SLAMCD255 Jan Kopinski – Earth – Music to Dovzhenko’s Film Zemlya

Aleksandr Dovzhenko‘s classic silent film ‘Zemlya’, about life and death in a Ukrainian village amid the struggles of collectivisation, is considered a poetic masterpiece of Soviet cinema. Its convenient ideology is overtaken by the epic landscapes and beautifully observed portrayals of family, community and human emotions. Jan Kopinski‘s ‘Earth’ was a specially commissioned live soundtrack to this remarkable film, intensifying the imagery with an intriguing mix of sadness and hope. At times, gently paced and lingering, the music is intense but always hopeful.

Jan Kopinski: tenor, alto and soprano saxophones
Steve Iliffe: grand piano
Janina Kopinska: viola
Stefan Kopinski: bass

“It’s music of great pathos and beauty, clearly fuelled by both the film’s grandeur and by the painful historical ironies of its propaganda component. Kopinski is joined here by and his children, violist Janina Kopinska and bassist Stefan Kopinski, and pianist Steve Iliffe. From the outset there’s a lovely convergence of materials and approaches, the Eastern European-flavoured opening theme gradually giving way to Kopinski’s Trane-like flutters…Even without the film, this is music that swims in history, sombre and richly allusive. It’s a worthy addition to the genre.” – Stuart Broomer, Coda

“There are various paradoxes within Kopinski’s music; he evokes Slav folk music, melancholic and lost to an irrecoverable past, but Iliff’s broken chords also reflect the equally lost world of discordant modernism that this brave new era of revolutionary cinema was going to usher in. There are moments of lyricism but essentially there is a hushed chamber music feel throughout, with Kopinski close-miked and intense; even moments of release, like the joyous funeral, are underlined with a sense of tears that pervades the whole composition.” – Andy Robson, Jazzwise

“Here Kopinski’s quartet – son and daughter Stefan and Janina on electric bass and viola, the Zoo’s Steve Iliffe on grand piano – lacks the pounding groove of yore, but manages to maintain the wonderful sense of slowly-unrolling time which is Kopinski’s forte: appropriate indeed for accompanying old film stock.” – Hi-Fi News

“With Kopinski’s saxophone first emulating the spirituality of John Coltrane then moving on to the simple folk-based beauty of Albert Ayler. His soulful cries are underpinned by Steve Iliffe’s weighty piano and the viola and bass strengthen the body of the work. It would be interesting to see how this music enhances the film, but even without that it is impressive work.” – Jerome Wilson, Cadence

“The visual poetry and moving emotional content of the film’s portrayal of a Ukrainian community living through what was the Soviet collectivisation project, is perfectly conveyed by Kopinski’s multi-textured saxophone sound, which runs the emotional gamut from rhapsodic, almost Lloyd-like, warbling to gutsy passion. Steve Iliffe’s eloquent, lyrical piano, and occasional contributions from Janina Kopinski’s viola and Stefan Kopinski’s bass complement the leader’s brooding skirling beautifully, and the whole album, even without the film it illustrates, is a deeply moving and intensely personal statement from one of the UK’s most instantly identifiable saxophonists.” – Chris Parker, Jazz at Ronnie Scott’s

All compositions by Jan Kopinski except track 12 (Kopinski & Iliffe).
Recorded at Lakeside Theatre, Nottingham, England, 9th, 10th and 18th September 2002,
Recorded, mixed & produced by Jan Kopinski.

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