photo by Edoardo Cantini
Prolific Russian/American pianist and composer YELENA ECKEMOFF presents her epic and mesmerizing double-album, Scenes From The Dark Ages.
Infusing spellbinding progressive rock and jazz with a Medieval concept and delivered by a top-tier ensemble, Scenes From The Dark Ages immerses the listener in a nearly-two-hour surrealistic and spellbinding experience. Scenes From The Dark Ages was written and produced by YELENA ECKEMOFF who performs piano, organ, clavichord, celesta, synths, and she is joined by Riccardo Bertuzzi (electric guitar), Carlo Nicita (soprano, alto, and bass flutes), Eloisa Manera (acoustic and electric violin), Riccardo Oliva (electric bass), and leading world jazz/fusion scene drummer Trilok Gurtu (drums and percussion). The album was recorded over three days in August 2023 at Digitube Studio in Mantua, Italy, with the recording, mixing, and mastering handled by Carlo Cantini.
Having unveiled several jazzier teaser singles in the final days of 2023, YELENA ECKEMOFF begins the new year with the first of several new songs ahead of Scenes From The Dark Ages’ release, today issuing the opening song of the 2xCD epic, “Pilgrims,” including a video of the ensemble recording the movement in the studio.
Watch YELENA ECKEMOFF and crew expertly perform Scenes From The Dark Ages’ “Pilgrims” now at YouTube HERE and stream the song at Bandcamp HERE.
Also stream and watch videos for the songs “Quest,” “Chivalry,” and “Village Tavern” HERE and HERE.
Scenes From The Dark Ages is confirmed for March 28th release as a deluxe digipak 2xCD and on all digital platforms through YELENA ECKEMOFF’s own label, L&H Production. Find preorders at Bandcamp HERE and find digital presaves HERE.
Scenes From The Dark Ages Track Listing:
Disc 1:
1. Pilgrims
2. Village Tavern
3. From Peasants Life
4. Spell-Bound Fortress
5. Monks In Scriptorium
6. Cathedral
7. Legends Of The Castle
Disc 2:
1. Adventures Of A Knight
2. Battle
3. Chivalry
4. Tournament
5. Masquerade
6. Alchemist
7. Quest
8. From The Life Of The Lords
Several other videos/singles from the album will drop over the weeks ahead.
“I dreamed about being born in Medieval times,” says composer YELENA ECKEMOFF. Her newest album is not a rendering of early-music tropes in modern jazz feels. Rather, in her writing on this album Yelena synthesizes classical music constructs and her original melodies with the varied rhythmic and stylistic innovations of jazz, fusion, and world music from the 21st Century. Beyond this, she invests each moment of the album with her own sense of delight in leading and performing this unique material.
ECKEMOFF recorded this album in Mantua, Italy, bringing together an ensemble perfectly suited to execute her ideas: esteemed Italian musicians Riccardo Bertuzzi on electric guitar, Carlo Nicita on flute, Eloisa Manera on violin, Riccardo Oliva on electric bass, and legendary percussionist/drummer Trilok Gurtu. From the first moments of “Pilgrims,” the album opener, with Gurtu’s decisive attack on the drums and Oliva’s funk vibe in the bass, the listener is put on alert that this album defies the expectations of its title. It’s when ECKEMOFF enters with a chant-like theme in the piano, however, that one first begins to understand the ingenuity of her writing—how the impact of a simple melodic notion can change depending on its context. As if to prove this point further, ECKEMOFF continues to upend the tune, first with Bertuzzi’s blazing entrance on electric guitar, then with Nicita’s seductively sweet flute lines. Astonishingly, these transitions between musical ideas are seamless.
“This project is so different from my others because it has a prog-rock feel,” says the accomplished self-produced musician, who, with this latest title, has now released more than 20 critically acclaimed albums via her own label, L&H Production. “I didn’t want just guitar and bass; I wanted rock guitar and electric bass and really strong drums. On this recording you’ll hear me playing not only piano, but Medieval instruments like organ, clavichord, harpsichord, and celesta. I also wanted violin and flute, and I think this somewhat atypical instrumentation gives the music another dimension.”
ECKEMOFF brings this same attention to the album’s narrative construction: one tune flows organically into the next as she weaves a vibrant sonic tableau depicting medieval life. In her vision, each tune captures a unique aspect of those far-off times, much like the fairy tales that so mesmerized her as a child. “For as long as I can remember, I was surrounded by books, growing up in the imaginary world of folk stories and fairy tales,” she remembers, emphasizing how strong a hold this literature has had on her imagination. “I remember being very little, sitting on a huge sofa with stacks of books around me, scrutinizing wonderfully illustrated pages of one book after another. Then, in elementary school, I would play a game about living on a different planet, set in Medieval times, where I walked among castles, horses and carriages, kings and princes. Later, in the fourth grade, I wrote a story about medieval times with music. Funny, but a couple of the melodic ideas from that effort made their way into this album.”
Those who follow ECKEMOFF’s career will not be surprised by the enormous creativity in this collection; she always brings a wealth of deep thought to everything she does. What might surprise listeners, however, is how persistently this project has been forming in Yelena’s mind, resurfacing intermittently years after she wrote those first little snippets for a grade school performance.
“In my late teens, I played in a progressive rock band, which influenced my composing with prog-rock idioms,” she explained. “Later, after immigrating to the United States, I was working in my MIDI studio and utilizing the rich possibilities of Kurzweil K-2000 sequencer and created a project that I called Medieval Symphony, where I mixed a medieval feel with prog-rock and fusion. This project represented my reincarnated childhood dream about medieval times—how I imagined them, according to all those wonderful, illustrated fairy tales I used to read and love. “I planned to release Medieval Symphony along with my prior projects involving MIDI, like The Birth Of Emmanuel, Kaleidoscope Of Life, and Death And Resurrection Of Jesus Christ. But I started to realize that my solo efforts—where I played all of the instruments, including drums—lacked the live touch of real musicians. So, I left the project unreleased.
“New, different projects followed, recorded with various jazz musicians. And finally, I thought about going back to my unreleased medieval project, to be recorded with a live band. I reworked all of the tunes from the original Medieval Symphony, added new material, and infused it all with jazz improvisation. So, basically, this project started a long time ago for me, having taken root in my childhood infatuation with Medieval life. Like a never-ending fairy tale, images from Medieval life have continued to inspire me.”
To modern ears, these compositions will register as present-day fairy tales, sparkling with the same imagination and wonder that has kept these most beloved stories alive for centuries. Like fairy tales, Yelena’s work carries deeper meanings; its sophistication lies in her talent for making the complex seem simple and the simple beautiful.
photo by Harry Eckemoff
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