photo by Harry Eckemoff
As prolific Russian/American pianist and composer YELENA ECKEMOFF prepares to release her epic and mesmerizing double-album, Scenes From The Dark Ages, Progressive Rock Journal is hosting the premiere for the record’s latest single, “Tournament,” alongside an interview with the artist.
With spellbinding elements of progressive rock, jazz, and new age 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.
The latest Scenes From The Dark Ages single, “Tournament,” was filmed live in the studio and, this take actually replaced the prior take of the song and appears on the album.
YELENA ECKEMOFF reveals of the “Tournament” single, “I wrote this track imagining a knight jousting, filled with clashes of metal and horses galloping. After the knight wins the first round, he goes to his lady, kneels before her. This is what the middle lyrical section of the track is about. His lady takes the ribbon out of her headdress and ties it around the end of his lance. The knight, overwhelmed and happy, saddles his horse and jousts with his next opponent. This is the track about the power of love that makes men do crazy and difficult things to honor objects of their veneration. Before the musicians recorded the track, I told them what this track was about. Guitarist Riccardo Bertuzzi was especially trying to convey this imagery in his performance.”
Watch YELENA ECKEMOFF and her entourage expertly perform the Scenes From The Dark Ages single “Tournament” first at Progressive Rock Journal and read the interview RIGHT HERE.
Also stream and watch videos for the songs “Pilgrims,” “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.
Additional videos/singles from the album will drop over the weeks ahead.
Composer YELENA ECKEMOFF’s newest album Scenes From The Dark Ages is not a rendering of early-music tropes in modern jazz feels. Rather, in her writing on this album she 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.
The accomplished self-produced musician, who, with this latest title, has now released more than twenty critically acclaimed albums via her own label, L&H Production, 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.
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. 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.
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 Edoardo Cantini
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