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Album “MARCH OF THE MASALIANS” (2015)

15 stunning tracks will take you on a journey through the universe of the Masalians. Matching artwork will guide you through the trip. Sit back, relax and let your mind drift off …

Everlasting Love/Bop It On – Not Just Yet – To Turn the Tables – Tangology – State of Mind – For the Creatures of The Sea – Pat – Swing Ping – Three Is the Key – Koentry – Shades of Shadows – Fall – Peace of Mind / Shared Emotions – Momo Masala – Bonus Track

With the original 2010-2017 lineup: Piet Haven (vocals, bass), Andries Baele (vocals, violin), Raph Van Goubergen (vocals, piano) and Pieter Dedoncker (drums).

Order your copy at Class & Jazz (info@classandjazz.be) or purchase digital on Bandcamp.

Commentaire sur l’album

(Translated from Romanian – source : VicTim of Jazz)

Masala (Belgium): “March of the Masalians” (Class & Jazz, 2015) – World, Fusion

With these Belgians, the basic instrumental axis is the violin-piano duo, the two musicians who wield them also being colleagues in the band Someone Els.

I had a hard time finding them among the many “Masala” names/bands: an older Italian one, a trio (Boliwar Miranda, Maurizio Dami and Ettore Bonafè) with different backgrounds (“Indian classical music, electronic music and jazz”), a group very active around 1998-2000 on Maurizio Dami’s (aka “Alexander Robotnick”) label, Hot Elephant Music. B ut there are also some current Masalas: “Masala (Band)”, a current South African group with the corpulent Fancy Galada (lead vocalist & dancer) and the Blundell brothers, respectively an Indian group with the same name in the style of “chakras music”, also with the German flutist Lenny Mac Dowell (aka Friedemann M. Leinert).

Interesting in their own right as far as I could see, but not quite like our Belgians who know how to create a little universe through their music, the important idea being “to bring a smile to the faces of the listeners”, as they themselves declared. The arsenal used is also very visual: album covers, song titles, S.F. comics drawn on posters and posters, costumes, show… and even the idea of the nickname “Masalian”.

The songwriting is also very flexible, with changes from song to song … as are the stylistic swings, frequent and surprising throughout the “March of the Masalians” even to the same song.

If, for example, the track “Pat” had been called “Trilok (Gurtu)” or “Zakir (Hussain)” we wouldn’t have been surprised, given the Indian percussion and vocals at the beginning and end … But it’s definitely “Pat” Metheny here, given that, when asked “what single album would he take with him to a desert island?”, pianist Raph Van Goubergen answered: “Offramp” from the Pat Metheny Group.

“Shades of Shadows” brings a medieval flair, “Fall” with its swing recalls Stephan Grappelli, the sentimental ballad “For the Creatures of the Sea” comes with seagulls and longing for the beloved, sea and sand.

Here are all 4 Masala artists from the “March,” each responsible for a fun, well-specified, part in the instrumentation that is certainly reflected in their live performances:

Raph Van Goubergen – piano/vocals/funny faces
Piet Haven – bass/vocals/funny sounds
Andries Baele – violin/flute/vocals/funny moves
Pieter Dedoncker - drums/percussion/funny vocals