NATALIA MANNpasif.ist

NATALIA MANN pasif.ist
Photograph by Fotini Potamia
İzzet Kızıl
Sercan Halİlİ
Abdullah Shakar
Dine Doneff
Photograph by Fotini Potamia
Indeed, Mann says: “It is my desire that people would
experience pleasure when they listen to this album. That
they could be taken away from the drudgery of ordinary
life for a moment.” However, it is not a high-powered
jolt into dancing away your doldrums; on the contrary, it
blissfully lifts you like a feather to float away from it all.
This album uses Turkish instruments along with Western
instruments, but the former’s “Turkishness” is not
apparent in traditional ways because they are being
completely subsumed into another kind of texture. Using
a pure approach to his sound, Sercan Halili’s relatively
noninflected contributions on the kemençe in “Akşam
Duasi” don’t have any ethnic identity, per se; they are
simply musical threads in the larger musical carpet, but
they do add a color that can’t be found elsewhere. The
variety of flexible skin drums used from Turkish, Persian,
and Arabic origins give us that delicious arc of gentle
thunder.
Photograph by Ferhat Akay
Harpist/composer Natalia Mann’s exquisitely atmospheric
compositions in Pasif.îst dwell in the subconscious’
netherworld. They could underscore paintings or photographs
that conjure a perfumed dream where maybe some things
are familiar, but sweetly and aromatically invoking the
unfamiliar. In general, the feeling of much of the music
is soft and ambient, creating a flowing stream to jump in
with eyes closed and heart open.
Gül Çayı (Rose Tea) is an intensely soulful piece, made
so particularly by Halili’s sweet sound on the kemençe,
a Turkish bowed string instrument that has its origins
in Central Asia. It’s almost as if he’s absent-mindedly
singing a plaintive song full of hüzün, the Turkish word for
melancholy. Mann’s harp and Izzet Kızıl and Riki Gooch’s
delicate percussion provide the perfect cradle for this
baby.
Translation:
PEACE, GOODNESS, ONE SPIRIT
Sea Sea, Peace, Lake
Photograph by Fotini Potamia
Sunshine Sister is a major mode improvisational mix
featuring Halili, who is able to swing nonchalantly on his
ancient instrument.
Üç Adım (Three Step) is more in the dark ambient jazz
mode where spooks may be lurking around the corner.
Lucien Johnson’s chimerical soprano sax is a sinewy
siren, while his alto sax makes little side comments as
Mann’s harp improvisations poke some innocent fun.
Photograph by Dine Doneff
However, these pieces are environmental, according to
Mann, in that they were written in and under the influence
of Istanbul. Listening to them, even without any prior
knowledge, one can instantly feel a part of the hazy,
mysterious, and sensual ambiance of Turkey, even if it’s
completely drawn from one’s imagination of what Turkey
might be like.
When Once the Birds is a harp solo which is a paean to
a time when birds had forests, which by now have been
cut down, effectively forcing their migration. An almost
ghoulish threnody on the edge of a primal scream,
made so by some ambient tappings and scrapings
from percussion (Kızıl’s brushes, sticks on the strings);
nevertheless, it keeps its animus intact with a strong
adherence to its tonic chord modality, but with ghostly
decor.
Photograph by Ferhat Akay
Butterfly Effect has a perpetuum-mobile feel via continuous
harp arpeggios and gently pulsating drums backing up
Halili’s kemençe, Serdar Pazarcıoğlu’s violin and Dine
Doneff’s bowed bass melodies. It’s initial free-form gives
way to a Baroque-era ground bass groove at the end, but
it’s an end which leaves itself open to the wind’s impulse.
Greenstones is a colourfully mystical setting, using the
feel of the Celtic harp tradition mixed with Pacific and New
Zealand influences. Richard Nunns’ taonga püoro, (Mäori
for “treasures of sound”) instruments from nature’s raw
materials (the timbre of greenstones rubbed together,
flutes from the wing bone of an albatross, the leg bone of
a dog) and Kızıl’s skillful support on drums gives us one of
Mann’s most haunting creations.
Akşam Duası (Evening Prayer) takes us into the
imperceptibly slow descent of the sun at dusk and the
ezan (prayer singer from the mosque’s minarets) through a
tranquil drumbeat and the kemençe’s ethereal voice.
Time spins us off into a completely subliminal world where
Kızıl’s bendir (hand-held skin drum) gently nudges a drowsy
melody from Halili’s kemençe’s musings on the essence of
delicate damask scented with exotic oils. This delectable
wandering through the mysteries of a dusky orientalist
dream is one of the most erotic and sensual adventures
in this collection.
Interlude for Grozda for harp solo treats us to Mann's
particular kaleidoscope of colors, with plenty of breathing
space between chords, letting the sounds integrate into
the consciousness before moving on.
Photograph by Natalia Mann
Alexandra Ivanoff is a music journalist who contributes to Time Out
Istanbul, Today’s Zaman newspaper, Andante and Jazz magazines, and
MusicalAmerica.com
Photograph by Ferhat Akay
This first full-length effort from Natalia Mann, as composer
and leader, and her like-minded colleagues blends more
than the East and West, is a global musical collage of who
she is. Her music is gently sexy, powerfully descriptive,
abstract but not obtuse, and sings clearly from her soul.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
This album is dedicated to the dignified and respectful treatment of all beings
Photograph by Ferhat Akay
Love, thanks and respect to the following people whose
generous talents and contributions made this album
possible: To all of the musicians. Sercan Halili, Abdullah
Shakar. Günsel Işik Yılmaz, Smadj, Naomi Jean for your
beautiful melody in Time. Fotini Potamia & Dine Doneff.
Alexandra Ivanoff. Ferhat Akay. Eda Karaytuğ, and Janet
Holborow. Pieter Snapper, Reuben De Lautour, Melis
Tarhun and the crew at Babajim. Ergin Özler at Deney
Evi, Serhat Ersöz and Oğuz S˛ehiraltı at S.e.s. Studio.
Ömer Sabırsız, Serdar Pazarcıoğlu. Riki Gooch, Lucien
Johnson. Richard Nunns, Bob Bickerton. Deniz Güngör.
Devrim Erdem, Simon Gorman, Yuri Ryadchenko, Leda
Atomica. Feride Değer Sökmen, Fannette Bonnet.
Göksel Baktagir, Bic Runga, Aysu Cogur, Donovan
Mixon, Toni Kitanovski, Shona Jaunas and Mike Neilsen
for inspiration and guidance. Ekrem Özkarpat, Ergün
Metin & Ismail Dalgın at Gitar Atölyesi. Reha Öztünalı.
Carolyn Mills, Posenai & Tania Mavaega. Jamie Bull.
Carolyn van Hoeve, Steve Garden, John Psathas, Rattle
Records & Creative New Zealand.
Special love and thanks to Xanya Mamunya & Thisbee,
my family, and my husband İzzet Kızıl.
NATALIA MANN pasif.ist
Total: 4:56
5:07
6:16
6:11
4:41
5:13
7:39
1:11
5:04
2:34
48:55
İzzet Kızıl - percussions & drums
(sponsored by Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals)
Sercan Hali˙l i̇
classic kemençe, alto kemençe
Abdullah Shakar
fretless & electric bass
Dine Doneff - double bass
Special guests
Richard Nunns
taonga püoro on Greenstones
Lucien Johnson
soprano & tenor saxophone on Üç Adım
Mix: Smadj, Babajim Istanbul Studios, Assistants:
Berk Teker, Zeynep Tünay, Günsel Işık Yılmaz
Riki Gooch - percussion
on Gül Çayı, Sunshine Sister, Üç Adım
Mastering: Pieter Snapper, Babajim Istanbul Mastering
Naomi Jean O’Sullivan
Recording: Oğuz Şehiraltı, S.e.s. Studio, Istanbul. Ergin
Özler & Günsel Işık Yılmaz, Deney Evi Studio, Istanbul
Additional recording by: Riki Gooch, Wellington;
Bob Bickerton, Nelson, New Zealand. Deniz Güngör,
Istanbul; Ömer Sabırsız, Forum Ev, İzmir, Turkey
Cover Photography by Fotini Potamia
Design by Unkle Franc
co-writer, gongs on Time
Serdar PazarcıoǦlu
violin on Butterfly Effect
Deni̇z GÜngÖr
aqua on Butterfly Effect
RAT-D029 2011
Photograph by Dine Doneff
Music: All compositions by N.Mann © 2011
Sunshine Sister & Üç Adım - Mann/Kızıl.
4.55 air - Mann/Doneff/Kızıl. Time - Mann/O'Sullivan.
NATALIA MANN - harp
www.rattle.co.nz
01 Gül Çayı
02 Sunshine Sister 03 Üç Adım 04 When Once the Birds
05 Butterfly Effect
06 Greenstones
07 Akşam Duası
08 4.55 air
09 Time 10 Interlude for Grozda