For the World
By
Steve Markoff &
Patricia Lazzara
Written by
Steve Sheppard
For the World by Steve Markoff & Patricia Lazzara is a huge body of work of some
19 tracks of flute and piano by a trio of quality musicians who have brought
the world a glorious triumphant collection of great works for us all to enjoy
and bathe in. This musical voyage of our planet is a tip of the hat to all that
is good, artistic and pleasant about our home, expressing creativity and
artistry in abundance, it is an inspirational sanctuary.
This melodic journey starts with Ashokan Farewell which is a modern American folk composition that
sounds like a 19th-century lament and written by Jay Ungar in 1982, despite the description of the piece being
somewhat a song of loss and longing, I found the refrain and its Celtic
influences fluent, and played with delightful warmth and reflection.
The trio involved in this oasis of work are Steve Markoff on alto flute, he is known for his creativity and warm
interpretive arrangements, Patricia
Lazzara, flute, a multi-award winning soloist, chamber and orchestral
musician, and the journeyman Dave
Malyszko, soloist,
accompanist, and ensemble member on piano, a man who has performed with some of
the biggest stars in the business.
Textures of tone and timbre come in abundance with tracks
like the beautiful Bakit Pa a heartfelt Filipino ballad, one that
with rising flute raises the energies of the listener, and at times strangely
reminded me of the Roberta Flack song
Killing Me Softly, clearly I have
been in the music business for too long! Then Bang Chhun Hong which seemed familiar to me, then I
remembered my old friend Tim Wheater and
all made sense, with its classical flute timbre.
Native American Suite was an incredibly poignant
composition, inspired by the original culture, its crisp piano performance was incredibly
well performed in a symbiotic presentation with both flautists, in what to me
was a landmark arrangement from the album.
The depth of tone and flute in Belarussia is a piece that pays grand homage to its cultural roots,
in an almost regal processional styled offering. Tracks like Canadian Railroad Trilogy, a celebrated folk song originally written
and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, released,
let’s just say too many decades ago, here the trio bring an extra quality of
lightness to the overall narrative of the composition.
Dreaming in blue and
yellow is a track I
know very well, having written a review for it a couple of years ago by
British-American composer Michael Hoppé,
a man who has created wondrous compositions with the aforementioned flautist Tim Wheater, here on this track Steve Markoff & Patricia Lazzara
manifest something equally as touching as Michaels original lament for the
plight of the Ukrainian people.
As soon as I say El
Condor Pasa most people will no doubt spark Simon & Garfunkel who made this inspirational creation popular
in 1970, however this is a superb rendition, one that leads us hand in hand to
one of my favourite pieces, the quite ambient in its inception, The old years, however this track soon
morphs into something more rag styled in an almost Ian Anderson way, in one of the most exciting creations from the
release without doubt.
I always listen to any album in its entirety at least once
before I even attempt to write, when listening to this collection of beautiful
tunes, I came across a piece I remembered from my school days called Scarborough Fair, and was also once
again popularized by Simon &
Garfunkel in the 1960s, however this beautiful piece can be dated back as
far as perhaps even the 17th century, in my view this has to be one
of the best modern instrumental versions I have heard, all artists in total
balance and harmony with this quite breath taking rendition.
We have the short form narrative of My Father Is an Appenzell to entertain us with its bright and jolly
refrain, whilst Japanese Suite gives
us a flavour of the Far East with its sultry and meditative tonal delights.
This is followed by another large offering of music which we can refer to now
as Suite of Israeli Songs, Yoav Talmi’s original suite is moving
and powerful, and this cultural tip of the hat originally composed in ‘67 is
given the five star treatment from the artists, and one so good I found it quite
emotive to listen to at times.
The dramatic tones of Calikusu
were brought to life some 550 miles north of my home in Paphos, Cyprus, in the
location of Sivas in Turkey, way back
in ‘86 by composer Esin Engin, it
isn’t surprising to me that this is a piece that has a very deep emotional core,
and a powerful and compelling melody, whilst offerings like The Homes of Donegal, where the
locational aspect is obvious, the performance on flute is quite remarkable and
uplifting, and also deeply soulful.
Danse Espagnola was the very epitome of the saying a
horse of a different colour, and one inspired by traditional Spanish music and
dance forms. However the very next piece will take the listener back to the
70’s in the best way possible with an iconic version of the legendary band Abba’s I Have A Dream, a huge hit single, and taken from there equally
iconic Voulez-Vous album, here the
trio of Steve Markoff, Patricia Lazzara and Dave
Malyszko, gift us a memory box of fluent beauty.
The penultimate offering from the album is entitled The One That You Love, one may remember
back in the early years of hair rock, a band called Air Supply, so this is that reference you seek and you can scratch
your head no longer, as we take you back to ‘81 with a fine instrumental
version, one that contains a sublime piano performance by Malyszko in this classic ballad.
Sadly we have come to the end of our journey and we do so by
closing out with the mournful Shenandoah,
this is a smart last composition, leaving the listeners with something truly
anthem styled, I seem to recall a deep and emotional version of this song by Paul
Robeson back in the day.
For the World by Steve Markoff & Patricia Lazzara is every instrumental fans
musical panacea; there can be no doubt that there is something truly engaging
and palpable about this album. The performances within it are sublime moments
of perfection, and as such I fully expect this to make the top of the charts
with consummate ease.
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