Yulia Musayelyan: Strange Times
Wherego Music

Like professional musicians everywhere, Yulia Musayelyan's life, personally and creatively, was profoundly upended by the pandemic. Also like many, the flutist weathered the depressive storm by adapting as best as circumstances allowed, in her case by home recording duo arrangements of songs with her partner, bassist Fernando Huergo, and sharing them on social media to connect with also-isolated friends and family. Over time, she coupled those renderings of Argentinean folk songs with the writing of new material and saw her efforts gradually coalesce into a musical chronicle of that tumultuous period, the album Strange Times. As its material was composed across a four-year stretch, from the darkest days of the pandemic to the recovery that followed, the album includes darker-toned pieces but also uplifting ones that embrace newfound possibility, resilience, and hope. Strange times they were—and indeed still are (if for different reasons)—but there is nonetheless a cautious belief expressed in what the future holds.

Musayelyan is a musician of impressive credentials. The Moscow-born flutist has built a strong reputation in the United States as a performer, composer, and academic. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and New York University, she is currently the Assistant Chair of Ear Training at Berklee College of Music, has appeared on more than twenty-five albums as a side musician, and has issued four albums as a leader. In addition to the quartet featured on Strange Times, she co-leads the Macayú Trio, has appeared as a soloist with Tactus Ensemble (with guest conductor Pierre Boulez), and performed with Brooklyn Orchestra at the United Nations Headquarters. She's one of those rare players whose versatility allows them to excel in any context, from chamber classical and Latin jazz to Armenian folk and Argentinean tango.

On Strange Times, her flutes are joined by Maxim Lubarsky's piano, Huergo's bass, and Mark Walker's drums. Their presence is far from incidental to the album's impact. Each executes written parts with authority but without ever making the music sound stilted or clinical, and the energy with which they infuse the material extends to their improvised contributions. Musayelyan is fortunate to have had such engaged partners with her on this project. Five compositions are credited to her and one, “Solstice,” to Huergo. Rounding out the set-list are covers of Jorge Fandermole's “Oración del Remanso,” Fito Paez's “Parte del Aire,” and Ariel Ramirez's “Zamba de Usted,” all of which pay homage to the traditional folk styles of South America.

Fittingly, the set, recorded on a single day in April 2024, begins with a track designed to evoke the unsettling time of the pandemic, “Rothko Sketches,” its title deriving from the darker hues the late abstract expressionist included in his later paintings. The piece seduces the moment Lubarsky introduces it, Huergo and Walker follow with a crisp funk groove, and the leader enters with a wistful expression. At every turn, the four luxuriate in the tune's rhythms and changes, each responsive to the magic being collectively generated and able to harness the energy into their statements. The group's rendition of the Argentinean folk song “Oración del Remanso” adds a radiant tone in contrast to the brooding one of the opener. The flute's particularly effective at amplifying the sunny side, but the others do their part in brightening the mood when Huergo works a brief electric solo into the fabric to complement the relaxed swing of Lubarsky and Walker.

Musayelyan's “Futurism” and Huergo's terrific “Solstice” tickle the ear with free-wheeling, Latin-tinged flow and high-velocity solos from the four. Overdubbed flutes during the intro and outro distinguish the title track from the others; “Parte del Aire” weds the leader's bass flute to a sultry groove and gorgeous chord changes on one of the album's prettier tunes. In keeping with its nocturnal theme and also featuring bass flute, “Perugia at Night” aligns itself to the album's darker side in solemnly recalling the late-evening strolls she took through the Italian city's ancient streets during a summer 2023 visit. Titled after a musical style from northern Argentina and Bolivia and inspired by a reflection-inducing walk through a park at the onset of the pandemic, “Carnavalito” similarly accentuates the album's more contemplative side. Ending the set with the soothing languor of “Zamba de Usted” also registers as a smart and satisfying choice.

The quartet format is especially well-suited to Musayelyan's music when the modest number of players allows for maximum flexibility whilst also ensuring the result's coloured with a rich blend of timbres. Likewise, while she clearly delineates melody and structure in her compositions, she also leaves space for the players to impose their personalities on each piece. Great performances, arrangements, and compositions make Strange Times a treat from start to finish. It's the kind of album that makes one want to track down the other albums Musayelyan's released in the hope of experiencing more of the magic the quartet release delivers.

November 2024