Guy Klucevsek
THE MULTIPLE PERSONALITY REUNION TOUR
Innova 819
 
 
1.     Breathless and Bewildered  (1:51)
2.     Waltz for Sandy  (2:48)
3.     Gimme a Minute, Please (My Sequins Are Showing)  (1:27)
4.     Larsong  (5:08)
5.     Ratatatatouille  (4:41)
6.     Hymnopedie No. 1  (1:33)
7.     Hymnopedie No. 2  (3:24)
8.     Hymnopedie No. 3  (3:23)
9.     Pink Elephant  (5:59)
10.  O’O  (2:54)
11.  Lädereld (Lars Hollmer, arrangement GK)  (3:44)
12.  The C&M Waltz  (3:47)
13.  Moja Baba Je Pijana  (traditional, additional lyrics and arrangement, GK)  (4:45)
 
Total Time:  45:28
 
All compositions by Guy Klucevsek--except 11, 13, as indicated--published by Guy Klucevsek Music, BMI
 
Lädereld, by Lars Hollmer, published by:
 
 
 
THE MULTIPLE PERSONALITY REUNION TOUR
 
All compositions by Guy Klucevsek, except where otherwise indicated.
Guy Klucevsek plays accordion on all tracks
 
1. Breathless and Bewildered (2009)  1:51
dedicated to Bulgarian accordion wizard, Ivan Milev
 
Alex Meixner, accordion, trumpet
Brandon Seabrook, tenor banjo
Marcus Rojas, tuba
Kenny Wollesen, drums, percussion
 
2. Waltz for Sandy (2005)  2:48
written for a collaboration with percussive dancer extraordinaire, Sandy Silva, during a Lucas Artists Residency, Montalvo Arts Center, CA
 
Pete Donovan, bass
John Hollenbeck, drums, xylophone
 
3. Gimme a Minute, Please (My Sequins Are Showing) (2008)  1:27
dedicated to The Swingle Singers
commissioned by the Master Singers of Lexington, MA
 
Jo Lawry, Theo Bleckmann, Peter Eldridge, vocals
Pete Donovan, bass
John Hollenbeck, drums
 
4. Larsong (2009)  5:08
in memory of Lars Hollmer, a dear friend, and my Accordion Tribe colleague of 12 years
 
5. Ratatatatouille (2009)  4:41
dedicated to Basque trikitixa (accordion) master, Kepa Junkera
 
Jo Lawry, Theo Bleckmann, Peter Eldridge, vocals
Pete Donovan, bass
John Hollenbeck, drums, percussion, xylophone
 
6. Hymnopedie No. 1 (2010)  1:33
The next three pieces are dedicated to Erik Satie. 
 
No. 1 was commissioned by choreographer Lionel Popkin.  A title eluded me for weeks.  I kept thinking, “it’s partly a song, partly a dance,” which eventually led me to “hymn” and “pedi” (foot).  Other than the title, this first piece has little to do with Satie, but once I had one Hymnopedie, I needed two more, and the others do.
 
Steve Elson, clarinet, saxophones
Alex Meixner, accordion, trumpet
Brandon Seabrook, acoustic guitar
Marcus Rojas, tuba
Kenny Wollesen, drums
 
 
7. Hymnopedie No. 2 (2011)  3:24
...is probably closest to the sound and feel of the original Satie piano pieces, “Three Gymnopedies.”
 
Dave Douglas, trumpet
 
8. Hymnopedie No. 3 (2011)  3:23
...is more of a program piece, but I came up with the program after the music was already written.
 
Satie was fond of inserting tongue-in-cheek expressions into his scores to mock the impressionists, my favorite being “open your head.”  My score includes the following text insertions:
 
“Monsieur S. samples the local goulash soup.”
“Monsieur S. begins the beguine.”
“Pardon, M’lle, I did not realize that was your foot.”
“Perhaps a bit more goulash?”
“as the sun rises, Monsieur S. heads home on foot.”
“...whereupon, lifted by a gentle gust of wind, Monsieur S. is carried off into the heavens.”
 
Alex Meixner, accordion
Brave Combo:
Jeffrey Barnes, clarinets
Carl Finch, piano, keyboards, percussion
Little Jack Melody, fretless bass
Alan Emert, drums
 
accordion ad. lib. fills:  GK
 
9. Pink Elephant (1999)  5:59
Title refers to an (in)famous accordion joke, about being lost in the desert...you can look it up.
 
Alex Meixner, accordion
Brave Combo:
Jeffrey Barnes, saxophones
Carl Finch, piano, keyboards
Little Jack Melody, electric bass
Alan Emert, drums
 
accordion solo:  GK
 
10. O’O (2008)  2:54
dedicated to Martin Denny, “father of exotica”
 
Alex Meixner, accordion
Brave Combo:
Jeffrey Barnes, ocarina, bag o’ birds, saxophones, ukulele, percussion
Carl Finch, guitar, keyboards, accordion, sounds
Little Jack Melody, fretless bass
Alan Emert, drums
 
11. Lädereld (Leather Camp Fire) (2000)  3:44
by Lars Hollmer, arranged by Guy Klucevsek
 
The late Lars Hollmer dedicated this piece to “Guy Klucevsek, Accordion Rider” on his “Utsikter” album.  Here I am returning the favor.   After a rehearsal for the Brave Combo sessions in Denton, TX, Jeff Barnes took me to a jam session where I heard the amazing Ginny Mac live for the first time.  I asked her to sit in with us on this one, and she graciously accepted.
 
Ginny Mac, accordion
Alex Meixner, accordion, trumpet
GK, melodica
Brave Combo:
Jeffrey Barnes, clarinet, saxophones
Carl Finch, keyboards, mouth percussion
Little Jack Melody, electric bass
Alan Emert, drums
 
accordion solos:  Ginny Mac, GK
12.  The C&M Waltz (2009)  3:47
dedicated to my dear cousins, Charlie and Marian Bartosh, beautiful waltz dancers.  They go dancing to live Slovenian/American bands every possible weekend they can, and have done for the 50+ years of their marriage.
 
Alex Meixner, accordion
Brave Combo:
Jeffrey Barnes, tenor saxophone, harmonica
Carl Finch, piano, organ
Little Jack Melody, fretless bass
Alan Emert, drums
 
ad. lib. accordion obbligatos:  verse 1, Alex Meixner, verse 2, GK
 
13. Moja Baba Je Pijana (Variations)  4:45
traditional; additional lyrics and arrangement by Guy Klucevsek
 
            This is one of the first Slovenian/American polkas I learned as a kid.  Alex Meixner told me that the title, which translates literally as “My Old Lady is Drunk” was considered too racy for the 1950s, so they “softened” the English translation to “My Wife, She is Happy,” which is how it appeared on my sheet music.  One of my favorite aspects of the Slovenian/American polka tradition is the virtuoso obbligatos (counter-melodies) ad libbed by the accordion players.  Alex Meixner does it with the best of them; here he is, off-to-the-races, right out of the gate!
 
Lyrics:
My wife, she is drunk
And I have to take her home
I have to take her home right away.
 
When your wife she is sad
You should try to cheer her up,
Try to cheer her up with a song.
 
Alex Meixner, Jeffrey Barnes, GK, vocals
Alex Meixner, accordion
Brave Combo:
Jeffrey Barnes, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Carl Finch, piano, keyboards
Little Jack Melody, electric bass
Alan Emert, drums
 
Accordion solos in the “Latin, minor, slow” section:  GK, Alex Meixner
 
 
Tracks 1-7 Produced by Guy Klucevsek, with John Kilgore
Recorded/Mixed at John Kilgore Studios, New York City, March/April, 2011
Engineer:  John Kilgore
 
Tracks 8-13 Produced by Guy Klucevsek and Carl Finch
Recorded/Mixed at The Echo Lab, Denton, Texas, March, 2011
Engineer:  David Willingham
 
Acknowledgments:
Thanks first and foremost to United States Artists for the 2010 Collins Fellowship.  Simply put, without that award, this recording would not exist.   Heartfelt thanks to Carl Finch.  One could not ask for a more creative, instinctive, sympatico co-producer.  Thanks to Brave Combo, for the enthusiasm and joy they bring to everything they touch.  To John Kilgore, for his huge ears, searing intelligence, technical wizardry, and the good times.  To Dave Willingham, for The Echo Lab experience: wonderful engineer,  great-sounding room in a beautiful setting, and congenial atmosphere.  To Silas Brown, for making the final mixes snap, crackle and pop.  To Theo Bleckmann, for leading me to the amazing Jo Lawry and Peter Eldridge, can I ever thank you enough?   To Jeff Barnes, for taking me to the jam session where I: 1) heard Ginny Mac live for the first time, and 2) learned that Jeff plays harmonica--surprise, surprise!   To Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell at innova for their support and enthusiasm for the project.  To all the musicians--Jeffrey Barnes, Theo Bleckmann, Pete Donovan, Dave Douglas, Peter Eldridge, Steve Elson, Alan Emert, Carl Finch, John Hollenbeck, Jo Lawry, Alex Meixner, Ginny Mac, Little Jack Melody, Marcus Rojas, Brandon Seabrook, Kenny Wollesen--thank you for your beautiful contributions, you have made my heart sing!
 
All compositions published by Guy Klucevsek Music, BMI, unless otherwise indicated.
 
Funding:
 
This recording made possible by a 2010 United States Artists Collins Fellowship.
Funding for post-production provided by a CAP Recording Grant from the American Music Center.
 
Mastered by Silas Brown at Legacy Sound.
 
Innova is supported by an endowment from the McKnight Foundation.
Philip Blackburn, director, design
Chris Campbell, operations manager
www.innova.mu