Marilyn Mazur Special 4
At Cork’s Triskel Christchurch
Four stars out of five
Marilyn Mazur, the drummer, percussionist, composer, and band leader, originated her unique world when she was only seven. It began in her Danish living room, where she’d create an invisible barrier, play Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and begin an imaginary dance lesson with her invented “fantasy dance teacher”, interestingly named Mrs Mysticulum. On her living room’s red carpet, she’d learn the ballet’s moves from the imaginary teacher. According to her, this has been her moment of revelation, where she realised the mystical kinship between music and intangible forces.
The pillars of Mazur’s musical offerings have been rhythm, motion, and an enchanting allure, which were captivatingly evident during her concert at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. Located at the architecturally stunning Triskel Christchurch, this afternoon performance marked the conclusion of a Music Network Tour that had also travelled to Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, and Letterkenny.
Mazur’s musical prowess is as exceptional as her versatility, having had indispensable roles in bands spearheaded by Miles Davis in the 80s and by Jan Garbarek during the 90s. As an adaptable band leader, she has assembled copious “special constellations” i.e. bands with whom she dives into an entire cosmos of music and works with for several years.
Special 4 is very much in line with her previous ventures. Although this acoustic quartet is comparatively nascent and hasn’t yet debuted an album, Mazur has been performing with the Danish flugelhorn player Jakob Buchanan for almost two decades and worked with Japanese pianist Makiko Hirabayashi since the start of the new millennium; primarily in a trio joined by her long-term musical collaborator and husband, Klavs Hovman, a Danish double bassist she encountered in 1981.
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An enchanting 70-minute performance unveiled artistic connections and profound bonds. Mazur, stationed at a regular drum set and surrounded by an array of bells, gongs, blocks, cymbals, a percussive clay pot and wooden thumb piano, utilises her voice to bring forth both melodic and non-lexical tunes. Her command of the music is commendable, painting it with colours of grace with her physicality and playful approach. Indeed, she’s an exceptional orchestrator of the music’s mobility.
Her quartet performs with the same majesty. Each individual displays finesse and aptitude in their skills and improvisations, contributing distinctively to the collective sound landscape. A unique synchronicity prevails and the shared understanding is almost telepathic. Each musician is committed to nurturing the music, elevating it as a unified entity.
The concert finds Mazur reprising some signature folk-inspired tunes, including Reflections, Journey Waltz, and That’s Life. Nevertheless, the entire performance maintains a raw and organic nature, evolving naturally within its timeframe and context.
In addition, Mazur’s sound environment balances beautifully between composed elements and improvisation; between structure and spontaneity. Sound rhythm undeniably holds the fort, particularly in melodies, yet there are instances when the music takes abstract and daring detours, almost as if emerging spontaneously for a stage production or an indie film.
To categorise these fluid musical explorations is a formidable task. Mazur herself has named them “multimusic”. The concert concludes with Mazur singing “We can go anywhere”, a sentiment that resonates perfectly with their creative freedom. Never before has this statement held more truth.