Guy Klucevsek – January 2004

SIMPLY IN THEIR WORDS (Installment Seis)

Interview conducted by Tom Sękowski

This is the sixth of a regular series of "simply in their words" series interviews with some of the musicians from the improvised, jazz and new music genres that are making a real mark on the landscape. I don't want to add Any additional text to these musicians' responses, as my words would only clutter what it is they're trying to convey to the readers.

There are certain instruments you don't necessarily expect to see in a "jazz" ensemble. Accordion is one of them. But then again, who said anything about Guy Klucevsek playing jazz? He's been a practitioner of the instrument, a composer and an interpreter of other composers' works for well over two decades. There is nobody that I know of who can as freely and honestly interpret the works of Cage, Frith, Zorn, Bartok along that of Bacharach. One of the concert highlights in my lifetime has been one that Guy Klucevsek's "The Bantam Orchestra" gave at 1995's FIMAV in Victoriaville. It is extremely rare to hear such warmth and organic sounds, especially in the world of improvised music that FIMAV seems to have a hold on. This is an interview I'd conducted with Guy at the beginning of January of 2004.

Tom Sękowski: When I had interviewed Tom Cora more than a decade ago, the first question that I'd asked him was why shouldn't people be afraid of the cello? So, I ask you now, why shouldn't people be afraid of the accordion?

Guy Klucevsek: What's to be afraid of?! The accordion is a means of artistic expression, like any other instrument, be it a piano, violin, a voice, a paintbrush, a pen, or a body. If the accordionist chooses engaging, emotionally-involving, and interesting music, and plays it with virtuosity, total commitment, passion, and in a personal way, the audience will respond in kind.

TS: How did you come about picking accordion as your instrument? What caused your fascination with this particular instrument?

GK: When I was a young boy growing up in the 50s, the accordion was a vital part of popular culture. I would see it on the variety shows on television at least twice a week, and I fell in love with the look and sound of it.

TS: How did your duo with Phillip Johnston come about? [and the recording Tales from the Cryptic on Winter & Winter that followed]

GK: My relationship with Phillip Johnston goes back almost 20 years. We played together for a few months in a band which backed the singer Nora York; then over the years, I played in some of Phillip's film scores, and he arranged a piece of mine for the Microscopic Septet. Although we didn't work together a lot in those 20 years, I always made it a point to stay in touch with Phillip's work by attending his shows and concerts, and always enjoyed his writing, arranging and playing. I wanted to for another duo project (after my one with Alan Bern, which I enjoyed so much), and Phillip seemed a perfect choice. I like duos where both performers are composers, so that you stretch one another.

TS: What is it about playing solo that excites you vs. playing in an ensemble?

GK: For me, solo playing, especially when I am performing my own music, is the most direct means of expression I have, almost like a painter with his brush and canvas. What I love about it is that it is so personal, that you have a one-to-one relationship with the audience, and that you become almost like a story-teller. But I also love chamber and ensemble playing, because it is an act of collaboration, which pushes you to get outside yourself.

TS: Do you pay any attention to critics, who may question the role of your instrument in a jazz context? What's your favourite line or excerpt of criticism that you'd received so far?

GK: Jazz (or any other music, for that matter) is not made by an instrument; it is made by a human being. Any good critic will understand and appreciate that. I like the following quote because I find it maybe the most accurate description of my work: "Composer-accordionist Guy Klucevsek is a musical Orient Express whose themes pass from Hungarian gypsy to Slovenian waltz to Middle Eastern wail without stopping at the borders." (Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

TS: How difficult is it for you to receive grants or commissions to perform your work?

GK: In the past, I have been fortunate to receive a good amount of grants and commissions, but it is getting increasingly more difficult, due to the current economic conditions in the USA. In 2004, absolutely all my performances are in Europe!

TS: Would you say places outside of North America are more receptive to your work than your native US?

GK: No, I wouldn't say they are more receptive, but they are more supportive. What do I mean by that? I mean to say that Europeans are much more willing to support the arts with their taxes at the local, provincial, and federal levels, whereas in the USA, there is still this commercial attitude that any art which cannot support itself in the "free market" does not deserve to survive.

TS: You've performed the work of numerous composers - everyone from Burt Bacharach, Alvin Lucier, John Cage, Dmitri Shostakovich, Fred Frith to Somei Satoh. Is there one particular trait that you seek out in a composer before making a decision to perform his or her work?

GK: Only that I have a visceral, emotional, and/or intellectual reaction to their work.

TS: Is there one particular musician, with whom collaboration until this day has eluded you?

GK: Well, "eluded" implies that I have sought to collaborate with someone, but without success. I would not wish to say that. What I will say is that there are many, many wonderful musicians around the world that I would enjoy working with, as well as film-makers, choreographers, directors, and puppeteers.

TS: What new ensembles are you working on now?

GK: Composer/clarinetist Michael Moore has contacted me about a band he would like to put together. We shall see where that leads.

TS: Is there one particular recording of yours that you're most proud of that you could without hesitation immediately recommend to the readers?

GK: My recordings for me are like children for parents, I tend to dote on the youngest one at the time. Every recording I've made has been a representation of what I was experiencing and feeling at the time I made it, almost biographical documents of a kind, or a musical diary. That being said, I do have favorites: For my solo work, I have a particular fondness for The Heart of the Andes (Winter & Winter) and Transylvanian Softwear (Starkland). for ensemble work, the Accordion Tribe: Sea of Reeds recording (Intuition) is one I treasure, as well as Stolen Memories (Tzadik).

TS: For the most part, your recorded output has been scattered over numerous record labels [and many of your recordings are now out of print]. It looks like you've recently developed a long-standing relationship with Winter & Winter. How did this relationship with this record label come about? Do you foresee your out-of-print recordings being re-issued in the future?

GK: Stefan Winter and I had a meeting about five years ago and found that we had many interests in common, and decided together to embark on a 5-recording venture. I have completed three W&W recordings so far, and will do a fourth one, solo, this spring. So far there are no plans to reissue my out-of-print recordings, although I would dearly love to find a way to revive Polka Dots and Laser Beams, Who Stole the Polka, and Citrus, My Love.

TS: If you were given one sentence to describe your music to someone who'd never heard it, what would you say?

GK: At the risk of repeating myself, "Composer-accordionist Guy Klucevsek is a musical Orient Express whose themes pass from Hungarian gypsy to Slovenian waltz to Middle Eastern wail without stopping at the borders." (Tom Strini, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

TS: What do recognition and awards mean to you? Do you put any weight on these, and if so, what weight?

GK: I value recognition and awards only so far as they help me make a living as an artist, and that they may help to introduce new audiences to what I do.

TS: What accordion players are you listening to nowadays? What recommendations can you make?

GK: I listen a lot to Richard Galliano, especially Piazzolla Forever. He is a brilliant virtuoso, fantastic improviser, wonderful all-around musician, warm, witty. I got to hear him live for the first time last year, in New York, and I was blown away. For classical and new music accordion, I listen to Joseph Petric and Stefan Hussong. Evan Harlan is a wonderful composer/arranger/accordionist from Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a great band called Andromeda4 that people should know about.

TS: You had performed on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood [a particular favourite kids TV show of mine when I was younger]. How did this come about? What did you perform on the show? Do you know if copies of this particular show are obtainable for home viewing?

GK: The staff of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood called me out-of-the-blue in 1988 and invited me to appear on the show. It turns out that Fred Rogers had read my piece about regional accordion styles in Keyboard Magazine and that sparked his interest. I performed my own composition, "Scenes From a Mirage", and also illustrated how I would play if I were angry, happy, or sad. I don't know about availability of the show for home viewing, you would have to contact the producers of the program.

TS: What plans do you have for the upcoming year in terms of tours and recordings?

GK: As I mentioned, I will be doing a solo recording for Winter & Winter, which will feature my new collection, The Well-Tampered Accordion. Also, record with Michael Moore, in a new trio with cellist Erik Friedlander. My tours are all in Europe: January, Musique de Nuit, Bordeaux, France; February, Accordion Tribe tour, ending at the Vienna International Accordion Festival, and a duo concert with Alan Bern on the same festival; April, Stansiker Musik Tage in Stans, Switzerland; June, touring with GK/Phillip Johnston Duo.

Recommended Guy Klucevsek recordings:

John Zorn Cobra (hatHut, 1990)
Geduldig un Thimann A Haymish Groove (Extraplatte, 1992)
Dave Douglas Charms of the Night Sky (Winter and Winter, 1998)
Guy Klucevsek Transylvanian Softwear (Starkland, 1999)
Guy Klucevsek Free Range Accordion (Starkland, 2000)
Guy Klucevsek / Alan Bern Accordance (Winter and Winter, 2000)
Guy Klucevsek The Heart of the Andes (Winter and Winter, 2002)
Guy Klucevsek / Phillip Johnston Duo Tales From the Cryptic (Winter and Winter, 2003)

Posted by derek on January 16, 2006 2:28 PM