Geni Music - reviews

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Music/43723-Three-nights/

http://www.abstractlogix.com/reviews_view.php?idno=261
The Boston-based player teams up with pianist Dominik Wania to present 11 pieces for shakuhachi and piano on Portraits. The breathy, subtle, but expressive, tones Skendo brings forth from his flute are a perfect match for Wania’s lush chords and jazz colors. The sound of the flute gives the music an Asian flavor but the music itself isn’t necessarily Japanese or Asian. Western jazz permeates even the most meditative cuts. The end result is a pleasing, exacting and creative mix of world music presented in the most tasteful way by two wonderful musicians who have developed a high rapport. Portraits will soothe your mind while still challenging it. – Walter Kolosky

IMPROVIJAZZATION Nation issue #90

Geni Skendo - STELLA: Another splendid on-line sonic adventure in from Geni & krew... (Geni Skendo doing flute/bass shakuhachi & shakulute, Slava Tolstoy on guitars, Yan Perchuk playing bass, Big Yuki playing keyboards, Dan Graham on drums and some very energetic vocals from Hadar Oshalimy)... Geni & Slava produced it, with Christian Kaufmann mixing and mastering, and it's one splendidly mellow jazz experience, I'll tell you, folks! You can purchase this excellently composed music at his site - www.genimusic.com I poked around the web but was unable to find any samples for this new CD, but if you check out issue #89 you can hear a sample or two from a previous album called PORTRAITS. "Stella" is much more oriented to jazz... less introspective & more in the "groove" mode most jazz aficionados find so attractive. This outing (as you can see from the player list above) has a lot more musicians, & the vocals from Hadar add a totally new "band" quality to the tracks! Geni is already a favorite player for me, & I only met him on Facebook in the last couple of months. My favorite cut on this CD is called "Soul Train w/shakulute"... it's got a certain "bounce" that will keep you in the groove, whether you're just toe-tappin', or actually gettin' up to shake those hips... even seems to have a "Latin phunk" feel in some regards - depends on how one listens to it, I suppose. Tolstoy's guitar just smoked, but he's not a "tune-hog" in any sense, so you hear all the players contributing to getting the groove movin'. My ears are (once again) mightily impressed by the deep emotions Geni is able to evoke with his playing, but it was wonderful to hear this "other side" of his jazz persona... I'm telling you, readers... you can expect to hear much, MUCH more music from this player - 10 years down the road, remember - you heard it here first! I give this a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Get all the information you need, or purchase the CD from www.genimusic.com Rotcod Zzaj

http://zzaj.freehostia.com/Z90Reviews.htm

IMPROVIJAZZATION Nation issue #89
Geni Skendo and Dominik Wania - PORTRAITS: This is a review of an "online" CD... a wonderful way to review music... no costs to the artist, none to the reviewer (other than a high-speed connection, & who doesn't have THAT these days)! Geni's superb Shakuhachi phrasings against lively, though introspective keyboards from Dominik will make you dig deep down inside your psyche, but not so far down that you become morose... they seem to be exploring the "G spots" of the mind, if you will... one of my favorite pieces is "Oedo Nihon Bashi" - dense and thick with emotion on the part of both the keyboards and Geni's wind manipulations. The tone (as you might imagine) is very Oriental, which is very pleasant for me to hear, as I spent a total of 17 years between Thailand and Korea... makes one who has lived there for any significant amount of time feel like they are right "at home". A key to this kind of music (I believe) is the "pacing"... Skendo and Wania are well enough wrapped up in each other's brains that they make you believe this is coming from one mind... very, VERY well connected, much better than some other shakuhachi players I've heard who either stay "down" under the other instrument(s), or play so much forward of them that it's impossible to catch the "flow" that is supposed to be there. My favorite piece on the album, though, is "Dream Albania", perhaps because it really seems a genuine portrait of his homeland, and melds a "European" feeling with those Oriental influences the Shakuhachi brings. Our first listen to Geni's work is immensely satisfying and brings back memories I'd forgotten from my own time there... I give this one a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for any listener unafraid to escape the traditional. Get more information at www.genimusic.com Rotcod Zzaj

http://zzaj.freehostia.com/Z89Reviews.htm

reviews from http://cdbaby.com/cd/geniskendodominik

author: Kay-ko!
I'm japanese, I know about these Japanese traditional songs and Shakuhachi that Geni & Dominik plays very well. When I listend to this album, I was so exited!! Because they arranged really really cool way! I didn't expect like that. I recomend if you're looking for cool music! Thank you Geni & Dominik :)
Compelling and heartfelt

author: Jeff Cairns
After giving time to this new production of shakuhachi player Geni Skendo and pianist Dominik Wania, I found a moving and flowing story of heartfelt narrative winding in and out of traditional as well as modern compositions, often circling back for re-statement, but usually with a slight variation picked up along the way. The accompaniment of Wania is top rate and sensitive to the realm of the shakuhachi, often pushing the flute's melodic lines into unexpected spaces. Skendo's shakuhachi speaks from the heart. Obviously many of the portraits have deep and personal meaning: something that the shakuhachi is very adept at interpreting. My hat is off to Skendo and Wania for their contribution to the world and I look forward to their next adventure.
Portraits Shakuhachi and Piano Duets

author: Bruce Hunter
Portraits Shakuhachi and Piano Duets Geni Skendo – Shakuhachi, Domink Wania – Piano CD Baby Warning! Collision of two temperments! Piano, with its fixed pitches and shakuhachi would seem an unlikely combination but this pair makes it work. Dominik Wania is exactly the right person for this collaboration. He has entered into the spirit of the enterprise, and allowed the music to come first, rather than his undoubtedly formidable prowess on the ivories. Good accompanists/partners are hard to find, I hope this one sticks around for more collaborations. Geni Skendo has found some interesting voices for this project, which I hope bodes well for future projects. There are some sonic episodes which I found a little off-putting at first, due to pitch requirements of piano, and shakuhachi notes needing to be where Geni put them, but second and subsequent listenings revealed instead, some very interesting acoustic events occurring. Altogether, a thoroughly enjoyable and keepable CD Oh, almost forgot, Geni has created an Öhrwurm in one of the pieces, and no, I’m not going to tell which one. 8^)