Austrian Folk

Austrian Syndicate…the phrase immediately brings to mind the best-known and most influential of all Austrians in jazz, Joe Zawinul. And yet David Helbock’s project is much more than just a homage to his compatriot. It is a return to the roots of fusion jazz and how things developed from then on. It is also a new direction stylistically for Helbock, who has harnessed a panoply of inspiration with a refreshing openness to new sounds from far and wide. As Helbock himself puts it: "This is close to my heart." Helbock has been able to enlist the best rhythm section in Austria for the Syndicate: Raphael Preuschl on bass and bass ukulele, drummer Herbert Pirker and percussionist Claudio Spieler. The quintet also has an American in it, one for whom becoming Austrian was a matter of choice: pianist Peter Madsen. This Austrian supergroup is also a place where Helbock’s stellar international guests shine brightly: Maria João, Fred Wesley, Dhafer Youssef, Alex Acuña and Lakecia Benjamin.

Eberhard Kummer - Kudrun (2011) {The Chaucer Studio OR075}
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© 2011 The Chaucer Studio | OR075
Classical / Medieval / Early Music / 13th Century / Vocals / Hurdy-gurdy

Performed and recorded at the Kulturforum in Vienna on 9 November 2005, Kudrun carries on the influence of its predecessor, the Nibelungenlied, and is often likened to its predecessor as the Odyssey to the Nibelungelied's Iliad. Kudrun, the titular heroine, falls into that interesting category in medieval literature, like Judith in Old English, of the heroic woman. The work is a MHG epic centered on a sea adventure.

Edelweiss were an Austrian electronic dance music group consisting of remixers Martin Gletschermayer, Matthias Schweger and Walter Werzowa. The group is best known for their 1988 worldwide hit "Bring Me Edelweiss", and their European hit "Starship Edelweiss". Edelweiss reached the number one position with their hit "Bring Me Edelweiss," featuring Austrian folk singer Maria Mathis, who also did the live performances (and later recorded an updated version in 1999). The single was a hit in many European countries, supposedly by following the instructions given in The KLF's book The Manual. Borrowing large parts of its melody from ABBA's "SOS" and Indeep's "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life", the song humorously targeted Austrian ski resorts and yodeling and sold five million copies worldwide.

In 1819 the Viennese music publisher and composer Anton Diabelli sent a short waltz to a long list of composers. These included Schubert, Hummel, a very young Franz Liszt and, as the most prominent composer of the time, naturally Beethoven. Diabelli was proposing to compile an anthology of variations on his own waltz, one from each composer. Beethoven responded in a characteristic manner: first there was nothing, and then there was nothing … and then, in 1823, there was an entire, and monumental, set of no less than thirty-three variations.

Recorded in London in the summer of 1971 by Austrian singer/songwriter Bobby Haumer and an English pick-up band, Zakarrias was issued on the highly collectable Deram label. However, Deram withdrew the album almost immediately when they discovered that Haumer didn't have a work permit and therefore had to return to Austria. Full of unexpected melodic shifts, and with an over-whelming sense of space and unresolved tension, the album skillfully blends singer/songwriter introversion with elements of Folk, Blues, Psychedelia and Progressive Rock. The results have been compared to outtakes from the third Led Zeppelin album, but while the lead vocals are certainly reminiscent at times of Robert Plant, the overall sound and general air of quiet pretension is probably closer to Van der Graaf Generator leader Peter Hammill's early solo work. The album went unnoticed at the time, but has since become a collectable rarity.