Lines in the Sand is the second release on MoonJune Records for talented Serbian keyboard player/composer Vasil Hadzimanov, and this time out he has a red hot band alongside him, who are comprised of:
Branko Trijic - guitar
Miroslav Tovirac - bass guitar
Bojan Ivkovic - percussion, vocals
Pedja Milutinovic - drums
with special guests:
Rastko Obradovic -sax
Marta Hadzimanov - lead vocal, track 4
Dean Bowman - lead vocal, track 8
From start to finish, Lines in the Sand is a groove laden, fiery affair, Hadzimanov and the band blending classic jazz-fusion, rock, funk, smooth jazz, avant-garde, ambient, and ethnic sounds into a wildly exciting and upbeat collection of songs that show off not only their musical skills, but the compositional abilities of the leader. The title cut offers breezy electric piano and scorching lead guitar while alluring vocals float over the top, and the ripping "Mr. MoonJune" (an ode no doubt to MoonJune mastermind Leonardo Pavkovic) brings to mind classic artists such as Soft Machine, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock. The few vocal tracks in fact remind of Corea's early, ethereal Return to Forever albums, where the focus was more on acoustic/electric piano, jazz rhythms, and light vocals, before the memorable jazz-rock fusion line-up settled in. Elsewhere though, plenty of upbeat, energetic modern sounding fusion to be found, such as the rumbling "Kazi Gradiska" complete with some outstanding drumming from Milutinovic and Vasil's incredible electric piano, the pumping grooves and spacey synths of "Maklik", and the bluesy, Caribbean sounds of "Rege Hadzi".
Plenty of variety, tasty playing, and memorable songs, all make Lines in the Sand an engaging, enjoyable listen. Modern day jazz-fusion doesn't get much better than this.
Track Listing
1.
Lines In Sand 05:42
2.
Mr. MoonJune 06:59
3.
San Snova 04:36
4.
Lost 05:26
5.
Kazi 02:25
6.
Kazi Gradiska 04:39
7.
Maklik 05:26
8.
For Clara 06:02
9.
Waiting For... 01:46
10.
Freedom From The Past 04:44
11.
Ratnici Podzemlja 04:21
12.
Rege Hadzi 07:15
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