Alex Simu Quintet - Echoes of Bucharest (2019)

Echoes of Bucharest - a reflection of the present, a fragrance of the past and a glance into the future of a city with a rich multicultural legacy.

The compositions of this suite encounter no rules or boundaries, only love, and the urge to create and share. The vision is built on two main pillars - innovation and heritage, and aims to shape sounds into a unique audience experience.

The music and the concept behind the compositions are a natural reflection of Alex Simu’s experience with his hometown, expressed through the lens of his emotional and historical ties. All sounds are inspired by the history of Bucharest, from its creation and evolution, to its contemporary times and future.

Found at the juncture between East and West, Romania benefited from rich cultural influences which lead to the creation of various identities throughout its historical evolution. Purely folkloric sounds, the dramatic influence of the Ottoman Empire, the Phanariot epoch, the Little Paris illusions, the two world wars, the communist regime, the revolution, and the contemporary Bucharest, they all become subtle echoes reflected through the spirit of the music on this album. All the various influences that have carved the cultural identity of Bucharest over time come to life as melodies, rhythmic themes, and motifs. Complementing the original compositions, thematic fragments of classical pieces by George Enescu and Dimitrie Cantemir have been specially arranged to harmonize with the contemporary language of jazz and free improvisation.

Alex Simu – clarinets (Romania)
Franz von Chossy – piano (Germany)
George Dumitriu – viola/guitar (Romania)
Jörg Brinkmann – cello (Germany)
Kristijan Krajnčan – cello/drums (Slovenia)