Karcius - Kaleidoscope (2006)Unicorn Digital

This band from the Land of Maple Leaf was founded in 2001 and made his debut album called "Sphere" in the year 2003. Their native label - Unicorn Digital - on the occasion of next solo CD "Kaleidoscope" decided as well on re-releasing and putting the first act on the market in the same year 2006. That's why, my Dear Readers, although you can only see one cover on the left side, I assure you that my review also concerns the debut.

The line-up includes young, but extremely gifted instrumentalists: Simon L'Espérance (guitar, additional percussion), Thomas Brodeur (drums, percussion), Dominique Blouin (fretted and fretless bass guitar) and Mingan Sauriol (piano, keys). I admit that Canadians have started from possibly highest artistic level, so it's impossible to write about weak points on both CDs. A quantity of ideas they were able to accumulate on these albums surpasses all my expactations. Musicians balance between jazz and progressive rock, and it means that his music is technically advanced, complex as regards arrangements, yet accessible for a listener to a large degree. At faster moments Karcius comes closer to progressive rock, however at slower ones to jazz/fusion style. As I have written, it is a balancing on the borderland of two genres. I can also mention that three out of four instrumentalists are musically educated joining chosen patterns from the jazz canon with progression. In my opinion, their musical background is of great importance in composing process and execution. Thanks to skilled exemplars, jazz becomes more progressive, and progression is more jazzy, haha. It is a justified statement by all means, since the Canadians indirectly refer to a trend in the fourties and fifties of the 20th century that was called just progressive jazz! Here is only a lack of accompanying orchestra in comparison to the original style.

In Karcius' music all the instruments are equally important and of the same status, so you needn't dread the dominance of a single musician. On "Kaleidoscope" are there a bit more hypnotizing combinations in instrumental sphere, but, stylistically, both albums are very similar indeed. For me, Karcius sounds like a mixture of A Triggering Myth, Leszek Mozdzer and Herbie Hancock, so jazz audience as well as progressive fans should be pleased with the results.