I have this idea, which is considered by some of my friends an utter stupidity: The greatest things in life happen when you are bored and not expecting anyhting extraordinary to happen. It might sound weird, and probably it is, but for me it’s a reality. I could fill this article with all the aspects of my life which have completely turned around by chance, but I won’t. Because what I really want to talk about here is one of my latest discoveries, which happened, if you haven’t already guessed, by complete chance.
I was bored out of my mind, so I suddenly decided, having nothing better to do, to pop to a YouTube channel I’m suscribed to, property of a hilarious scottish guy who used to make videos quite regularly, and leave a comment asking why dickens had he been so long without making any. Once written, the featured video on his channel catched my eye. It seemed to be a concert of a choir of some kind, singing a song called Africa. As I have always loved choirs I clicked ‘Play’…
Posibly many of you had already seen this, as it is hugely popular on YouTube. If you hadn’t, you probably are yet too shocked to keep on reading. Take a moment, breathe. Back with me? Ok.
So, there I was, not bored anymore. I was surprised, delighted, smiling and in tears, all at the same time. I watched the video a couple of times, and then I went to their channel for more. I watched Bee Gees Medley, Aquarela do Brazil, Kradeva Brez Vere/Soba 102 (which was shortly to become my favourite one)… And I loved them all. But the last one arouse a lot of questions. The first one to be What in the name of Christ is he saying?
So I looked around a bit and I found out they were from Slovenia, which explained a lot, and that they had been around since 1983, being the only Slovenian Jazz choir. You can of course learn more of their history and of the around-50-memebers having a look at their website (which is too yellow and hurts my eyes. But it’s cool anyway.)
This was some months ago. Now, having learnt all their songs (including, indeed, the ones in Slovenian and other Slavic languages), around half of their names, their pronunciation, some random Slovenian, and having bought a CD, a DVD and even a t-shirt, I can proudly say I am a proper fan! I adore them. Some of the people I know might be surprised, but the ones who know me well are aware of my quite eclectic taste for music! I love anything that sound like rock, blues, celtic, jazz, punk, metal, funky… But of course my favourite bands are The Beatles, Sonata Arctica, Millencolin, Offspring and Flogging Molly, so having a Jazz choir among them might look a bit weird. But that is how I roll, people.
© Irena Herak (Finance)
They uploaded new videos a couple of days ago. They have made us wait, but the waiting was well worth it. Five new live performances, about which the least you can say is that they are magnificently breath-taking. They were filmed on the Vokal Xtravaganzza 2009, and just showed us they get better and better every year. They also got a sharper fashion, so all of them looked even better than what they usually do. And I have to say that all of them are drop dead gorgeous. Men and women, all of them. I don’t know what they have in that country, but I want some.
So, the first one I watched was Joyful, joyful. If I had to choose one word to define Aleksandra Lamut that would be amazing. Her voice is so soft and powerful at the same time, you get hooked by it since the moment she opens her mouth. But then of course the whole choir begin to sing and the party gets started. Jan Trost’s rapping part is awesome, and what to say about both trios; incredible voices on display. As a whole, a wonderful song, one of my favourite song of PJ to this date. I really like what they did with it!
I got all excited when I saw they were singing a George Benson Medley, as that man is a legend and I love his music. I knew they would do a very special version of the songs, and I wasn’t disapointed. Nino Kozlevčar did, as he always does, a brilliant performance. His voice is very nice, and I specially love it in the This Masquerade bit. From the Turn your love around, the most standing thing is in my opinion the baritones’ work, it’s so good it gives me shivers! My favourite one though, is On Broadway, which is one of my favourite songs of all time. The choreography adds a bonus at a song that genuinelly couldn’t be better performed. The fun with the public was a new thing, but I loved it – and surely they did too! Finally, no words to describe the talent of Sašo Vrabič, multitask beatboxer. Honestly, no words.
Then of course I saw the Killing me softly video, which didn’t disappoint me either. I had already heard this song, as it’s on the CD I bought, but live it’s much better. Sandra Feketija can absolutely kill you soflty with this song or any song she sings. I love the way she makes a song different each time she sings it.
When I saw they had sung Michael Jackson’s Will you be there, I knew it was bound to become their new big boom. But I never thought it would make me feel all the things it actually did. The beginning is a song in latin from a Slovenian composer of the Reinassance, and it sends shivers down my spine. So when MJ’s song began I was already somehow emotional… By the end of it I was in tears. Again Nino’s performance was quite simply unbelievably great. I had already made most of my friends and colleagues listen to Perpetuum Jazzile, and most of them loved them, but it was with this song that they got completely amazed and interested in them.
However, my favourite one has to be Just The Way You Are. As said in the description of the video:
Billy Joel’s love song in an XL vocal group arrangement, featuring a passionate tenor section solo.
It is quite simply astonishing. I used to be a bariton lover, but I’m totally going to the tenors side, I fear. As I think I told them on a Facebook comment, I’m really close to doing myself a t-shirt with the words I ♥ TENORS. They are too good to be true. I have heard some of them solo (of course Tomaž Cör on Kradeva Brez Vere, Boštjan Usenik on the CD version of Girl from Ipanema -which should totally be sung live-, Aleš Majerič -for whom I have began a kind of small riot on Facebook, as they HAVE to give him a solo on PJ. He’s brilliant!- on some performances of a side project of some of the PJ members, Brkate Cimre) and they are all magnificent, but as a section all of them together are just a legend. But I’m specially impressed by Nataša Jovanović, the first female tenor I have seen. I love the fact that she’s a “woman in a world of men”, and that she always looks like she’s the one having the best time, always sunny and smiling!
© Perpetuum Jazzile, Photoshop by myself.
I genuinelly hope you listen to the songs and enjoy them as much as I do. Perpetuum Jazzile are not just musically brilliant, but they also have this gift I can’t explain, of making you smile and feel more positive and fine. Like love emanates from them. I think that’s why so many people loves them, because, as the Beatles said, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
