Reminiscence

ARISTOCRAT IN SPIRIT
(George Kharabadze’s album “Aristocrats”)
Written by HANNESS, August 18, 2006.

It happens pretty seldom nowadays, when one has possibility to listen to an album up to the end in a one listening session. There is always something in between to interrupt the process. But the melodies of this album have a very special feature; they capture your attention from the very beginning and lead you in a very powerful way through all the telephone calls, running minor problems and “musts”, like sounds of a Pans flute have probably attracted all the inhabitants of the Hellenic forest to its captivating source... This roughly 45 minutes album consists of 19 pieces interacting in a perfect harmony and building up the main album conception, beautiful combination of some nostalgic, romantic feelings, full of a gentle and intelligent thoughts.
The first 3 pieces “Tamsi”, “Thinking of You” and “Sonnet” create very nice intro to the whole project. The next part, that includes the compositions “Grapes Plant”, “Mother”, “Father”, “Stream” and “Home”, it’s a charming cordial story about the land of the origin. But is it somehow connected to any geographic point? Can we, going deeper through the sounds sometimes slightly, sometimes strongly colored in sort of a folk fragrance, guess, where to place this land geographically? But at the very moment you do understand - it lies nowhere on the Earth. This is a land inside of us; it’s a homeland of our own Childhood, where all of us are coming from and where we can find ourselves again - in this case - with a magical power of music…
The main and the biggest part of the album contains “Aristocrats”, “London”, “Song for Vera”, “Fretless Blues”, “Direct Manner”, “Privilege”, “Dream” and “Changi”. In between there is a nice composition “Don’t Surrender”, a bridge, that joins the recollections of a childhood with a kaleidoscope of a relatively recent remembrances… until "First Snow”. And here two lines of Chuang-Tzu are coming to my mind: “If you have stepped on rime this morning, it means, hard ice is coming soon…”. What can bring the relief than? The up coming spring, maybe? Or the reminiscence of a spring, of the childhood or the in most afterglows? You can probably find an answer in a beautiful trailing composition, transparently called “Reminiscence”.
And finally to put all that shortly: EXCELLENT, MEDITATIVE, WARM-HEARTED and AFFECTIONATE! Highly recommended for everybody, who considers himself an aristocrat in spirit!

REVIEWS:

Deeply felt and elegantly performed - this music is a journey of the heart.
author: The Tunnel Singer - Lee Ellen Shoemaker
George reaches back into memories of family and his the rich Georgian culture to capture
the romance and bring it to this music. An evocative journey of the heart.

author: sprezzatura2005 ARISTOCRATS means an inner Work of both: feelings and cautious grateful thought; Work is done elegantly, authentically,in nostalgic,contemplative way...There is certain Gurjieff quality sound in this musical Work of The Soul: ARISTOCRATS, Work that has to be listened again and again just to get real point...