atmospheres to fall on the other major work: the BLWCH mini-suite cut into four distinct movements - these guys take Univers Zero's music yet another step towards perfection. The last two tracks being strictly classical and rather downplaying the excitement built-up just before.

Relatively uneven, this is one of those albums that could give your musical adventures a real twist and not necessarily the way you would expect it.

Daniel Schell & Karo - 1988 - If Windows They Have

Daniel Schell & Karo

1988

If Windows They Have

01. Un Celte

02. Remi face au lacis dore

03. Vienna Carmen

04. 3 Moustiquaires

05. If Windows the have

06. Bijna Zomer en ik loop

07. Listen to short waves: je suios dans ce chant

08. Tapi La Nuit

09. Buches/Logs/Holz

- Dirk Descheemaeker / clarinet

- Claudine Steenackers / cello

- Jean-Luc Plouvier / keyboards

- Pierre Narcise / tabla drums

- Daniel Schell / Chapman stick

Painting – Angel Vergara Santiago

After the demise of Belgian fusion/Canterbury group Cos, its leader Daniel Schell took a couple years to reform a new group but he changed direction wanted a more acoustic and third world sound. From his love of the early 80's KING CRIMSON 5this was quite obvious in the later Cos album such as Pasiones) he had learned to play the Chapman stick (which bassist Tony Levin was the first one to play to a wider audience). He had recorded a duo album with Brussels-based Dutch singer (but French-singing Dick Annegarn), but was determined to do something quite different than previously.

In 86, his album If Window They Have moved somewhere between JULVERNE's classical "prog" music and UNIVERS ZERO's more acoustic music and OREGON's unique folk-jazz fusion - although one can still detect a few Fripp-Levin influence, the music has nothing to do with KING CRIMSON anymore.

By 90 his second album The Secret Of Blwch, had been recorded - including a more permanent line-up (including buddy of mine Pierre Narcisse on tabla drums UNIVERS Zero's Dirk Descheemaeker on winds and ex-Magma Manderlier on keys) - and is one of the best example of the Belgian chamber prog scene. The third Gira Girasole is still in the same mode, but the mood is even more jumpy/happy but the synths are more present. Since the mid-90's no new recording from this line-up , but the first two albums are certainly the best kept musical secret from Belgium.

This debut album really sets the tone for the rest of the albums to come. Somehow picking up on the mode of music Oregon and Julverne, this amazing record was quite unique back then (even if by today's standards they sound somehow a bit common) and they were at the forefront of Continental Europe's experimental music (all acoustic except for Manderlier's synths) - listen to the weird Bijna Zomer En Ik Loop mixing continuous loop with classical music (layered by Chapman stick arpeggios) or the succeeding Listen To The Short Waves where didgeridoos accompany cellos and the clarinet. But to me, on this album, nothing surpasses 3 Moustiquaires (a pun on the Three Musqueteers) with Narcisse's superb percussions leading the way to repetitititititive heaven. The "Clou Du Spectacle" is definitely the 14 min+ Tapi La Nuit which take its time to develop and meander through your ears filling them with haunting melodies. The whole thing being ended with the superb final number Logs with some astounding cellos - synth drones underlined by some out of this world wooden blocks percussions, grandiose.

All the tracks being composed by leader Daniel Schell (except one co-written by Cos vocalist Pascale Son), this album is a thousand miles away from any Cos album, but somehow it is very much exactly what you would expect from him. Much more than a curiosity, this album is simply a delightful discovery of what Belgian prog chamber can bring you.

This is a record I recently rediscovered, hiding in a stack of records I haven't played in ten years. This is timeless! Very clean recording - could be used for soundtrack applications or just for great listening. Kind of a cross between Brian Eno and The Blackearth Percussion Ensemble. There are some snappy numbers as well. Highly reccomended!