An album like a road movie. The protagonists travel into the distance and engage in encounters; the main actor nevertheless always stays at home with one leg. Sounds paradoxical, but applies to the new, second album by Max Clouth and his clan. Different facets of "Kamaloka" have been recorded in Indian studios far away from the base of the quartet from Frankfurt. Nevertheless, the subcontinent for Max Clouth, born in 1985, has long been a second home. From 2009 to 2012, the guitarist and composer studied the secrets of Indian ragas in Mumbai. At the same time, Clouth immersed himself in the myths and real worlds of India, even got to know his wife there for life. Although they live in Clouth's native city of Frankfurt today, the connections to the subcontinent naturally remain tight, whether through family visits, concert tours or cooperation with local musicians.
"Kamaloka" is in many ways a sonorous manifesto of this lived West-East connection. "We wanted to capture the special vibe that sets on tour," says Max Clouth, "playing in this huge country means landing in a different climate every day, being surrounded by always different dialects and atmospheres, all the time In November 2017, Max Clouth was on tour with Bollywood singer Arijit Singh, and concerts with the visiting clan followed. "Between our gigs in New Delhi, Bangalore and Goa, we fled into studios that were previously recommended and reserved by our respective guests."
The local guests included tabla virtuoso Ishaan Ghosh from Mumbai and singers Sriparnda Nandi and Varijashree Venugopal from Delhi and Bangalore respectively. Venugopal's charismatic voice also recently embellished a production of American star bassist and five-time Grammy award winner Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck & The Flecktones et al.). Other guest musicians on "Kamaloka" include cosmopolitan, percussionist and sound artist Bernhard Schimpelsberger, who has previously worked with Clouth and also with Anoushka Shankar and Nitin Sawhney. A string trio completes the multi-layered, sometimes cinematic sound panorama of the album.
The clan sees itself as a band, yet Max Clouth's variable guitar inserts characterize the sound of the quartet. In addition to a common semi-resonant guitar, he plays specially built for him acoustic or electric "Lotus guitars". They each have a neck with and without frets and additional sympathetic strings. With these custom-made designs, Clouth can approach the aesthetics of an Indian sarod or Arab oud.
"It's about creating contemporary instrumental music that transports elements of Indian classical music into Western stylistics, especially European jazz," Max Clouth outlines his idea. For jazz, he primarily thinks of "rough, unpretentious jazz rock of the seventies." As a guide, Clouth mentions John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra first and foremost. Also Embryo, Jimi Hendrix or the experimental Pink Floyd. "Conceptually created music, in which a kind of story runs through the album as a red thread, fascinated me at the age of 15." Of course, to this day, he is also enthusiastic about ready-to-play speed, as long as this does not become an end in itself. "I find virtuosity interesting when used as a color, like unusual harmonies or electronic effects."
"We played a lot of the repertoire live before the recordings," explains Clouth, "while we have worked out sounds, textures and the dynamics of the pieces more and more sharply." Drummer Martin Standke is one of the founding members of the clan, came about three years ago In addition, bassist Markus Wach, in 2016, pianist and keyboardist Andrey Shabashev from Russia. "The music ultimately develops organically from our interaction," says composer Clouth, "that's why the ideas of everyone contribute significantly to the final form of the pieces." Shabashev's Voicings and Effects and Standkes sometimes hot, sometimes cool patterns are a quality in itself, as well wax melodic tone, fine bow play and rhythmics trained at Arab music.
The musical journey of the Max Clouth Clan leads listeners to many places and awakens different memories. The album title "Kamaloka" is a Sanskrit word; as a term it stands for the removal of everything material after death. For years Clouth has been dealing with spiritual concepts, especially Theosophy, all the more intensely after the death of a close family member. The painful loss, the realization of transience and reflections on their own dependence on material stimuli ultimately flowed into the music. With "Kamaloka" Max Clouth and his clan present a clever and lively album that combines lightness and profound aspects. European and Indian stylistics, acoustic and electronic facets merge into a very personal and equally global sound.
01 Kamaloka 03:12
02 Naramada 04:10
03 M.R. 04:51
04 Salt Lassi 04:12
05 Delhi Jaipur Highway 06:25
06 Shyam 06:14
07 Intro 1 01:34
08 Letter From Gaza 05:04
09 Yari Road 03:04
10 Hamsa - Soham 05:02
11 Intro 2 01:25
12 Kirwani 03:48
Max Clouth Clan - Kamaloka Tour
13.04.2018 Frankfurt,Jazz Montez
14.04.2018 Frankfurt Mousonturm- Max Clouth Clan with Strings
18.04.2018 Göppingen Jazz-IG
20.04.2018 Mannheim Orientalische Musikakademie
21.04.2018 Wiesbaden Kulturclub Biebrich
04.05.2018 Bad Marienburg Jazz We Can
05.05.2018 Frankfurt Nacht der Museen
06.05.2018 Rüsselsheim Das Rind
