Ozere
Finding Anyplace (album release: October 19, 2015)
Canadian band Ozere brings together classical music training and the traditional musics of North America and other regions of the globe. The string ensemble plus vocalist is led by composer and fiddler Jessica Deutsch.
The band’s album Finding Anyplace presents a delightful selection of originals by Deutsch and vocalist Emily Rockarts along with two traditional American pieces.
At times, you think you’re listening to a newgrass band featuring old time-style and Celtic fiddle fiddle and vocals, but other times the group heads in unexpected directions, introducing classical chamber music flourishes, memorable vocal harmonies and instrumental jazz interplay featuring unanticipated instruments like marimba and hand drums. The global music comes in the form of Nordic fiddle influences and Carpathian dances.
“I wanted to put together a string quartet–that’s what I grew up playing–but I wanted to extend the form to include improvisation, to include anything that fit, really,” says Deutsch. “At that time, I happened to be playing a lot with Adrian, the mandolin player, and this made me reconsider the instrumentation. I started to move away from my original idea and to invent something new.”
Ozere lineup: Jessica Deutsch on violin and lead and background vocals; Emily Rockarts on lead and background vocals; Adrian Gross on mandolin, acoustic guitar and electric guitar; Lydia Munchinsky on cello and background vocals; Bret Higgins on upright bass. Guests include Eli Bender on cello; Matt Griffin on piano; and Magdelya Savigne Carrion on marimba, bendir, darbuka, and castanets.
Upcoming North American Tour
10/19/2015: Le Cagibi, Montreal, QC
10/25/2015: Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
10/29/2015: The Living Room, Brooklyn, NY
11/01/2015: Tranzac Club, Toronto, ON
Purchase the digital version of Finding Anyplace. Physical version available soon.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
